Sean snorts. “That bad, huh?”
“I mean, I build custom PCs for kicks. Tinker with drones. Play video games. Watch bad sci-fi movies and yell at the plot holes.”
He grins. “You yell at them?”
“Loudly. With commentary.”
“Okay, we’re definitely watching something together. I need to witness this.”
I raise a brow. “Oh? Planning another date already?”
Sean freezes mid-step, eyes wide, like I’ve just said something scandalous. “Is that what this is?”
I shrug, grinning. “I hope so.”
He looks away, but he’s smiling too, the kind of smile that feels like a secret. “Yeah,” he says after a moment. “Me too.”
We reach the corner where the street dips toward a quiet neighborhood—a stretch of tree-lined sidewalks and tiny front porches. Fireflies flicker along the hedges like someone’s strung fairy lights through the dark.
Sean’s voice drops as we walk. “You know, I don’t really… do this much.”
“Stay late?” I tease.
He smiles faintly. “That. But I mean—talk about myself. It’s usually easier just to keep my head down and focus on work, you know?”
“Yeah,” I say gently. “I can relate.”
He glances sideways at me. “My sister, Ashley, just started college this year. It’s a lot. I’m trying to help her cover what financial aid doesn’t. Rent, books, all that stuff. I love her more than the moon, but…” He blows out a breath. “It’s expensive.”
I nod, staying quiet.
“She doesn’t even have her own laptop,” he continues. “The one she used through high school finally kicked the bucket, and, well, I can barely swing the necessities.She uses the computer lab between classes and at night. Says it’s fine, but I hate it. I feel like I should be able to help her more.”
There’s something raw in his voice, a quiet frustration that makes my chest ache.
“When our mom died,” he says softly, “Ashley was six. I had just turned eighteen. It was sudden, and… I took custody. There was no other choice. It was hard—working, school, keeping the lights on—but she was this kid who believed her big brother could do anything. And somehow, that made me try.”
He laughs once, dry and small. “Now she’s nineteen, off doing amazing things, and I still feel like I’m barely keeping up.”
Without thinking, I reach out and rest a hand on his shoulder. “Hey. You did good, Sean. Still are. I bet Ashley adores her brother.”
He swallows, looking up at me like I’ve just delivered a huge gift.
“I mean it,” I say. “She’s in college because of you. You’ve already done more than most people ever could.”
He doesn’t answer right away, just nods, eyes glinting under the streetlights. “Thanks.”
We walk a few more steps, silent again—but it’s a different kind of quiet now. Softer. Closer.
Finally, he exhales, the moment easing. “Anyway, sorry. Didn’t mean to trauma-dump mid-romantic walk.”
I smile. “Don’t apologize. I like getting to know you. And it explains why you can be so…” I pause, not wanting to ruin the moment.
“Go ahead. Say it.”
I take his hand, running my thumb along his palm.
“Grumpy.”
