“You don’t have to build a case.”
“I’m trying to understand.”
“All right.”
He squinted at me.
“You’re not…” He stopped.
“What?”
“The word.”
“Take your time.”
“I know it.”
His frustration arrived immediately.
“Don’t force it.”
“I hate when people say that.”
“Then force it.”
He shot me an irritated look.
I almost smiled.
“You’re not…” He closed his eye. “Not ugly.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“That isn’t the word.”
“It’s a reasonable start.”
“No.” He rubbed his forehead. “The opposite. I mean—”
“Attractive?”
His eye opened.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Don’t make it a thing.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
A flush rose beneath the fading bruises along his cheek.
He looked down.
“I was going to say you’re not difficult to look at.”
