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“Obviously. Why wouldn’t I?”
I chuckled. “It’s a deal, then.” I held out my hand.
“I’m not shaking that. You were just bleeding.”
“You grabbed my hand to wash it.”
“Your wrist, but that was in the moment, and now the moment has passed and all I can think of is that I could have gotten your blood on me. No offense to you. I don’t want anyone’s blood on me.”
God, he was really great. “Well, then we’ll pretend we sealed the deal. Should we finish making dinner now?”
“Not you. You’re done for the night. I…can’t. Sorry. Do you have a Band-Aid? I know it’s not bleeding anymore, but it’ll stress me out.”
“Okay, new plan. You make us food. I’ll bandage this up.”
“Second deal.” He nodded.
I went into the bathroom and did as I said. My pulse was jumping in this erratic way that showed how excited I was for this…to have a roommate…a guy I’d met twenty-four hours earlier.
My new friend.
What the fuck was happening in my life? This wasn’t like me.
But when I went back into the kitchen and saw Milo standing at the counter in a shirt and boxer briefs, happily chopping vegetables, I couldn’t help smiling.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Milo
Gideon wasn’t awake when I got up the next morning. After dinner last night—a dinner where he’d liked my zucchini pizza—we’d gone to the hotel to get my things and check out. He had a bed in the spare room that honestly wasn’t much better than the one at the hotel, but I was going to try really hard not to tell him that the next time I saw him. I didn’t know if it would come off as rude.
He said he mostly worked days at the shop, but his hours could be random because it depended on appointments or walk-ins. Sometimes Freddy would message him when he was off, and Gideon would decide if he wanted to do the tattoo or not.
Oh, and when I couldn’t get much sleep last night, I decided I wanted to start calling him Gideon. He was my friend and roommate now—gah, what if I sucked at the whole roommate thing? It was pretty obvious I would, but I really wanted to make this work with Gideon. If it didn’t, I would move because I didn’t feel right kicking him out of his apartment.
But I also just liked being his friend, and friends should call each other by their names, right? I felt I knew him well enough for that.
He had some random veggies in the fridge, thankfully, so I’d been able to make an omelet. I worried it might be rude to eat his food without asking, but Gideon had told me to make myself at home. And I would make sure I bought food to replace everything I took.
I cut enough to make him an omelet too, but he didn’t wake up. I read a little bit, but he still slept. I paced…and waited…and waited…what felt like forever for either Gideon to get out of bed or for it to be late enough for me to call my mom in California.
As soon as my phone said ten—which was the perfect time to catch Mom before she left for work—I sat cross-legged on the couch.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite son calling me. Color me shocked.”
“Mom…I’ve been gone like two days, and we talked yesterday.”
“After you ignored me!”
“Because you wouldn’t let me do what I needed to do!” I sighed. Sometimes she was a lot. She made me feel like a child, and there was nothing I hated more than that.
“Milo, you know I just worry.”
“I do, but you have to let me make my mistakes and live my own life. I’ve made a plan, and I’ve thought it through.” Well, the bookstore part. I didn’t do much thinking when it came to living with Gideon. I just said yes because, well, because I wanted to. “I’m going to tell you what it is, and I want you to listen without criticizing. You need to accept the choices I’ve made.”
There was a long silence on the phone, and I waited it out; finally, she said, “I’ll try.”
“I’m going to remodel the bookstore and—”
“That might take most of your savings! On a business you don’t even know will be profitable and one that isn’t something you even cared about until less than a week ago.”
“You’re already interrupting! And judging! I’m hanging up.”
“No! I’m sorry, but…”
“I know. Do you think I’m stupid?”
She gasped. “No. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”
“Then act like it. I’m going to remodel the store, and I’m going to do the work I can on my own. It’s not a huge remodel, and I’ll be conservative in what I spend. I’m doing this because I want to, and it’s what I think will be the best move for my business.”
