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“I’m giving you a ride as a favor. I don’t want your money,” I explained to him carefully.
He started to pull out a bill from his wallet regardless.
“Hey, I’m not joking. I don’t want your money.”
Kulti started to shove a fifty at me. “Here.”
I reached up and cupped his hand, crushing the bill between us. “I don’t want it.”
“Take it.” He pushed against me.
I pushed back. “No.”
“Stop being stubborn and take the money,” Kulti argued, his face exasperated.
Well if he thought he was the only one getting aggravated, he was dead wrong. “I said no. I don’t want it. Just get out.”
It was his turn to start with the one-word replies. “No.”
Screw this. I put some muscle behind it and slowly started pushing our hands back toward him. Well I made it two inches before he realized what I was doing and then began pushing back, only he was stronger and he advanced more than two inches.
“Quit it. I’m not joking. Take your money.” I grunted a little, putting more weight into my push, almost futilely.
Those green-brown eyes flicked up to with an even look that had annoyance written all over it. “I said I would pay you—“
“I don’t want your money, you hardheaded ass—“
Oh dear God.
I stopped pushing the second I realized what I said. It must have been so unexpected that he wasn’t paying attention because the next thing that I knew, he was punching me in the shoulder.
It didn’t hurt at all.
But for some reason, instinct had me saying “oww” anyway.
We both looked like we’d violated the other. Like I’d backstabbed him for saying ‘oww’ and I’m sure I looked at him like I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to hit me. Sure it was an accident, and an accident that didn’t hurt on top of that, but…
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, looking down at his hand like he couldn’t believe what he’d done.
I opened my mouth and then I closed it.
Reiner Kulti had just punched me in the shoulder.
I had driven him home, argued with him over how I didn’t want his money, and then he punched me in the shoulder.
I closed my eyes, pinched my nose and burst out laughing.
“Get outta here,” I said when I started laughing harder.
“I didn’t mean to—“
I threw my head back against the headrest and felt myself shake with how stupid this was. “I know. I know you didn’t. But just get out, it’s fine. I need to get to work before you punch me in the other shoulder.”
“This isn’t funny,” he snapped. “It was an accident.”
Suddenly I stopped laughing and snapped right back at him, “I know it was, jeez. I was just messing with you.” I gave him a wide-eyed look. “A joke, do you know what that is?”
I mean, I’d already gone for calling him a hardheaded ass, and he hadn’t thought twice about it, but that might have been because he’d punched me immediately afterward.
