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“Eat.”
“I forgot to ask if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.”
“No. I try to limit sugar but that’s just a personal choice.”
“Come on.” He stood and reached down to help me off the couch. “Let’s get you to the table so you can eat. Then you can tell me why you lost your shit on me.”
I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but something about his bossiness calmed me and pushed the ever-present anger back.
It had to be the meds and the effects of the fight. I was out of sorts. My brain was being weird. Nothing more.
6
CALEB
I letGraham eat his food in silence as we sat at the table together.
When he was done, he laid his fork down on his plate. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“You’re welcome. Do you want to tell me what happened there?”
“No.”
“Fair enough. Tell me what happened there.”
He hung his head. “I was texting my coworker and got mad.”
“And you decided to insult me, my house, and my job because something at work pissed you off?”
He grunted. Stared at his plate. His shoulders hunched. “I lashed out. I shouldn’t have.”
I waited for him to continue. He didn’t. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
He looked up at me, finally. Heaved a big sigh. “You’re annoying.”
“And you’re stubborn.”
“Why do you care?”
“No clue. Maybe because I just witnessed you having a medical emergency on my couch? Or maybe it’s because I’m a nice guy. Who the fuck knows.”
He let out a little snort that could have been laughter. “You’re kind of a dick for such a nice guy.”
“Life’s all about balance. Now stop changing the subject.”
He dragged his coffee cup closer and stared into it. “I got beat up at work last night.”
“What? You told triage you got jumped.”
He shrugged. “I figured that was easier than telling them I got my ass kicked by two drunk assholes.” A pause. “I work at a strip club.”
Now the body glitter made sense.
“I was outside taking a breather when I heard fighting out front. I should have gone inside and gotten our bouncers to deal with it, but I heard a woman scream and I just… I ran toward the fight on instinct. Some asshole was shaking a woman and screaming at her while three of his friends watched. One of my coworkers was with me, and two of them rushed us. I took them on so Dash could get help.”
