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“You don’t say much.”
I gave up. She wasn’t going to let me leave, so I leaned on the railing next to her. “I don’t have a lot to say.”
“Or you don’t have a lot you want to say,” she corrected me.
“Fair assessment.”
“Think Lucas will leave me alone now?” She bent down and scraped her cigarette across the ground and left it by her feet.
“Yeah. I think you made your point.”
“Coward. I guess if he really wanted me he would have tried harder.”
I looked over at her profile as she leaned over the railing. She was naturally beautiful, and while her words had a tough edge, her features were soft and her eyes were gentle. And she was clearly upset that chivalry died centuries ago. “You really liked him then?”
Her head dropped and she sucked in her bottom lip and she lightly knocked her toes on the foot railing. “Yeah, I did. We’ve been dating since freshman year. Two years is a long time to throw it away on a one-night stand.”
“You sure it was just once?”
Her eyes darted over, and if looks could kill.
“Why would you say that? That was a dick thing to say.”
I put my hands up defensively. “I’m sorry. It’s just I’m a guy, so I know how guys think.”
“Did you cheat on your girlfriend?” Her words were like glass cutting through my chest cavity.
“I would never,” I said softly.
“So then all guys aren’t the same.”
“I’m just going to dig myself further if I say anything else,” I surrendered.
We both looked quietly out into the garden now. It was peaceful standing next to her, given the circumstances.
“What was she like?” Casen asked carefully.
“Beautiful, fun, and feisty.” I looked her way and smiled, insinuating the obvious. “She smoked, too.”
She turned her whole body to me now. “Oh, really? Pot, kettle, black.” She moved her hands up and down like a scale weighing the hypocrisy.
I laughed for a brief moment remembering how Tessa would call me out on things, too. “She smoked weed, not cigarettes. She said it helped with her anxiety.”
“I don’t really smoke. That was my first pack. I actually hate it, but I didn’t want to waste money by tossing them. I figured I’d finish the pack.”
I shook my head dismissively. “That’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” I held out my hand, wanting the pack of cigarettes.
“Seriously?” She stood, shocked.
I jiggled my hand and nodded.
Her annoyed shrug filled the hallway as she went inside and came out with the pack. She slammed them in my hand. “Satisfied?”
I crushed the box immediately in my hand and smiled. “Yep. You’ll thank me one day.”
She studied me again as if she was trying to break some secret code. Break me. I wanted to save her the trouble and tell her not to bother, but I didn’t hate her company and she was my neighbor. Better to have a friend next door than a mortal enemy. Especially one with her fire.
“I’m going to head back to bed.” I held up the crushed box. “And I’ll get rid of these for you.”
