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Chris was in the shower and running his hand along his torso, remembering Hayley’s face as she’d reached for him. It was not a look he was used to seeing. It was something like fascination, though without the usual morbidity that went along with it. When he’d first gotten home and word of what had happened had spread far and wide, some women stared at him once he got them alone and got undressed.
They stared and grimaced and tried to touch, but not in a kind way. Not like Hayley. More like he was a train wreck and they couldn’t look away. Or they were gathering their courage to touch him. One had even asked him to put his shirt back on. He hadn’t called that one again. Everyone knew and there was no point in hiding it and if they couldn’t get over it then fuck them.
Hayley had apologized, too. For invading his personal space and presuming too much. He’d actually felt sorry for her because she was so upset with herself. No woman apologized for making him feel like an animal in a zoo. He hurried through the rest of his shower and got dressed. A few minutes later, he was already jogging up the steps of Hayley’s front porch. He knocked and Hayley cautiously answered. He grinned at her. “I’m headed to the store and I thought maybe you’d like to come. That way you can get as much as you need. We’ll take the truck.”
She blinked up at him. “The store?”
“The grocery store,” he said, as if this was obvious.
“Um. You don’t have to do that. I can-”
Chris sighed. “Hayley. When are you gonna stop busting my balls?”
She gaped at him. “I didn’t- I wasn’t…busting anything.”
“You busted my balls over the house. Then giving you a ride home. Then the lawn. Now the groceries. Seems like you hold a grudge for a long time, woman.”
She crossed her arms in front of her. “I brought you tea.”
“And now you’re back to busting my balls. Do you always run so hot and cold?”
“No! It’s…it’s 8:30 in the morning on a Sunday!”
“So you’re cold in the morning and you’ll be hot by noon? Good to know. Looking forward to it, Slick. Maybe I’ll come by for lunch and some of that sugar tea. Get your shoes on and let’s go. We’re burning daylight.” Hayley stared at him for an eternity, then she finally turned, picked up her keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and slipped on her canvas shoes.
In the store, she loaded her cart as Chris loaded his next to her. In the deli, she frowned at a sign scotch taped to the glass. “Are you really coming over for lunch?” she asked him suddenly.
He grinned at her. “Want me to?” he asked.
“No. I mean, I don’t care. It’s just that, roast beef is on sale by the pound. I really like roast beef, but I can’t eat a pound of it. But if you were coming over, I could buy that roast beef and it wouldn’t go to waste because you could probably eat a lot of roast beef.”
He pretended to consider this. “So what you’re saying is, you want roast beef so bad you’ll tolerate my company for lunch.”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Chris made a show of checking his watch. “If you’re busy….” she said, trailing off.
“No, I’m not busy,” he informed her. “I was just looking to see how much more cold I’ve got to deal with.”
Hayley squeaked in protest, but he ignored her, instead catching the eye of the deli clerk. “Pound of roast beef, please.”
When the clerk handed the wrapped parcel to Chris, he chucked it into her cart. “Thanks, Slick. I’ll pick us up some chips.”
Walking up to the check out lanes, both Chris and Slick were flagged by a girl a little younger than them waving them over. “Hey girl!” the young woman called out, obviously recognizing Hayley.
Hayley smiled back. “Hey!” she replied, angling her cart toward the girl’s empty line and started filling up the conveyor belt. The girl glanced behind Hayley to Chris and gawked at him. He grinned back at her lazily.
“Girl,” the checkout girl stage-whispered. “Got a fine ass man waiting in line behind you. Check it out.”
Hayley fumbled her breakfast cereal. “He’s not…he’s just…”
“Who’s your friend, Slick?” Chris asked loudly, indicating he’d heard the woman.
The woman’s mouth dropped so far open she could catch flies. “You two are together?”
“No!” Hayley snapped, a little too quickly. “He’s just my neighbor. I mean, my landlord. We’re not-”
“Well, damn girl, thank God, because, not for nothing, but I was getting worried about you, hon.”
“Oh, God,” Hayley muttered and Chris enjoyed watching her ears turn pink.
“I mean, girl, we all know reading is fundamental, but you can’t just keep burying your nose in those cheap romance novels and expect-”
