Page 41 of Defend Me
“I really don’t know what the fuck you are.”
“A lizard person, obviously.”
“Seriously.”
He matched my position and leaned forward. I looked at his lips for a moment. He had that perfect facial structure that was both delicate and strong in certain ways. I thought about my other friends and wondered why this one appealed to me so much.
Kai was like the poster child for a sports magazine- tall, broad, and roguishly handsome. He made you want to be cherished by him and thrown against a wall to be manhandled however he pleased. West was beautiful like some fucking elven king and Sen was the boy next door with a splash of chaos. Tilian looked like he’d walked straight out of an anime. When he was feeling mischievous, he became the villain we all couldn’t hate.
Now, he was here in my kitchen. And he was studying me with enough curiosity for me to build the perfect, easygoing expression.
“What makes you tick?” he asked.
“If you want the technical answer-”
“No textbook anatomical shit,” he interrupted, cutting his hand through the air.
“That’s what I’m good at.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking. Peel away school and all of the impressive hats you wear. What’s underneath?”
A smirk settled on my lips. “You think I’m impressive?”
His eyes rolled. “Answer the question.”
“You’ll have to take me on a date if you want to find out.”
He grunted in annoyance. “Is this one of those friendships where we hang out but never talk about serious stuff?”
“Is that how you want it to be?”
“No. You’re a secretive person, so I’m just assuming.”
I frowned down at my hands. “Secretive is a stretch. Regardless, I think it’s cool to let things fall into place in whatever manner they choose. I won’t force anything and I won’t resist it either. Whatever happens, happens.”
“Cool, I guess. I’ll just have to brainstorm ways to force things to come up ‘naturally.’”
A genuine smile rose to the surface. “Wreak havoc, buddy.”
My phone started ringing and my eyes closed. The song gave away who was calling and it was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.
“Give me a sec.”
After offering him a wink, I headed into my room. I locked the door, then dropped onto my bed and put in my earbuds.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Brooks, it feels like you’ve been silent for ages.”
“Does it?” I asked tonelessly.
“Yes. I sent you the information for a professor at your school. Ms. Whitlock."
"Yeah, I saw the text.”
“Did you talk to her?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. When I didn’t answer after a few seconds, she huffed.
