"He's..." I hesitate, searching for words. "Intense. Like, if danger and sex had a baby, and that baby grew up to be a walking, talking 'bad idea' with biceps that should be illegal."I snort, shaking my head. "God, listen to me. I sound like I'm narrating some crappy Lifetime movie."
"So... that's a yes on the cute thing?"
I groan. "He's stupidly attractive, okay? But that's not the point. The point is, he saw some creep hassling me and actually did something about it. Nobody's ever done that for me before."
"Not even in New Orleans?" Tessa asks softly.
"You know damn well what happened in New Orleans," I snap, then immediately regret it. "Sorry, I just... no. Nobody stood up for me then. They all believed him over me."
"I know, babe. I'm sorry." There's a pause, then: "So, are you gonna see this Dane guy again?"
I laugh, surprising myself with how genuine it sounds. "Jesus, Tess, way to pivot. I don't know, maybe? He frequents the bar, apparently. But I'm not looking for anything, you know that. Besides, he's older."
"How much older are we talking? Like, creepy old dude territory or just a few years?" Tessa presses.
"I dunno. Maybe He's thirty-two. So, seven years older or so?"
Tessa's laugh crackles through the phone. "Oh honey, that's nothing. That's actually perfect. Guys take forever to grow up, you know. At thirty-two, he might finally have his shit together."
"Yeah, because that's totally what I'm looking for right now. A mature relationship with a guy who has his life figured out," I snort. "Have you met me? I'm a walking disaster."
"You're not a disaster," Tessa chides. "You're... a work in progress."
"Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now."
"So, tell me more about this not-so-old guy."
"There's nothing more to tell, just that I need to stay away from him. He may be thirty-two or whatever, but those eyes of him suggest he's much older, like he's seen some shit. Plus, whenhe looks at you, it's like... I don't know, like he's seeing right through you."
"Ooh, mysterious. I like it."
"It's not mysterious, it's unnerving," I protest, but even I can hear the lack of conviction in my voice.
"You said he was ex-military, right? That should explain that lived-in look."
I pause, considering. "Yeah, maybe. But it's more than that. I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining things."
"So, Mr. Intense Eyes saved you from some grabby frat boy. What happened after?" Man, she's relentless! But I'm feeling better talking to her about it, so I spill the rest.
"When my shift ended, he was still there and pulled up to the curb." I place a throw blanket over my legs, the memory making me shiver. "He offered me a ride home."
"That sounds... nice?" Tessa's voice has that careful tone she uses when she thinks I'm overreacting but doesn't want to say it.
"Nice? It was fucking weird, Tess. He barely knows me and he's hanging around until one in the morning? Who does that?"
"Someone making sure you got home safe after he watched you get assaulted?" She's using her reasonable voice now, the one that makes me want to throw things.
"Or someone scoping out his next victim," I counter, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. "For all I know, he followed the Uber home."
Tessa sighs. "Lila?—"
"What? You weren't there. You didn't see how he was looking at me, like... like I was a puzzle he needed to solve." The memory of his steel-gray eyes makes something uneasy slither through my stomach. "There was something about him sitting there, just... waiting. Watching. Like he had all the time in the world."
"After he decked three guys for you."
"Yeah, like it was nothing. Like he's practiced at hurting people."
"He's ex-military," Tessa reminds me. "Of course he knows how to fight."
