“That’s not my problem. Plus, the power’s out, so I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”
“Okay, Hot Head Helen,” I quipped.
Her brows cinched together. “What?”
“If you don’t tell me your name, I’ma just keep making shit up for you.”
She rolled her eyes skyward, refusing to hide her annoyance. “Whatever.”
“Yeah. It is whatever, Eye Rollin’ Eva.”
“Please shut the hell up.”
“You know what you gotta do to shut me up, shawty.”
She scoffed for the thousandth time, and it made me smirk. I liked fucking with her. It was like a game, getting under her skin, and I was winning. I hadn’t been in the presence of a woman in years, let alone one as beautiful as her. I kept myself from staring too hard, so as not to weird her out or piss her off even more than she already was.
“Oh my God! It’s Sawyer, okay? My name is Sawyer,” she finally admitted.
One side of my mouth curved into a satisfied smirk. “Now, how painful was that?”
“Excruciating.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, aight, shawty.”
“What happened?” she quizzed, eyes stationed on the dried blood stains on my white t-shirt.
My eyes followed hers, remembering that I had some cuts from the glass from the bus accident, plus my knuckles were a little swollen after busting through her back door. “Told you I was in an accident.”
“Are you okay?”
“It’s just a few scrapes. I’ll survive.”
“Good, and you better not have gotten any blood on my floors.”
“And if I did?”
“Then you’re the one who’s going to be on your hands and knees cleaning it up. Not me. I draw the line at bodily fluids.”
I snickered. “Fair.”
“I have some Band-Aids and some rubbing alcohol underneath the bathroom sink, but since you basically moved in while I was away, I’m sure you already know that.”
“I didn’t.”
She twisted her lips to the side. “I’m surprised.”
“Patch me up then,” I insisted.
“What, nigga? Patch yourself up.” I stared her down for a few seconds until she blinked and tore her eyes to the floor, smacking her lips together in the process. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
She took the flashlight and disappeared down the hall, reappearing a few minutes later with some first-aid supplies.
“So, what happened with your accident? How’d you wreck?” she inquired while walking over to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.
“Oh, uh, a tree fell into the road. I swerved, hydroplaned, and hit a tree.”
“And you couldn’t call for help?”
