Page 57

Gavin raises an eyebrow.

“Not your strong suit, showing emotions, huh, pretty boy?”

“I show anger just fine,” I snap back, getting irritated at his dismissal and the way he calls me that sometimes.

“Ha! I knew you weren’t as cool as you always let on.”

“Blame the scotch. Or hunger. Do you have anything to eat?”

“Should be something in the freezer.”

I feel my lip pulling up in disgust.

“Oh, I'm sorry. That’s not gourmet enough for you?”

“It’s fine.”

I won’t give him the gratification of seeing me squirm.

“You always this way?” He smirks, digging through the freezer. Something about Gavin disarms my defenses, lowers my walls.

Sighing, I lean over the table, gripping my glass in both hands.

“Truth be told, I’ve eaten plenty of horrible food in my youth. I lived on the streets for a while. Homeless shelters. Because of that, I made it a point to eat the most amazing food in the world as soon as I got the chance. I guess you could say I’ve gotten used to a spoiled lifestyle.”

“Nothing wrong with treating yourself well. I could stand to take a page out of that book.”

Gavin’s rough, simple, in many ways I am not.

However, he’s just like me in that he is used to being self-sufficient. Same with Tell and Hellena.

It’s an unspoken thread I can see tethered through all of us. Maybe it’s why we can all coexist.

Share.

Not to mention the fact that I respect the man more than anyone I've ever met. He’s steadfast. Genuine.

It's the closest thing to a brother that I might ever want to find.

A couple of beers and a few shots of scotch later have us sprawled out, leaning back in our chairs. The pizza was better than I thought it would be.

I blame the booze.

Gavin’s humming to himself, hands clasped behind his head.

“That woman kicked my ass. BAD.”

“I haven’t had a fight that hard in a while.” He nods.

I think back, my head foggy from the drinks. “I beat some of Marco’s guys’ asses the night of the Ball to give Hellena a chance to run.”

“Good on you.”

“I got shot,” I remark, noticing the blood dripping down my arm.

“Gotta be quicker next time!” Gavin slams his palms down on the table, an intense look in his eyes.

“Is that so? I guess you need to teach me how to dodge bullets, then!”