Page 42 of On Your Knees

“Oh, that’s good,” he says, obviously surprised.

I pick up my own, stronger drink and sit back, propping my crossed ankles on the far edge of the coffee table. “So what are you reading?”

“Oh.” He looks embarrassed. “It’s kind of weird.”

“What’s it about?”

“Uh… it’s really hard to explain. It doesn’t exactly have a plot. It’s like… kind of short stories, but there are some characters that appear a lot. The lord of demons is kind of the main character. Azharan. But it’s more about the world.”

“That’s Book 3?” I ask.

When Levi nods, I pull my phone from my pocket and go into the ebook app. “What’s the series?”

“The Flat Earth. By Tanith Lee. Wait, are you… what are you doing?”

I buy the first book. “I’ll catch up to you.”

“You’re… gonna read it?”

“Yes. So get moving. I’m fast.”

Levi huffs a laugh, but it’s a choked one. He looks slightly dazed and when he lifts his glass to sip, his hand is shaky. I don’t want to break him down right now, so I set my glass in my lap and settle my hand on his knee without looking directly at him.

Levi opens his book. He’s about halfway through.

“Do you have the next one?” I ask. “It looked like there are five books.”

“I found the first three at a thrift store, but I don’t have the others.”

“You like paperback?”

Levi makes a face. “Better than a phone. I don’t know how you can read like that.”

“I left my Kindle… uh, somewhere.” I don’t want to tell him that I left it at my other place. I’m not sure why, but I feel slightly weird about explaining that I don’t really live here. “You don’t like e-readers?”

Levi shrugs. “I don’t have one.”

I don’t have to ask why. I’ve seen his apartment, and I saw how stressed he was about money when I met him.

I switch out of the app and order a new Kindle, keeping my screen tilted away from him so he doesn’t see. I want it to be a surprise. Then I go back to reading.

I squeeze his knee. “I’m seriously gonna pass you.”

“I’m halfway through Book 3. And what if you don’t like it? You might quit.”

“I don’t quit. And I told you I’m fast.”

He snorts because he thinks I’m just talking about reading speed, but what I really mean is that I need something to do at night when most people are sleeping.

I split my attention between the book and Levi, watching him read and sip his drink. When he’s down to ice, I take the glass from him.

“Eat,” I say as I get up, returning to the kitchen to make another round of drinks.

Levi splays the book face down on the arm of the couch and reaches for crackers and Roquefort. I love that he likes strong flavors.

I return with the drinks. We read, and for a while, I let him enjoy the charcuterie, then I tell him, “Have a sandwich.”

“I’m not that hungry.”