Page 21 of The Best Bad Decision

Pushing back my immediate thought that there were always right ways to do things, I must’ve done something because he chuckled. “What? You can’t make that face and stay silent.”

I could try.

“The research I’ve done so far made it clear you’re being accurate when you said there was no right or wrong answer, but that’s painful to hear.” There were always right ways to do things or you’d done it wrong.

Period.

“You keep wincing like having to say that makes you queasy.” It was my turn to shrug and I got a laugh out of him as he charged into the conversation. “Alright, drama queen. How about if we start out by defining right as what gives the best emotional return in the moment?”

Still painful…but slightly less so.

“I can live with that definition.” While I worked to find a better one…because this one wasn’t perfect yet. “You have to let me know if I do something wrong, though.”

His head cocked, not making me feel confident about how he was going to respond. “Think of it like an employee review. I can’t improve if I don’t know what the problem is and where my weak points are.”

No one was perfect and growth was important.

“You’re going to drive me crazy with this.” His words said one thing but the dramatic way he crossed his arms over his chest said another. “To start with, the only thing you have to do in order to do a good job is to follow directions and answer questions clearly, with enough detail for me to make decisions. That’s it.”

Would that actually be enough to make anyone happy?

Even with my family I was supposed to push back enough to show I was listening and intelligent before conceding that they had the right answer to begin with. I’d done my best to figure out ways to politely explain they were wrong and to build boundaries, but this felt too simple.

“Most people don’t actually like getting their way that easily. They stop respecting you if you don’t argue back. It’s not logical but most people aren’t logical.” Most people were actually insane, but I’d started just assuming crazy and being pleasantly surprised when my life didn’t explode. “Even the barista near my work looks down on customers that aren’t a pain in the ass.”

He was insane too.

Casimir’s chest jerked but he managed not to laugh out loud. “We’re going to take this one step at a time while I show you how I’ll react and what makes me happy.”

Was this a trust but verify kind of thing?

“I’m not going to lie to you, Atlee.” The teasing left his voice as something serious slipped in. “I will tell you what makes me happy and what I want you to do. I won’t lose my shit because you followed directions and I won’t get angry if you do what I say but you can’t relax.”

I really didn’t like how easily he could read me.

“I haven’t had the best luck with relationships. Romantic or otherwise.” It was enough of an understatement that he laughed loud enough several tables around us glanced over.

“Baby, you’re damned near cursed, but I’m a witch you met deep in the woods. I didn’t curse you but I’m going to help you break it.” Shaking his head, his leg rubbed mine again. “No matter what else happens between us, I’m going to be your friend and I’m going to help you figure out what a healthy relationship looks like for you going forward.”

I tried to keep the drama off my face but just realizing I didn’t know what healthy would look like made me want to pitch a fit like a toddler.

“Externally you’re calm…internally you’re telenovela levels of dramatic.” My huff got another grin from him. “Come on, my drama queen. We’re going to split the bill and then you’re going to take me on a walk while I ask you enough questions to make you squirm and help me figure out a reward.”

I hated splitting the bill.

“Oh, that eye twitch is back.” His delight at that made it twitch again. “If you answer my questions clearly enough for both of us to enjoy playing when we get back to my place, I’ll let you pay for our next date.”

“Next two.” Just one wouldn’t be enough. “You’re going to ask a lot of questions and I need a good bribe to keep from overthinking.”

From everything I’d read that was at least a base stage I needed to reach in order to call it quality submission.

“I should tell you no just to see how dramatic you’ll get, but I’m feeling generous.” He was feeling like being a pain in the ass because he paused long enough to make me want to grumble. “Deal. Paying for two dates and you make an effort to relax once we get back.”

Ugh.

He rolled his eyes, so I might’ve let my feelings on that show through a bit too much. “Effort is the goal. You just have to answer questions and let me make the decisions and I’ll be happy.”

I hoped so.