Page 15

I toss on some black sweats and my Xavier Prep sweatshirt and follow her, I have no idea where.

She rubs against me in the elevator and when we get out, she sneaks down the hallway to the kitchens of this hotel/dorm.

I whisper, “They’re going to be locked.”

She smirks and picks up a paperclip. She unfolds it and twists it. Then she jams it into the door, hip-checks it, and it springs open. My eyes are wide as she tugs on my sweatshirt and pulls me in, closing the door behind me.

“The peanut butter is over there. Grab it and I’ll get the jelly.” She flips on the lights, and I’m stunned she’s so familiar with this kitchen.

“How often do you break in here?”

“Enough.”

“And can you break in anywhere?”

She turns to me and smiles. “Pretty much. I’m kind of a delinquent.”

I hustle over and take her in my arms. “You’re a badass not a delinquent.”

She shrugs.

“And we’re not having peanut butter and jelly.” I lift her and place her on the big metal prep table.

“That’s all I can make.”

He grins. “Then you’re in luck that I’ve had a series of nannies and cooks that taught me well.”

I find some chopped onions, celery, and some ground beef. I set about making a simple sauce.

“Can you find canned tomatoes, you little grifter?”

“Thought I was a witch.”

“That too.”

“And garlic if you can find it. Cream and parm. And noodles.”

She beams at me as I pull out pans. “Yes, sir.”

I sauté, and she fetches. Then she sits back up on the big table after gathering plates setting up a little tabletop picnic area.

“You’re a fucking catch,” she says. “And your ass is fantastic.”

I turn from the boiling pasta. “Look who’s talking.”

“Nah, I’m just Mak.”

I abandon the stovetop and take the back of her neck. I pull her towards me and say, “Exactly. I don’t know many people who are just themselves. I don’t know how to be a boyfriend. I’ve never been one before.”

She’s shy and her eyes soften as I stare into their endless depth. “You’re doing a pretty good job.”

“I think it has more to do with you instead of me,” I correct her.

Mak tosses her arms in the air. “I’ve never really had one before so we’re both fucking flying blind on this.” She kisses me softly, and I melt into our own definition of what this is.

“Let’s figure it out together,” I say quietly, then her stomach growls again.

I grin and turn to plate our makeshift Bolognese.