little birds with your soft brown hair and those dark eyes. Do you hate it?”
“No,” I admitted, feeling shy. “I kinda like it.”
“Good. Now open up and let me feed you, little bird.”
I opened my mouth, and he gently fed me the noodles, smiling in approval as I chewed. “You will drink again. I will piss you off. I promise you that.” He traced my cheek with his fingers. “But I’m going to try really hard to be a good man for you. The kind you deserve.” He handed me a container and a spoon. “I got you soup. Eat it, please.”
I stared at him as he went back to his food.
The kind I deserve?
I wasn’t sure what kind that was, but the thought of it being Connor made me smile.
Connor’s phone rang, and he picked it up with a smile of apology. After listening, talking, and laughing for a couple minutes with whoever was on the other end, he hung up, his expression amused. I heard something about “smell” and “car” and “it’ll never be the same,” but I didn’t pay it much attention. He grinned at me. “That was my partner.”
“Everything okay?”
He chuckled. “For me, yep. Not so sure for someone else.”
“Okay?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He moved closer to me on the couch, his hand clasping mine. “Feeling better?”
“I am. Thank you.”
“Good. Your arm okay?”
“It’s fine, Connor.”
“He isn’t going to touch you again. Ever.”
“I don’t plan on seeing him again.”
“I hope not. He doesn’t deserve to be in the same room as you.”
I shook my head. No one had ever sounded so protective or caring. I wasn’t used to the feeling. I stifled a yawn as I looked at Connor. If he was home this afternoon, I wondered if he had to work in the morning. He shook his head when I asked.
“No. I’m off until Sunday—three full days. I’ve been looking forward to the time off.”
“I guess I should, um, go. I’m sure you have plans tonight.”
“I do, and she is sitting next to me.”
“Oh.”
“Did I frighten you earlier, Jenny? All the talk about us?”
I sighed, lifting his hand and studying it in the light. His fingers were long and callused, his palm large and yet always so gentle when he touched me. I glanced up at him. “Frighten me? No. Surprise me, yes. It feels rather surreal, Connor. This morning, I bought a watch for John. This afternoon, that relationship ended badly. Tonight, I’m here with you, and you’re telling me you have feelings for me.”
“You said you had feelings for me too, Jenny.” He hesitated, his voice wary. “Or was that the liquor talking?”
I kissed his hand. “No. The liquor made me brave, but I meant it.”
“Did I break up the two of you?”
“No. We’d been drifting apart for a long time, even before you moved in. I think I stayed with him out of convenience and habit.” I shrugged sheepishly. “Guess that doesn’t make me a very good person, does it?”
“It makes you human.” He sighed, his head falling back on the couch. “The first day I moved in here, I saw you. You were laughing at something Jackey said, and I thought you were the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. You came over, introduced yourself, and welcomed me to the building.” He turned his head, his eyes serious. “You were so full of light and kindness. I fell for you right there.”
“Oh.”
“Oh, indeed. I found out you had a boyfriend, so I told myself I could just be your friend, at least for the time being. But I loved bumping into you or running out of ketchup.”
“You eat a lot of it. You were always asking for it.”
He grinned. “I never use the stuff. It was something I noticed you had a lot of in your fridge one day when I was over for coffee and grabbed the cream.”
I rolled my eyes. “I kept it on hand for John. I never used it either. He put it on everything.”
Connor’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Well, at least he was good for one thing.” He softened his voice. “I loved how you always offered me coffee in the mornings if you saw me. It was my favorite time of day—getting to sit with you for a few minutes and talk to you, see you smile.” His cheeks flushed slightly. “I, ah, may have memorized your schedule so I knew when I’d bump into you. Coffee with Jenny days were the best.”
My own cheeks tinted,