I shuddered briefly and my eyes threatened to slip closed of their own accord. Instead, I stepped back out of his reach as quickly as I could. He chuckled as I backed away.
“Any more rules?” he asked me innocently.
“I’m sure there are hundreds,” I said, thankful that my voice was even. “And I’ll reserve the right to bring them up as I see fit. Undoubtedly, you’ll do something stupid that’ll require correction and you can bet that I’ll be the one to correct it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you will.”
“And you have to start working on your father as soon as possible.”
He winced slightly at that, the smirk falling from his face. “Right,” he said, voice harder than I’d heard it in a long while. And didn’t that make me feel like shit.
Dammit for having such a loving and sensitive heart, even if I was feeling guilty toward Darren of all people. “No. You know what? I can’t make you do this.”
“What? You’re not making me—”
“Darren, you’re not out to your father,” I reminded him. “There’s a very real chance that he’ll find out. Especially with how this goes. I would never force anyone to come out when they’re not ready to. That’s not fair to you.”
“I’m already out,” he said.
“Not to everyone.”
“To the ones that matter. I don’t care what he thinks about me.”
And I thought there was a chance that was a lie. “Then why doesn’t he know?”
“Because he didn’t have the right to know anything personal about me,” Darren snapped. “Not after the way he treated my mother. Not after what he promised her and then left her with a kid and nothing else. He doesn’t get to know shit about me or my family.”
“But he’ll know now,” I said. “He’ll figure it out.”
“And?”
“What if you get fired?”
“Then I go to work somewhere else,” he said. “And then sue the shit out of the city.”
“Jesus Christ,” I said. “You say that like it’s so easy.”
“It is. I’m good at what I do. I’ve had offers before. I have connections.”
“Nerd,” I said. “You’re an actuary and you’re a nerd.”
“And you’re a bitch,” he said. “So we’re even.”
I almost laughed at that, but kept it in check because Darren wasn’t funny and his soul was shriveled and dead. “I don’t get why you’re doing this,” I admitted.
He stared at me for a moment, eyes searching for something; what, I didn’t know. “Rule ten,” he said finally. “You don’t get to ask me that again.”
And I was right back to being annoyed. “If you fuck with me on this, I will end you,” I growled. “I’m not messing around here, Darren. This is my livelihood.”
“Really?” he said. “Then why didn’t you take my money?”
“Why are you still on that?”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“Why?”
He grinned. “Because we’re dating.”