I nod back at him. “See you.”
Kayden signals for me to follow him. “Come on, Lucky.
Let’s go.”
My body twitches with annoyance. There it is again.
Lucky. Every instinct compels me to tell him to knock it off, that I’m not some golden retriever he can just order around.
But I don’t want to piss him off right now. I have him in an ideal mood, and I don’t want to ruin it.
I crane my neck to glance around the neighborhood.
There’s a stretch of parked cars that runs for about a mile, and the thought of having to walk that far fills me with dread. It’s already been a long day and I want nothing more than to sink into a bed right now and shut off from the world.
“Where’s your car?” I ask.
He pats on the hood of the insanely beat-up truck beside him. “Right here.”
Huh. I would have thought that with all the money that he rakes in after every fight he could certainly afford a better car than this.
Kayden helps me haul my bags into the back of the truck, and then goes around to pull the front-seat door open for me. What a gentleman, I think to myself. I’m taken aback by his kindness since he’s been nothing but cold and defensive toward me, but I slide into the seat anyway, grateful to learn that at least he has some decency.
This man is so perplexing. One second he’s throwing me out of his apartment and the next, he’s given me a pet name and opens doors for me. I don’t mind the chivalry. But I’m not sure if I’m okay with the pet name yet.
As we drive, only the sound of the radio fills the car.
Kayden doesn’t say another word to me, instead keeping his focus on the road and clenching the wheel tightly. I fidget with my phone in my lap in discomfort, unsure how to feel about any of this. Kayden and I aren’t exactly friends, so I don’t know how to be comfortable around him. He clearly wants little to do with me. But I guess I shouldn’t let it bother me because it’s not like I’m looking for a meaningful friendship with him anyway.
This is just a deal and it has an expiration date.
When we finally reach the apartment, I grab my things from the back, and he helps me carry them up the block. We still don’t talk while he fiddles with the lock and pushes the door open to let me enter.
I’m surprised by what I see. The place, for the most part, feels vacant. The white walls are bare, with no paintings or framed photos. There’s a sofa and a small television that sits on some stacked cardboard boxes and small antique dining table in the other corner, but other than that, the place is devoid of any furniture, color, or personality.
My gaze travels to the kitchen where takeout boxes litter the top of the kitchen counter. I cringe when I see the huge pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and I don’t even want to know what creatures are crawling over those plates.
“Seriously? Don’t you ever clean up?” I make an uncomfortable face.
“I got no time.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “I train almost every day.”
“And that’s all you do? Train?”
I squint my eyes at him. Brent did mention he was the same age as us, so you’d think he’d at least be in college.
When he senses what I’m implying, he says, “There’s not much else to do. I dropped out of college.”
“Why?” I feel compelled to ask.
Kayden looks away, clearly wanting to avoid the topic. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”
“Fine.” I sigh instead, gripping the sash of my bag hard.
“Don’t tell me. Just show me to my room.”
He leads me down a small hallway. “That’s the bathroom.”
He points to the right. “And that’s my room. It’s off limits so no going in there, okay?”