Neon
To finally getthe brace off my leg was awesome. Doc warned me it would take a while for my leg to heal completely, until I could finally use it without worrying about discomfort or pain. But I was happy to deal with it if I could walk around without a goddamn cast or brace.
“Good to have that thing off, huh?” Dutch opened the fridge and grabbed a slice of leftover pizza.
“It feels fucking great.” I smiled before turning the page of the magazine I was browsing.
Dutch was about to take a bite from the pizza when he pulled a face, sniffing the slice. “You know how old this is?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll choose life.” He tossed the pizza in the bin, and I chuckled. “Hey, have you seen Alyx and Red?”
With a grin, I looked at him. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just asking.”
“Bullshit. You have the hots for the redhead, don’t you?”
“That’s not—”
“Neon,” Ink walked into the kitchen, interrupting us, “can I talk to you?” His gaze cut to Dutch. “Alone.”
“Sure, King Ink.” I pulled my face. “That sounds terrible. Hey, you know what I just realized?”
Ink cocked a brow.
“We’ve known each other for, like, what? Five years-ish?”
“Five years, two months, and twelve days.”
I blinked. “Okay, that’s not weird at all.”
Ink shrugged. “You want a timestamp on that exact day?”
“Oh, my God, no.” I shook my head lightly. “You know what? Never mind.” I got up and straightened. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
His gaze dropped to my legs. “Your leg brace is off.”
“Yeah. Doc gave me the go-ahead today.”
Ink’s brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing Doc today?”
“Uh…I didn’t know I had to.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly agitated. “I would have been here if I knew.”
“Why? It was just a checkup.”
His eyes locked on mine. “Still. You should have told me.”
I scoffed. “Oh, my God. Ink, I’m perfectly capable of handling a checkup with Doc on my own.”
He stepped closer, and it instantly felt like all the oxygen escaped from the space around me. “I know you’re capable, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to be here for you.”
“It’s a fucking checkup, for Christ’s sake. You don’t have to be there for me every second of every goddamn day.”
“Says who?” With another step, he moved right up to me, his boots touching my black sneakers while his large frame crowded me. His scent wrapped around me like a blanket of comfort. The smell of him had my heart beating a staccato rhythm against my ribs. It wasn’t a feeling I was familiar with, having my heart react to any man being so close to me. It was unnerving, causing me to want to take a step back, but I couldn’t. Something was pinning me on the spot. I was frozen, unable to move away from the man who seemed to thaw the ice in my heart, little by little. Day by day.