Page 65 of Falcon

“Is the detailed one you have here not good enough?” He points to my notebook propped in the shopping cart.

“It’s perfectly fine, thank you very much. I like to be efficient when I shop. It saves time and money.”

“It also makes you a nerd. You color-coded your list by type of food, Faith. You’re a nerd.”

I reach across and poke him in the side. “I’m proud of that.”

“Proud of the fact you’re a nerd? Good. I’m glad. I have a thing for nerds.”

I roll my eyes. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.” I squeeze a few avocados, looking for the ones that will ripen on my counter, because everyone knows there is like a thirty-minute lifespan for these damn things.

“Why is that hard to believe?” He wraps his hands over the cart handle and leans his weight into it, slightly bending at the waist.

“I mean, with girls like the one who was texting you the other day throwing themselves at your feet, I don’t think you’d settle for a normal girl. That’s all.” I shove a few of my produce selections into the provided plastic bags and place them in the cart then we keep walking.

“I’m normal too, you know? The rest is just…confetti. Extras that make everything seem amazing and fun, but deep down, it’s all just average.”

“Do you ever get sick of the confetti?” I stare down at my list before pausing at the grapes.

“Yes and no. It’s fun, obviously, and the money certainly doesn’t hurt, but the travel is exhausting. The politics of it all start to take a toll too.”

I think back to what Case said about Falcon being hurt, so I do what any nosey girl does, I fish.

“And what about your body? Surely it can’t sustain that kind of pressure for very long.” I don’t look at him. I focus on what I’m doing, so maybe he’ll be comfortable enough to answer me.

“Has my sister gotten to you?” he asks, as he reaches around and plucks a grape from the bunch I’m shoving into a bag.

“Hey! That’s stealing.” I swat his hands away playfully. “And I have no idea what you’re talking about.” That’s not technically a lie. “Why?”

“She and I got into a heated conversation this morning about that very thing, so I was curious if she’d mentioned it to you.”

“Why would she mention it to me?”

“Well, I don’t know…” He slides his hand through his hair and scratches the back of his neck. “Because you and I are…whatever we are.”

“Since we are whatever we are, should I know why she would fight with you about it?” I ask.

“I mean, it’s nothing really, but I’ve had a couple of blows to the head over the years, and my doctor seems to think I should consider putting an end to my fighting career.”

He says it so nonchalantly, as if it’s not a big thing, and doesn’t even matter in the least. Like it’s a minor road bump in his path, and that, in and of itself, is enough to know it’s a huge deal.

“That doesn’t sound like nothing to me. Multiple concussions can…”

He cuts me off with a hand raised. “I know. I know. I’ve heard it all before. Trust me.”

I look down and clear my throat, nodding. “Okay. Then I won’t say a thing.”

I feel his hand curl around my arm, and I slightly stiffen for just a moment, my mind taking over for a sliver of an instant, before I relax into him.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I shouldn’t have cut you off and certainly not like that.”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize, because at the end of the day, it’s not my business. I shouldn’t have pried.”

I turn toward him after he pulls, guiding me around.

“You were just asking questions. I’m on the defensive today, after this morning with my sister. That’s not your fault.”

“I just want to know about you, Falcon. That’s all. I feel comfortable with you, safe, and I hope you feel the same with me.”

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