Page 89 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“So, I wanted a safe place to be and I thought of here, and I just drove straight over.”

I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. His mouth worked a bit, as though he was sorting words before letting them out. “I’m really sorry that things with your parents are hard.”

“Well, you know a little about that.”

“Yeah. I like that you came here.”

At that my heart felt immediately lighter. “Really?” He nodded, his face seeming to flush a bit, which I found fascinating. “Okay then.”

He quirked a smile at me and turned back to the car he’d been working on. I pulled out my things and settled down into the chair to study. Today’s topic was physiology, and I curled my feet up under me as I focused on the material. Time sped by and I found it somewhat ironic that the metallic banging, whirring of air compressors, and humming of engines didn’t distract me. I took notes and flipped pages as though I was in a perfectly quiet library. I occasionally shifted position on the big chair, but otherwise I was a statue.

The sight of Connor’s work boots coming to stand in front of me was the first indication I had that he was finishing for the day. I looked up to see him standing above me with an expression I couldn’t quite read on his face.

“Pizza?” he asked.

“Obviously.” I shoved down the thought that I should think about going home to check on everyone and gave him a smile.

“Okay. If you want to stand up I’ll carry this chair back in and order.”

I uncurled my legs and winced a bit. I’d been sitting that way for long enough to make them fall asleep, and pins and needles shot up my legs as I pushed to stand. I wiggled my limbs while packing up my backpack, and stomped on my feet to wake them up while I walked to the lobby where he was on the phone, ordering the Combo Five, whatever that was.

I set my bag on a lobby chair and turned off the “open” sign before going around and closing the blinds. When he got off the phone, he thanked me and told me he was going to go clean up in the shop bathroom where there was a small shower stall.

I moved into the office and got paper plates and cups from the storage room. I filled the cups with water at the drink station in the lobby and grabbed a few paper towels from the inside bathroom to use as napkins. When Connor reappeared about five minutes later in a T-shirt and jeans, hair wet and hands scrubbed clean, everything was set up.

“I could get used to this,” he said as he took it all in.

“Careful, I wouldn’t want you to start expecting these kinds of things and become spoiled.”

“I’ll try to play it cool.”

We chatted idly about what I’d been studying that night while we waited for the pizza to come. Thankfully, Connor was considered a priority customer, so it only took about ten more minutes. He suggested I wouldn’t want to know why he was a VIP, so I left it alone, although when the teen girl arrived to deliver it, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on and it made me grin.

Connor filled my plate and passed it to me before serving himself.

“Okay,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, “I left you alone for hours while you studied, even though you looked seriously tempting sitting in that big chair out there. Now I’ve filled your stomach. It’s time to tell me what’s going on with your parents.”

“First, this Combo Five is amazing, and thank you for changing my life.” I dimpled.

“Liv.”

I sank back into the chair. “What? I don’t like to talk about this stuff.”

“Do you want this to be a real relationship?”

“Probably,” I grumbled.

“Then we talk about this stuff.”

“I never talked to Blaine about things,” I replied stubbornly. He raised an eyebrow, the message loud and clear that things hadn’t worked out there. “Fine. You first. What’s something going on with you, that’s real?”

He took a bite of pizza and chewed thoughtfully while he looked at the ceiling. I could practically see his mind sifting through possible options to share. “I’m tired of being the guy that everyone likes to talk dirt about. I haven’t had a girlfriend in a few years. I own a business and a home. I help out in the community. I’d like to be taken seriously and seen as who I am now.”

He looked back at me, his gaze direct and open, and in the openness of it I could see the hurt and frustration. I wanted to curl away, knowing how much I’d contributed to that talk over the years.

“I’m sorry for the things I added to that conversation,” I whispered.

He didn’t let me off the hook easily. He quietly watched me for more seconds than I dared to count. Finally he blinked and dipped his chin once. “Thanks. Your turn, and don’t try to sugarcoat it or make a joke of it.”

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