Page 27 of Infatuated as They Come
“You might get bored.”
“I’m never bored with you.”
“I was gonna apply for some jobs.”
Pulling my arms away from him, I scoffed. “Really? We literallyjustgot here and you already wanna do that?”
“Well, we agreed that I’d pay for the rent.”
“Uh, we didn’t really agree, you straight up refuse to let me pay for it. Or anything.”
“Either way, I plan on keeping my end of the bargain. I’ve got some cash left over from all those art projects I did over the summer, but I wanna make sure I’ve got a solid job to rely on before that runs out.”
“You know… I could just—”
Crooked smile on his face, he cut me off. “You could, but I don’t need you to.”
“But what about your art?”
“What about it?”
“Aren’t you going to focus on that?”
“I’ll get around to it, just not right now. When everything’s settled I can worry about my art, but until then, I gotta do this.”
My brain was forcing me to relive our last few days in Dallas, that short and not so sweet conversation with his dad uncomfortably vivid as I remembered all the words he spat out. Sharp and hurtful and hateful.
“Is this about what your dad said?” I asked, studying Sawyer’s face closely. “Because no offense, but your dad is an idiot.”
“Holly,” he said, and then his eyes closed for a moment before he focused back on me. “It’s not about him. I just want to make sure I’m on top of all this stuff. The important stuff.”
“You’re an artist inNew York City. This is the best place in the world for you to get started. There’s up and coming artists everywhere here, and you’ve got them all beat on talent.”
“Right now, my art’s gonna have to come second place. That’s the case for a lot of people, right? And I’m okay with that.”
There was a long pause as I stared up at him, guilt suddenly filling up my heart. “Did I just ruin your life?”
“What?” There was a tinge of amusement in his voice as he took a seat on the couch, giving the spot next to him a pat.
I stayed standing, fidgeting with one of the rings on my finger, sliding it up and down. “Did I just drag you out of Dallas? Out of your home? Where you had a job and a truck and a life?”
His green eyes stayed stuck on mine and I watched as they slowly softened, as something warm and sincere looked back at me. “You didn’t ruin my life, Holly,” he said, voice perfectly even. “You did the exact opposite.”
“I feel like I’ve made everything harder for you. And I really, really don’t want things to be hard for you.”
“Goddamn drama queen,” he murmured, giving my hand a pull and settling me on his lap. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to go overboard just to take care of me,” I said, pressing my hands to his chest. “You shouldn’t be putting your dreams on the backburner. You didn’t just come here to look after me, right?”
“I like looking after you.”
“What about your art?”
“I can still do it. And I will. Meanwhile,” he said, raising an eyebrow up at me as a playful tone washed over his rough voice, “I can’t sit around all day like some spoiled, little princess, right?”
My eyes narrowed a little. “I’m not spoiled, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“Holly, I’d never.”
