Page 13 of Endlessly Yours
And yet, I wasn’t breathing now.
“Ava said you needed help?” he asked, that gruff voice going straight down my spine.
“I’m really sorry for this. I can handle it on my own, I promise.”
“Is your landlord that shitty?” he asked as he looked around the small apartment and cursed under his breath. “Sorry. I’ve had a morning. But I really don’t mind fixing your faucet, Rory.”
Just the sound of my name on his tongue made me want to weep.
Because he never called me Rory. We never called each other by the other’s name.
We were so good about pretending we didn’t know each other that it felt as if I had him etched on my soul.
And how stupidly poetic was that?
I cleared my throat, knowing I was staring now, and took a step back.
“He helps with a lot of things, but while he’s nice, he’s slow. And I’ve tried to fix it myself, but it just leaks for a good 10 minutes or longer after I use it.”
“It might need to be replaced, Rory.”
“That’s what I told Ava. But I’m not allowed to replace things like that. Not without his permission, but he says he can fix it. So it’s a cycle where here I am.”
“Let’s see what I can do, okay? Maybe I can get a little more use out of it so you can wait for your so-called nice landlord to take care of it.”
“This is very much beneath your pay grade, Brooks,” I said as I gestured towards the small galley kitchen past my living room. The place wasn’t too large. It had two bathrooms, thankfully, but the second bathroom was in the hall, not part of the room I had made my office. The closets were practically non-existent, so I’d filled my love of clothes in wardrobes that were disguised as other pieces of furniture in the apartment.
It wasn’t much, but it was mine.
“Come on, I’ll help. It’s not a big deal.”
“And yet Ava pushed you out here for it. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing for my sister-in-law. She did that puppy dog face, and frankly, I needed to get out of their house before she tried to set me up on another date,” he grumbled.
I tripped over my feet, an odd sense of hurt slamming through me.
That didn’t make any sense. Why would I feel such betrayal at Ava for setting him up on dates? She didn’t know that I had accidentally fallen mildly into obsession with Brooks.
I had kept that secret from her, and she wanted everybody to be happy.
“She tries to set me up as well. And I’m not very good at it.”
My mouth went dry as he turned to study my face.
“I don’t let her set me up at all,” he whispered.
I didn’t know why relief was the first emotion I felt.
I was in so much trouble.
“Well, I won’t hover. I will be appreciative, but I don’t want to bother you. There’s not a lot of space in here.”
“Your apartment’s fine, Rory. Stop acting like you should be ashamed of it. You shouldn’t. It’s a good area.”
“I’m saving for a house. And I hate moving so I’ve just stayed in this apartment way past time,” I said honestly.
“I hate moving too, hence why I build things and try not to leave.”
