Page 18 of Missing Pieces (Men of Manhattan 3)

"Why aren't you going to her? This could be your chance at true love."

"It's complicated."

"But..."

"As far as I'm concerned, true love doesn't exist. Look, I really don't want to talk about this. And haven't you asked like five questions in a row?"

"Okay, then ask me one."

He shook his head. "What's your favorite color?" He clearly wanted to go back to simple questions.

"Actually, it's quite the coincidence. Mine's green too. So, where does the girl you do love live?"

"Pass."

"But maybe that's where you should be driving, Tyler."

"Trust me, it's not."

"Why?"

"Please stop pushing this."

"You have to tell her how you feel. You don't want to go through your whole life regretting this missed opportunity."

"I did tell her, okay?! Happy?" He pulled back into the passing lane again.

His tone sent goose bumps up my arms. I bit my lip. So, maybe it wasn't a romantic comedy. Maybe it was more like a Shakespearean tragedy. "I'm sorry."

"Great. Thanks for your pity."

"I didn't say I pitied you."

"Can you please just stop talking for five seconds?" He hit the button to turn the radio on with his fist. Rap music blared through the car.

Whatever he was going through, I knew he'd feel better if he got it off his chest. But I wasn't going to force it. He'd tell me when he was ready.

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Besides, the rap music fit my current mood. I had never been good at hiding my emotions. I wore them on my sleeve. Apparently Tyler did too. Maybe that's why we were butting heads so much. Or maybe it was the fact that we were stuck in a car together and barely knew each other. And clearly we were both going through some stuff.

Hell, maybe I'd feel better if I got my problems off my chest too. But not right now. Right now I just wanted to listen to angry rap music and curse the world.

***

"Seriously, I don't mind sleeping on the cot," I said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I already left you to sleep in the car one night. Would you please just get in the bed?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Tyler, you're paying for the room. You wouldn't even let me split it with you. So I'm taking the cot." I sat down on it. The thin mattress felt like a brick.

The hotel only had king beds left, or else we could have just gotten two queens. As it was, there was one huge king sized bed in the room and a cot made out of stones. He scratched the back of his neck.

Why do I find that so sexy? "Or we could just share the bed," I said. "It's huge. We could just stay on opposite sides."

I thought he would continue to protest, but instead he shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine. We're both exhausted. Let's just call it a night." He grabbed his shirt by the nape of its collar and pulled it off over his head.

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