Page 29 of Definitely Not a Thing

“Neither is your attitude, but since that’s what you’re on this morning, let’s match energy.”

He stopped at the elevator to look me dead in the face, waiting on me to challenge that.

Which Idid.

“I’m not beingpissy,” I replied. “I just… I didn’t want to talk to you this morning, but there you were, and you just came straight out the gate with the charm, and it annoyed me, so I…”

“Decided to be pissy,” he shrugged. “Just own it.”

I let out a huff. “Fine. Maybe Iambeing pissy.”

“Definitely. You even wore the uniform.”

I rolled my eyes. “So if I’m nice to you, it’s sunshine, if I’m mean, it’s piss?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Both our heads turned as a loudclangcame from the elevator, followed shortly by a long buzz that definitely didn’t seem right.

Calvin let out an audible grunt, then turned for the stairs. After a moment, I was right behind him.

Whatever the elevator had going on this morning, I wasn’t really trying to be part of it.

“So what did I do for your mood to turn pissy just because I spoke?” Calvin asked, taking the stairs two at a time on those long ass legs.

“Can we stop saying that word? It’s starting to grate on me.”

“What, pissy?” he asked, giving me a mischievous grin over his shoulder as we went through the door to the lobby insteadof the side door that would take us out to the court – where I’d assumed he was going, for some reason.

He was dressed, but not likedressed.

Dressed to maybe hit the gym, with the accompanying bag slung over his shoulder.

I didn’t ask.

Wouldn’task, because, it wasn’t my business.

Except… now we were at the street, walking together.

“You gonna answer the question?” he spoke up, pulling my attention from my internal musings.

“What question?”

“About why you don’t wanna talk to me.”

Oh.

That question.

“It’s not personal,” I explained. “Not really. I just… you make me feel very…”

“Hot? Sexy? Fine?”

“See?!” I laughed. “I’m trying to be serious, and your ass is… silly, and… distracting. And… I’m in this place where I don’t know if it’s healthy or wise to…”

“Have fun?”

“Engage,” I corrected. “I’m just… very uncalibrated right now. I just moved, just ended a relationship, just took my braids down, my luteal phase is right around the corner – it’s just too fucking much. And then here you come, looking like you look, making me laugh and getting under my skin, and like I said…distracting.”