Page 5 of Knox (Graeme #3)

Pizza

S ylvie didn’t say a word until we climbed into the Tahoe. “Girls can be bitches, Josh. If no one ever calls them down, they continue to fuck up. Lacey’s what?”

“Twenty-five,” Knox said from the back seat.

“Well, she’s too old for that,” Sylvie said.

I didn’t want to think about Lacey. She wasn’t the first girl to be mean to me and wouldn’t be the last. “I was thinkin’ food.”

“Oh,” Sylvie slumped. “No one is cooking tonight.”

“No, Ian and Finn are going to the barn party, and Mom and Colin have a date,” I said. If Sylvie didn't have money, she couldn't feed herself right now, either. “So, burgers? Chinese food? Pizza?”

I glanced at Knox’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Me?” His eyebrows rose. “Pizza?”

“Ooh, could I have pasta, Josh?” Sylvie whispered.

“Yep,” I nodded, tossing her my phone. “Order for delivery. Knox?”

“Oh, um.” He told her what he wanted, and she placed the order after getting mine.

Knox seemed shocked that I included him. He took up for me, which he’d never done; he wasn’t going to the barn party, and he was in the vehicle. Yes. This was why I invited him to eat.

“I’ll take you home after,” I said, and he nodded slowly.

Sylvie was happy I was feeding her, and she bounced in the seat. Knox kept watching me, much like the students in Ian’s class.

Should I have taken him home first? Was I being too nice?

I was too nice to Jasper, and look where that got me.

“It’s on its way,” Sylvie said, drawing me from my thoughts as I parked in the garage.

“Cool. Thanks.” I smiled, and she left the SUV, taking my phone with her while I gathered all her stuff.

Knox helped me carry things in and whispered a small ‘wow’ as I set the stuff on the bench by the door.

“Are you and Miss Avery together?” Knox whispered.

“What?”

“She lives here?”

“She is working with Uncle Ian for the next movie and will star in it. It’s kinda about us, so she is learning how we do things,” I said.

“Oh. To prepare for the role,” Knox nodded.

“Yeah.” Damn. Why did he think Sylvie and I were together? She was older than Ian.

“And you bought her food.”

I laughed. “I bought yours, too.” His face fell before he laughed, but I saw it. “Okay, it’s like this.”

The swinging door leading into the living room opened, and Sylvie backed in carrying boxes. Her interruption gave me an escape route from a question I couldn't answer.

“Thanks, Josh. I’ll buy next time.” She set the food on the island, searched for her box, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “You boys have fun.”

She headed upstairs, and Knox watched her go before looking at me.

“Food?” I raised my eyebrows, and he laughed softly, shaking his head.

He had a reason for his questions about Sylvie, but wasn’t about to share, so I got us two bottles of water, set the extra pizza for Uncle Ian and Finn in the fridge, and led Knox to my room.

“Wow,” he said as he walked in. “Y’all have a really nice house.”

“Thanks. We just moved back in today. Uncle Ian added things on because this was the guesthouse.” I set the boxes on the steamer trunk turned coffee table, and sat on the loveseat.

It took a second before Knox joined me, as if he was nervous. Why would he be so nervous? Weren’t we just two guys hanging out? Or did guys not pay for someone else’s food? I always paid for Jasper.

Andy and Ian were friends, and they paid for each other’s food. Well, best friends, but still. Oh, God. I was bad at this.

“What are you thinking about?” Knox asked as he sat as far away from me as he could get. Now, couldn't he have picked the chair if he didn't want to be so close?

I realized I had removed a slice, and was doing that weird thing, as Jasper called it, where I stared at nothing.

I sighed. “Sorry. I overanalyze in my head.”

“What are you overthinking?”

“Why did you ask me about Sylvie?”

He laughed. “People don’t usually pay for someone else, Josh.”

“Oh,” I nodded. “What does it mean when you do?”

He reached up and smoothed my bangs out of my lashes. “It means you’re dating, or have known each other since diapers. Sylvie asked you for pasta like you were secretly fucking.”

I jerked my head back and frowned. “No. I like guys. She’s family, so-”

“Chill, Josh. Didn’t mean to upset you.” He smiled.

“Should I not have invited you to stay?” I was confused. Maybe I needed a course in social interactions because I didn't have a clue, really.

Knox gave me half a smile. “Only if you were just being nice. Just because I was in the backseat didn’t mean you had to feed me, too.”

I licked my top lip, my thoughts skittering to a halt for the second time today. He had the prettiest brown eyes. Almost bordering on gold, really. Why didn't I notice the gold earlier?

Knox nodded and offered me a bite from his slice. Absently, I took it as we stared at each other.

Jasper dumped me for a girl. Said girl’s brother asked me for a ride home, and was now feeding me pizza.

What was wrong with this picture?

I kept my thoughts to myself and ate, answering Knox’s questions about my new stuff.

The guy wanted something. He wasn’t ready to say, though.

Why wouldn’t he tell me?

It made no sense.

We talked about other things. My new room mostly; the games Uncle Ian gave me to go with my gaming system, and the books lining my shelves.

Jasper didn't read. Then again, he had friends before he met me. I hadn't stopped him from seeing them; he just didn't.

Knox, however, did read, and I knew he was popular in high school, so Jasper's excuse made no sense.

Did we really have nothing in common?

Knox laughed, bringing me back to the conversation, and I smiled.

Maybe I didn't need lessons. Maybe Jasper never liked me at all, but he needed me.

Please don't let Knox need me for something?

I took him home at midnight, parking beside the steps in the horseshoe drive.

He lived in a white, two-story with a front porch that spanned the front of the house from what I could see in the dark.

One porch swing, two ladder-back rocking chairs, and the double-hung screen door told me the house was old.

Most people had single doors on newer homes.

“So, could I have your number?” he asked, watching the windows.

“Sure.” I handed him my phone, and he put his number in it. His cell vibrated just as the front door opened and light spilled onto the gray floorboards. He leaned over and brushed his lips over mine, pausing for a moment to stare at me before kissing me again.

The screen door slammed against the frame, and he jerked away before climbing out.

MacDaniels stood there watching me, hands on his hips, and mouth open in shock.

Knox hurried into the house, and I drove away before MacDaniels could say anything to me.

I had a strong suspicion Knox had set me up, but I couldn’t decide if he was saving me or himself.