Page 59 of Seal the Deal
“Take it off.”
“You’ll have to be more specific, princess. Unless you wanted a full show.”
“Shoes, Nicki.” Andrew rolls his eyes. “Though I’m sure it pains you to hear not everyone wants you naked.”
“One day you’ll beg to see me naked.”
“I very much doubt that,” Andrew replies, wiggling his toes in the sand. His feet sink slightly as the wet sand molds to his weight. Later, once he’s done, the sensation of wet to dry sand is going to make him deeply unhappy, but right now his brain is firmly in beach mode, and he’s going to stay here as long as he can, ignoring his real world responsibilities in favor of playing fantasy life with his famous and rich fake boyfriend.
“These fucking shoes were expensive.”
“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be getting them wet. Take them off, now.”
“Bossy,” Nicki grumbles, but that’s the only argument Andrew gets before Nicki’s shoes and socks are left in the dry sand. He moves beside Andrew, letting the water swirl around his jean clad ankles in a way that Andrew could never. He hates the way wet clothes feel against his skin.
“How do you handle conflict resolution?” Nicki unexpectedly questions.
Another question off his comparability quiz. How many times did he read it to memorize it?
“Argue until the other person realizes they’re wrong.”
Nicki laughs, the sound low and guttural and as soothing as the crashing waves. “What if you’re the one who’s wrong?”
“I’m never wrong,” Andrew replies.
“Un-fucking-likely.”
“Nicki.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m never wrong.”
“I didn’t know you were so cocky.”
“Not cocky. Autistic pattern recognition and a deep need to anticipate social and emotional outcomes to prepare for all possible outcomes.”
Nicki’s quiet and far more attentive than Andrew anticipated.
“And if you were wrong about something—or someone.”
“I’m not.”
“But if you were,” Nicki pushes.
“Then I’d admit I didn’t have all the information and reassess the situation. I don’t refuse to be wrong, I just never am, and trust me, it’s not fun. It’s exhausting being right all the time, knowing what’s going to happen before it does because you recognize the signs and people’s behavior. People don’t really like a know-it-all.”
“People are fucking stupid,” Nicki replies.
“You didn’t like me when we first met.”
“Again, I’m fucking stupid.”
“Does that mean you like me now?” Andrew asks.
“I thought you knew everything.”
“About other people, sure, but about me—not so much. Someone told me once I was being purposely obtuse, but it’s hard to explain to other people how I can notice everything and nothing all at once. When it’s for other people—for my brothers—I know what’s going on and what they need, but when it comes to myself, there’s a blind spot.”
