Page 4 of Reckless
He was there.Controlled.Intent.Quietly magnetic in a room full of magnetic people.
Worse, he knew it.
Hope elbowed me lightly.“Tell them about your date.”
I didn’t even look at her.“Die.”
Britney, traitor that she was, set down her glass and said, “No, tell it.Maman will love it.”
“Why would Maman love me suffering?”
“Because it’s funny,” Charlie said.“I thought I used to have disasters but you fish out the winners, every time.”
Roxanne clasped her hands.“What happened?”
I should have lied.
Instead I heard myself say, “He showed up dressed like Batman.”
Maman blinked.“Batman?”
“Full commitment,” I said grimly.“Cape.Boots.Belt situation.Voice.”
Charlie bent over laughing.
Michael choked on his tea.
Hope slapped the table.“I told you this one.”
“I still don’t understand why you stayed,” Miley said.
“Because I was in public and raised with manners.”
“That’s not what happened,” Britney said.“You stayed because you wanted to see if he’d keep the voice up through appetizers.”
I pointed at her.“You know me.”
Xerses was looking at me over the rim of his glass, the corners of his mouth threatening.
I ignored that too.
“Anyway,” I said, “he spent forty minutes telling me Gotham deserved better infrastructure and asked if I was willing to be emotionally available for a vigilante lifestyle.”
Even Roman laughed at that.
Parvis shook his head slowly like modern dating had personally disappointed him.
Roxanne pressed a hand to her chest.“Kelly joon.”
“It’s okay.I’m resilient.Also there was that Renaissance one.”
Hope made a strangled sound.
“No,” Avril whispered, already laughing.
“Yes.”I was committed now.“Tights.Puffy sleeves.The weird little haircut.He said he was ‘between eras.’And how he missed the biggest concert of the year because his ex took the friendship bracelets back.”
Xerses finally smiled.
