Page 16 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Please, tell me more, and I’ll pretend I give a fuck.” He faked a smile before going back to his laptop.

“I missed your sweet side.”

Ignoring my sarcasm, which was actually true because I loved his snarky personality, he looked up at me with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing here?” he snarled, slapping his laptop closed.

“I came to grab a drink.” I reached for the menu on the table. “Besides, you said this seat was free.”

He snatched the menu from my hand and tossed it aside. “Not if it’s for you, it’s not.”

“Well, that was rude.” I pouted at the menu on the floor before looking up at Shay-Lee. “What if I got hurt?”

Shay-Lee remained immune to my joke as he continued to stare at me with a straight face.

“Why are you here?” he finally asked, his voice cold.

“To see you, obviously.”

His lips twisted as if he’d tasted something bitter.

“How did you know I’d be here?”

Putting my elbows on the table, I leaned closer. “Nah. I ain’t giving away my sources.”

“Well, whatever.” He reopened his laptop. “You can either continue to sit here and stare at me like a creep or go away and die someplace. Either way, I don’t give a shit.”

His mean words were one thing, but the way he looked away from me was another. Irritated, I pushed his laptop screen closed only to get his attention back.

“What the fuck?”

“Let’s talk.”

“No,” he hissed and reopened it.

I closed it.

“Yes.”

“No.” He opened it, and I grunted.

“Come on, Shay-Lee, I know you’re mad, but I’m here now. So let’s talk.”

He snorted. “I told you already, I’m not mad. I simply don’t give a fuck.”

Leaning back on the chair, I crossed my arms over my chest. “You think I’m going to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want.”

His fingers hit the keyboard repeatedly, and the sound of his consistent typing danced on my nerves. Pushing my irritation aside, I forced a smile. “You mean to tell me that you actually don’t care that I’m sitting here, right in front of you?”

He didn’t answer me and instead kept doing whatever he did on that damn computer. Fuck, I wanted to break it, but I couldn’t because one of my new life resolutions was to control my damn anger issues. I had no time to take care of them while working for Dion, but now, it was a new goal. So, taking a deep breath, I sighed. “Shay-Lee, talk to me.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true.” He looked up, and our eyes met. “Four years ago, I had tons of things to tell you. But now?” His lips shaped into a little mean smile. “Now, I have nothing. And you know why?” He tilted his head aside, waiting for my answer.

“No.” I hissed the word through my dry throat.