Page 144 of Seasons of Love
It annoys me even more because I want to kill him as much as I want to just pull him down on the newly laid grass and kiss him stupid.
“You shouldn’t be out here barefoot,” I say, collecting the nails I bent earlier and placing them in a box.
He looks at his feet and goes back inside, coming out wearing a pair of old sneakers.
“How long have you been here? It’s barely morning,” he says.
“It’s past ten, and I came earlier to make sure I can finish this part today.”
He narrows his eyes. “Where’s Sara?”
“With Florrie.”
I resume nailing the boards together.
“Oh, if you’d said you were coming earlier, I could have gotten up earlier to look after her.”
Stop being so fucking nice.
“Florrie misses spending time with Sara. Besides, you’re usually up early anyway, so it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
He sits on the grass and crosses his legs, resting his hands on his thighs as he holds the coffee.
“I was thinking about a lot of stuff last night and couldn’t sleep.”
“Thinking about what?”
“You…mainly.”
The nail gun slips from my hand, and I avoid an accident only because I’m holding it with both hands.
“What do you mean?” I ask, putting the nail gun down to face him.
He looks at me. “I…it’s hard to explain…because…I have so much respect for you, Milo, and I don’t want to—”
I interrupt him because of all the things he could have said, I don’t expect him to use words that trigger my anger.
“Respect. Really? Then explain this to me. How come there’s more money paid into my account than what we agreed for my hourly rate?”
He looks down and places his coffee on the grass.
“If you respected me, you would discuss what you were doing instead of going behind my back.”
“Milo—”
I get closer to him, and now that I’m getting started, I feel the blood pumping through my veins, and it’s all going to come out. “I went to study at the library yesterday. I signed into my GED account and saw the fee for my exams was paid. I looked for the payment receipt, and it had your name on it. Were you planning on telling me?”
“I…” He runs his hands through his hair and then looks at me.
We’re practically face to face. Him sitting on the grass and me kneeling next to him, standing a little taller.
“You offered me a ride home. You brought me dinner when I was stuck at work. You gave me a job when I needed one. At no point did I feel like I was a charity case to you. But you treated me like one by going behind my back and paying for stuff for me.”
I point a finger at his chest. “I may not have much, but I work damn hard for it. I’m not proud. I can accept help. But I deserve to be respect—”
Before I can finish, Ellis yanks me by the front of my shirt with one hand and with the other, grabs the back of my neck and slams his lips against mine.
The move is so unexpected that I lose balance and fall sideways.
