“True that,” I agree and he grins.
“And?”
“And…well, I like him. A lot.”
“Okay, not seeing a problem. Wait, does he not like you? Because if he doesn’t, he’s an idiot. You’re amazing.”
Pushing him playfully, I roll my eyes. “Focus, Dr. Markus,” I say, and he laughs.
“Has anyone ever told you that you don’t take compliments well?”
Laughing, I nod. “He’s told me that.”
“So he likes you?” he asks with a goofy grin, and I shrug, looking away.
“Yeah, and it scares me. So damn bad,” I say softly.
“Why?”
Sucking in a deep breath, I shake my head. “Because...I don’t know.”
“That’s a lie,” he says, and I laugh.
Does everyone know when I’m lying? Jeez!
“Because I can’t control it. I can’t make sure he won’t hurt me. I mean, he already makes me feel stuff that I’ve never felt before, and I haven’t even committed to him. I could fall for him, easy, and I don’t know how to give away that control. I did it before and got my heart broken.”
When he just grins at me, I make a face. “What?”
Patting my knee, he goes, “You know this is the most you’ve ever told me about yourself?”
I look up, meeting his sweet gaze, and I nod. “I don’t do people well.”
“I know, but it’s good for you. You need people, or you’ll be alone.”
“Yeah, that’s the rumor I’ve been told.”
He laughs. “Here’s my thing, Baylor. Is this guy anything like the douche from before?”
Shaking my head, I bite into my lip. “Not even close. Seth was selfish and only cared about him. This guy is so different. He thinks of everyone else before he does himself, he’s just refreshing and can make me smile. It’s hard to make me smile.”
“Yeah, Jayden’s good like that. Real team player, and he’s funny as shit,” he says softly, causing my eyes to go wide. “Oh, wait, I wasn’t supposed to know that, right? Okay, ignore that.”
“You’re such an ass!” I yell, smacking his arm, and he laughs.
“Dude, it’s obvious y’all are hot for each other. And yeah, you can’t control it, but the best things in life are the things you can’t control.”
I hold his gaze. “So are the worst things.”
“Yeah, you’re right. So you just need to decide what you want. Stop being such a control freak,” he adds and I smile.
“Hey.”
My smile drops when I hear his voice. Looking toward my door, I find that Jayden is leaning against my doorframe, a grin on his sinful lips.
Fuck me.
Getting up slowly, Markus holds his hands up. “I swear, we were only talking.”