"Here." He hands me a water bottle.
"But—" I stare lovingly at the iced coffee placed behind him.
"I don't care if you beg. You're not getting that until you drink this."
"I could make quite a scene begging."
"Then do it."
I say nothing.
"Bluff called." He chuckles. "Drink your water."
I do. I drink the entire bottle in four gulps. "Thank you."
His eyes fix on mine. He says nothing about me being polite, simply hands me my iced coffee and the paper bag with my pho in it. He takes a sandwich from his paper bag and unwraps it. "You still look like shit."
"Because I haven't had this." I motion to my coffee then take a long sip. This time, the sweet, creamy flavor hits the spot. Perfect. I take another long sip.
He chuckles then leans back into his seat.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. It's easy, intimate. The noodle soup is perfect comfort food. His company makes it even better.
I'm halfway through my soup when Kit breaks the silence.
"I don't want to be a wet blanket, Piper." He turns towards me. "You're nineteen. You're in college. It's spring break. It's normal for you to have fun."
"You're not a wet blanket. And stop telling me I'm nineteen like you're an old man. You're only twenty-six."
He's quiet for a minute. "I'm glad you called last night. But..." His eyes go to the ground. "Fuck, I was more worried than I'd been in a long time."
"Really?"
"It's ridiculous. You're a good kid. You'd never get into that kind of trouble."
Translation: I see you as sweet, innocent, and not someone I want to fuck.
I take another bite of my soup. I finish the last sip of my coffee.
Kit turns. His knee brushes mine.
I nearly bite my tongue.
His eyes bore into mine. "I like hanging out with you, but that's all it can be." He runs a hand through his hair. "I'm a mess and I don't want you wasting your time cleaning me up."
"You're not a mess."
"I am."
"You're just—"
"You have no idea what a piece of shit I was. I lied to everyone I met. I lied to my friends. Threw them under the bus to protect myself. An assistant found my Oxy stash once and I pinned it on Joel. My best friend. The person who's been there for me my entire life. And I didn't give a fuck. All that mattered was staying high. When that didn't work, I had the assistant fired." His dark eyes are on fire. He's off some place, lost in some memory.
I move close enough to whisper. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"Not like this."
"Did you kill somebody?"