Chapter 687

A sharp sting snapped me back. “Ow!” I flinched, trying to pull my hand away, but Xander’s grip didn’t budge. “Stay still,” he said, his voice low, calm—soft, even. “It’ll be over in a second.”

This guy. His mood swings were wilder than a summer storm, and I was no closer to figuring him out. The nurse worked quickly, skilled and efficient. In no time, she pulled out a glass shard and held it up like a trophy. “See? It’s pretty big. If you hadn’t gotten this out, it would’ve just kept hurting, stuck like that.”

I stared at the shard, trying to remember when I could’ve gotten it. It must’ve been when I smashed that ashtray earlier.

The nurse disinfected my wound and wrapped it with a bandage. Just like that, I was done. Good to go.

“Thank you,” Xander said to the nurse and finally released my hand. I pulled it back awkwardly, staring at the bandage for a beat before looking at him. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Xander blinked, then caught on. “I’m fine. Not a scratch.”

Okay, that didn’t add up. Considering he’d just played superhero, dodging a car and rolling us across the ground, he should’ve at least had, like, dirt on him or something. Guess his soft-boy vibes were just for show.

As we stepped out of the treatment room, I gave him a side-eye. “Alright, spill. What’s your deal? Payback? Revenge?”

I couldn’t ignore how much his attitude toward me had flipped. It was sus.

“Hm?” He tilted his head, feigning ignorance. “Don’t you, like, hate me? So what’s with this whole ‘saving my life’ thing?” I waved my bandaged hand for dramatic effect.

“You got hurt because of me,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Bringing you to a doctor seemed… fair.”

“Fine, great. My hand’s fixed, drama’s over. We’re square,” I said, swiping at him like a cat batting at string. Out of nowhere, he hit me with, “Do I really look that much like the person you’re in love with?”

I froze, my eyes flicking to his face. “At first? Yeah. But now?” I shrugged. “Not so much.”

“You helped me earlier because of this face, didn’t you?” He wasn’t wrong.

I nodded. “Yup. This face means a lot to me. If something happened to it, I’d lose… a piece of him.”

He didn’t say anything, so I smiled faintly. “But I know you’re not him.”

I turned to leave, but as we brushed past each other, he threw me off again. “Does your offer to ‘keep me’ still stand?”

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around. “Wait—now you’re saying yes?”

He flushed slightly. “Between managing a bunch of clients or just… entertaining you, I’d rather stick with one person. Specifically you.”

I let out a soft laugh. “So now you want to be my kept man?”

His face was all business. “Do you still feel the same way as before?”

The nerve of him. When I was dead serious about it, he shot me down without a second thought. Now that I’ve moved on? Suddenly, he’s interested. Typical.

I smirked. “And if I said no? Would you be disappointed?”

“I would.” His gaze locked onto mine. “I hope you’ll reconsider.”

Reconsider? Yeah, no. Nobody tells me how to feel.

I raised an eyebrow. “Look, what I said back then was just impulsive. I was grieving, okay? It wasn’t about you—it was about your face. But now? You’re not him. So what’s the point of ‘keeping’ you? To stare at you all day?”

“I can cook for you. I’m a great cook,” he replied, dead serious.

That hit harder than it should’ve. For a second, I thought about Hayden. His cooking. The way I hadn’t eaten a real meal at home since… since he wasn’t there anymore. Xander had no idea the nerve he just struck.

“Really?” I said. “Show me your hands.”

He stretched out his hands. His fingers were clean, smooth—zero calluses. I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “With hands like those, you expect me to believe you’re some kind of kitchen god?”

“Why don’t you give me a shot and find out?” Xander said, his tone light but with just enough persuasion to make me raise an eyebrow.

I decided to play along. “Fine. If you can cook something I actually like, I’ll ‘keep’ you—for the food, of course.” “Can we start now?” He sounded way too eager.

I nodded, stepping closer to him. “Your place or mine?”