Among the Echoes(25)

"What the motherf*cking hell is he doing here?" I snap the moment we get out of hearing range, which is honestly a joke. This apartment is so cheap that you could be standing three doors down and still hear me whisper-yelling.

"Slow your roll, babe," he responds with a wicked grin.

"Slow my roll? Really? What is he doing here, and why didn’t you tell me he was coming over? I loathe surprises. Damn it." I begin to pace back and forth down the hall.

"I invited him over because I wanted to get to know him a little better." He tries to explain, but his words catch me off guard.

"What? I thought you said he wasn’t an issue."

He lets out a frustrated groan. "He isn’t, Riley. I just meant that it wouldn’t hurt for us to know more about our neighbor. I’m talking on a personal level."

"So this is a social call?"

"If it were 1920, yes, it would be a ‘social call.’" He smirks at me. "But since this is 2014, I’m just going to say I invited the neighbor over for dinner."

"Ha, ha. Freaking hysterical. You should have told me, jerk," I whisper and look back over my shoulder to make sure Adam isn’t watching us.

"Understood," he responds with an unapologetic smile.

I let out a huff, knowing that there is no use in arguing with him about this. I walk back toward the kitchen to find Adam standing over the cutting board, slicing up bell peppers.

"Oh jeez. You don’t have to do that," I rush out.

He looks up and offers me a half smile and shrug. "It’s okay. I actually really like to cook. I’m not great, but I can slice a mean vegetable," he jokes with a crooked grin that's so kind it makes my annoyance disappear. "You want me to open the wine?" he asks, putting the knife down on the cutting board.

"Oh, um… Thanks, but I’m not a big drinker. I bet Dave would take one of the beers though."

"I absolutely would," Dave confirms, appearing behind me. "Hey, Adam, what are your thoughts on the Lopez vs. O’Neil fight tonight?"

"Shit. Is that tonight?" Adam pulls two beers out of the fridge, where he apparently placed them earlier.

Dave quirks an eyebrow and tilts his head in confusion. "You forgot?" he asks in disbelief.

"I’ve been busy," Adam responds shortly.

"Whatever. This is probably the biggest fight of the year!" Dave laughs, and Adam gives him an unimpressed eye roll.

"It’s hardly the biggest fight of the year. But I think O’Neil really has a shot this time."

"No shit?" Dave asks, surprised.

"Yeah. He’s been working out with Mike Greene. It’s always been his speed that kept him back, but Mike…" Adam continues to talk, but I turn back to the food while they bond.

The guys sit in the living room, watching the pre-fight interviews. They fall into a casual comfort with each other, but neither ever truly drops his guard. I steal glances at Adam every opportunity I get, and on rare occasions, I catch him watching me too. Even though I have no idea what he’s talking about, I find myself jumping in and out of their conversation.

"Can I help with anything?" Adam asks when he comes to the kitchen to grab another beer.

"Nah. I’m good. Thanks though."

I move so he can squeeze back past me in this postage stamp of a kitchen. But instead, he leans his hip against the counter and tips the beer to his lips. I watch from the corner of my eye, not sure what to say or how to react to his sudden attention.

"You’re weird," Adam says, catching me completely off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"You’re weird," he repeats with a serious look, but his eyes are dancing with humor.

"Um, where I come from, that is not exactly a compliment."

"It’s not a compliment where I come from either. But that doesn’t make you any less weird."

I blink at him for a minute, trying to figure out how the hell I’m supposed to respond to something like that. "Well, I officially think you’re weird now too. Who says that to someone they barely know?" I snip, causing him to laugh.

"I’ve met you maybe five times now and you are either terrified or awkward every single time."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I’m not always—"

He interrupts me. "But just now, when I showed up, you were bossy and filled with attitude while talking to him." He lifts his chin in Dave’s direction.