The next morning I headed into the kitchen for some coffee. I desperately needed the caffeine after only managing to get a few hours of sleep last night. David sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal.

“You do know you don’t live here anymore, right?”

He shrugged. “Neither do you.”

“Yeah, but my place isn’t three miles away.”

“Pop needed me to check something in the books for the bar.” He took another bite of his cereal and gestured to the laptop beside him.

“Is everything okay?” With everything that was going on with Mom, the last thing we needed was the bar to be losing money.

“Yeah, it’s fine. He couldn’t get the accounts to balance. He was reading the numbers wrong. Man is blind as a bat and refuses to wear his glasses.”

I chuckled and nodded, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I took a seat across from him and took a sip of the much needed caffeine, savoring the sweet hum making its way through my veins.

“So, what’s up with you and Alex?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

“It’s not like that, asshole. We’re just friends”

“I didn’t think you could be just friends with a girl.” He chuckled. “Especially a hot one.”

“Dude, shut up!” I plucked a stray Cheerio from the table in front of me and chucked it at him. “There is nothing going on.”

David sat back in his chair, holding his hands up in defense. “Okay. It’s just weird, considering you got more tail freshman year than half my fraternity brothers.”

“More than half.”

David chuckled and nodded his head.

“Hey, do you remember a guy named Peter? He was a pledge that year,” I asked. I figured the easiest way to check the guy out was to talk to some of his fraternity brothers, and my brother was a good place to start.

“Peter Russell?”

“Yeah, I think that’s the guy.”

“A little. He was a bit of a dog, but then again, so are you.” He gave me a pointed look. “Why?”

“Red met him at a party a while ago and he asked her out. Just wanted to make sure I won’t have to hunt him down later.”

“Jealous?” David took a sip of coffee, an amused expression on his face.

“No, dickweed! I’m not jealous. I’m just looking out for her.”

“Well, I’ll call Frankie. See what he knows.”

“Thanks, man.”

Just then, Red came in. “Good morning,” she said. She picked up a cup from the counter and poured herself some coffee.

“Good morning,” David and I chorused.

David looked up at me, shaking his head. I narrowed my eyes at the smug smile that spread across his face. I loved my brother, but sometimes he could be a real dick.

***

Later on, I took Red to The Den for lunch. When we walked in, the place was pretty empty, so we just grabbed a table in the back, nodding to Papa Jack as we took a seat.

The Den was just as much my home as the house I grew up in. I was excited and a little nervous to show it to Red. The Den was basically a dive bar, just cleaner. The décor ranged from old boxing posters to blinking neon signs advertising beer companies that no longer existed. I found comfort in the sounds of old men screaming at the TV behind the bar and the old pinball machine that would light up and ring at random from the back. This place was a part of me as much as my family and I wanted to share it with her.

“So, this is it, huh?” She looked around at the faded wood paneling along the wall and the warped mirror behind the bar.

“Yep.” I smiled as I watched her relax. I liked seeing her here. She fit nicely into my world.

Red picked up the menu in front of her. “What’s good?”

I plucked the menu out of her hands. “You’ve got to get the fish and chips. They are hands down the best in the city.”

“In your biased opinion.” She smirked.

“You’ll see. Want a beer?” I signaled Pop, who responded with a nod of his head.

“Yeah, thanks.”

We fell into a comfortable silence as we waited for our food. I was just enjoying being around her, but then she started picking at her fingers. In the short time I had known Red, I’d come to realize her tells, and this one screamed that she was nervous about something. I waited, quietly sipping my beer while she worked through whatever she was nervous about telling me.

“I’m sorry,” she said, eyes still focused on her hands.

“For what?”

She peeked up at me through her long lashes. “Last night. I didn’t mean to freak out on you.”

I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“No, you were right. You’ve been really good to me, and I know you aren’t just trying to sleep with me. I just…” She took a deep breath. “I just forgot what it felt like.”

“What it felt like?”

“To be a family.” She looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and my chest tightened. I wanted more than anything to take away the sadness and the pain I saw reflected in her eyes. I wanted to spend my life making sure she never looked at me that way again.

I reached across the table and covered her hands with mine. “Well, I won’t let you forget again. I’m here for you, and I won’t let you forget it.”

Papa Jack came over and set the food down on the table with another round of beers. Red eyed the greasy basket in front of her with a suspicious look on her face. She picked up a piece of fish, inspecting it before cautiously taking a small bite. I watched as she closed her eyes and let out a soft moan. Goddamn that sound was hot. I couldn’t stop thinking of different ways I could get her to make that sound again.

“This is really good,” she mumbled, her mouth still full of fish.

“See, Red? Good things happen when you learn to trust.” I shot her a wink. She just tossed a French fry at me.

***

After lunch we took a walk around the neighborhood. The Den was near Madison Square, my favorite part of the city. I planned to move over here after graduation. Well, depending on the job situation. The square always seemed so full of life, and it was just the place I wanted to be.

We checked out some of the galleries and shops, stopping in this little bakery called Down the Street that had the best coffee. We spent the rest of the afternoon just exploring the area, talking and laughing. It was nice.

We settled on a bench in the center of the square, sipping our coffee and watching the people around us. The shade from the trees helped to cool the air, letting in just enough sunlight to keep the place bright and happy. A breeze carried a hint of her shampoo toward me and my jaw tensed. She had this way of testing my limits without even realizing it.

“I love it here,” she said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I took a deep breath and looked around. “It’s nice, right?”

“It’s perfect.”

Somewhere behind us, someone was playing saxophone. I looked at Red and couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes were closed as she swayed and hummed along quietly to the music. I recognized the song, but couldn’t place it. “You know this song?”

“La Vie en Rose.” She sighed. “One of my favorites.”

“It’s nice.” I rested my arm along the back of the bench. I sat there, getting swept up in the sound of her voice as she hummed the notes while I twirled a piece of her silky hair around my finger.

I was so lost in the easy stillness that I jumped when she sat up straight and suddenly turned to me. “We should live here.”

My brows pulled together. I wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this.

“I’m serious. After graduation, I could get a job with a local design firm, you could do whatever you want, work for someone or freelance. We could get apartments here and just be a part of this.”

“That is a serious commitment, Red. I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that just yet. I mean, we’ve only known each other a few weeks,” I said, the sarcasm clear in my voice. The idea sounded more than appealing to me. Hell, I didn’t care where I was as long as Red would still be a part of my life.