She tried to lean up on her elbows, but she wasn’t successful.

“When’s the last time you ate?” I asked.

She looked over at me as if she was just realizing I was there and closed her eyes again.

“I ate earlier. I can’t believe I fainted. Just let me finish up around here and I’ll be out of your hair.” Again, she tried to get up.

It was obvious she was weak, and I was starting to feel bad for her.

“Don’t worry about the damn condo. It’s fine the way it is. Earlier like when? An hour ago? Lunch at noon?” I asked.

Something told me she was lying. No way would her stomach be growling so loudly after only a few hours. I knew hunger and I also knew that stomachs that growled like hers did had gone a few days without food.

“I ate lunch.”

She couldn’t even look me in the eye with that lame-ass lie.

“You’re lying,” I said.

She glared over at me.

“I don’t lie,” she growled.

I chuckled. “That’s a lie.”

She jumped off of my bed, grabbing the edge when she lost her balance.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m leaving. I don’t have to take this crap,” she said as she tried to walk to the door. I stopped her and forced her to sit back down.

“You’re not going anywhere until you can walk straight.” I crossed my arms over my chest as I stood above her.

She looked up at me and rolled her eyes. “You can’t keep me prisoner here, Finn. I have somewhere I have to be.”

Did she have a date? Why the fuck did I hate the idea of her dating? She was beautiful. Of course, she was dating. Why wasn’t the guy she was dating making sure she was eating properly? What if it was someone who treated her badly? What he beat her or some crazy shit like that?

My brain wouldn’t stop as I thought every bad scenario she could’ve possibly gotten herself into.

“You can stay put right here while I go make you a sandwich or something. You need to eat.”

“You don’t know anything about what I need. What I need is to be away from you!” she yelled. Her voice sounded rough and it cracked.

Her words stung a little, but I guess I deserved them, considering I’d been a dick since we ran into each other again.

“You yell a lot. I don’t remember you yelling you so much before. You’ve become a bit of a bitch over the years, huh?” I shook my head and sighed.

“Don’t call me that!” She stood up and pushed me.

“And you’re awfully abusive, but I guess I know where you got that bad habit.”

I hadn’t meant to sound so rude and I hadn’t meant to be mean when I said that. It was the truth. We both knew it was. Her father used to beat her. It only made sense that she’d pick up the habit.

She didn’t like what I said. She pushed even harder and literally growled at me. I almost laughed, but I figured laughing in her face would only piss her off more.

“Come on. Sit down and I’ll get you something to eat.”

“I don’t want anything from you! I just want to go home!” Again, she pushed me.

I was disgusted by the fact that her pushing me around was kind of turning me on. It wasn’t every day that anyone stood up to me and the fact that this tiny girl did just that was kind of hot.

“Why are you so angry all the damn time? You need to relax. Let’s call a truce until you eat something.”

I was trying to be reasonable, but she wasn’t having it.

“Why am I so mad? Maybe because of you! You push my buttons and you make me so… you make me so damn mad!” She covered her mouth when the word came out. Her face was bright red in anger and embarrassment. It was probably the cutest fucking thing I’d ever seen. Faith had probably never said a cuss word in her life.

I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing. It was uncontrollable laughter that hurt my stomach. Apparently, laughing at her was all it took. She charged me with tiny hands and pushed me up against the wall. I could have stood strong, but it was too funny to watch her rough me up. It was super hot and I was getting hard.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me. I’m so mad!”

I didn’t know she was capable of such anger. She’d always been so meek and mild—always letting people run over her like she was nothing. It was one of the main reasons I’d been so shocked when she up and left me hanging. Part of me knew it had to be someone else’s fault, but at the same time, I was upset that she didn’t care enough to stay.