Bella doesn't waste time on greetings. Her lips are on mine as soon as she sees me, and she slides her hands under my shirt. The chick's eager.

Too bad I'm not.

Sure, I could fuck her and might even enjoy it. That was my initial plan, and the boy isn't that picky when it comes to his needs. What stops me are Mac's words. If the chick's catching feelings, I have to end it before it's too late. I don't need more problems — swallowing pills and not getting enough sleep sucks on its own.

"Bella." I grab her wrists and nudge her away. "We need to talk."

Bella frowns. "You don't like talking."

I unlock the garage, flick on the light switch, and lead her inside. "I want to have a conversation with you this one time."

We sit on a bench next to each other. I have no idea how to do this, so I just spit it out fast. "I want to make sure you don't like me."

Bella laughs. "Don't like you? Of course, I like you, silly."

I sigh. "You like to fuck me. I wanna be sure that's all it is."

Her shoulders slump. "Because you're not the relationship type, at least, not with me."

"Do you want a relationship?" I ask and feel instantly sorry for her because the way she lowers her eyes to her lap tells me the answer.

"I guess I hoped that you...you know...could like me too, just a little."

"You're great, and I like you, but I'm not looking for a girlfriend. And I might be a jerk, but I don't wanna lead you on. It wouldn't be fair. We had fun together, but I'm afraid it's over."

Bella sniffles and looks away. Why would she even want to be with me? Lots of guys I know are pinning after her. She could choose any dude she wanted.

I draw an arm around her shoulders and peck her cheek. "Don't waste your time on me anymore. If you want a boyfriend, find a good guy who can give you dates and all that shit girls like. Okay?"

Bella looks at me with too much sadness for my liking. "That's the thing, Brian. You're a good guy. You're just not for me."

I put my hand on the small of her back. "Come on; I'll see you out. Do you want me to take you home?"

Bella shakes her head. "I have somewhere to be. Thanks for the offer."

I nod and watch her walk away. It could've gone worse, but I'm not exactly thrilled, regardless. I've been blind, thinking Bella was okay to be just someone I had a good time with. I guess girls never are.

I rotate my shoulders and rub my neck as I stroll back into the garage, straight to Pops' office.

Once inside, I take in the mess of papers and invoices on his desk. It'll take me a minute, my ass. That's a gig for at least a couple of hours, unless...

I rub my palms together and power on Pops' brand-new laptop, also Jimmy's present. The beast's fast and efficient, but Dad has yet to put it to good use.

Fortunately for him, I'm good at spreadsheets. Everything is organized and crystal clear within an hour — the income, the expenses, and the profit the business has made. The only thing Pops will have to do is type in the new info to have an up-to-date financial report.

Sorting through my dad's mess takes me another hour, but when I'm done, the desk is tidy, and the papers are organized in folders. I'm tempted to text Pops a picture of how cool everything looks, but when I grab my phone, a text from him is on the screen, telling me not to wait for him tonight.

My stomach grumbles, and I have yet to cook something for lunch. It's when I turn off the lights and lock the garage that the sound of a chick's sobs reaches my ears.

Two chicks crying in just one morning. Way to go, Brian. I frown and walk toward the noises. I don't go far — the source of the waterworks is Kitten, and she's sitting on a log behind our garage, hidden from view.

The date with Ferdinand didn't go well. I'm slightly concerned about how happy that makes me.

"Yo, Princess," I say, sitting next to her. "What's wrong?"

Leah must've been crying for a while — her eyes are bloodshot, and her nose is red. And red is what I see when I spot blood on her bare feet. She must've been in pain if she took off her shoes.

"What the fuck happened to you?" I ask again, putting my palm on her face to make her look at me.

"Nothing," she mumbles. "I walked, and my feet hurt. I don't want to go home, so I thought I'd sit here."

I narrow my eyes. "What do you mean, you walked? From where?"

"Gavin's," she whispers.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That's almost out of town!"

Everyone knows where Ferdinand lives. The houses here are ordinary, except for his. The mansion Fer lives in would fit several families, and security cameras dot the perimeter of his daddy's estate.

I wouldn't care if that family was a good one. I'm not one to talk when my brother's new condo is the epitome of luxury. But here's the thing — Jimmy bought it because the fucker always dreamed of seeing skyscrapers from his windows, and he earned the money.

Fer's father is a different story. He comes from a family of well-to-do lawyers, or that's what he's been telling everyone who wanted to listen. Fer's mother isn't poor, either. They like showing off their wealth, and there's nothing I loathe more than crappy people waving their money in the faces of those who live paycheck to paycheck.

"I didn't want to stay there," Kitten says, toying with the hem of her dress, her eyes downcast.

"Fuck, Leah. Couldn't you call someone? Couldn't you call me?"

Then, I mentally smack myself cause the chick doesn't have my number, and I doubt she owns a phone.

Gray clouds cover the sun, and the wind grows stronger. Leah lets out a sad chuckle that matches the sudden change in weather, and goosebumps rise on her skin.

Hopping off the log, I extend my hand. "Come on; let's go. Dad isn't home, and I'm not letting you freeze your butt off."

Kitten winces as she scrambles to her feet, and I cuss under my breath before picking her up and carrying her toward my house fireman-style.

"The shoes," she squeaks.

Groaning, I go back and pick them up. Back in my arms, Kitten shakes in her thin dress and blushes as if a guy has never carried her anywhere. All I think about is that I've never held a girl so thin. What did that prick do to make Kitten run away Cinderella-style? He'd better not have tried to show her his dick. He's not stealing the boy's show.

When we're at my house, cranking up the heating is the first thing I do while Kitten shifts her feet in the doorway, rubbing her arms.

"Cold?" I ask.

She whispers, "A little."

"Come with me."

Kitten hesitates but follows me to my room upstairs.

"Take a hot shower in my bathroom," I tell her. "You need to wash the blood off your feet. Besides, that dress is too thin."

I open my closet and scan the selection of my clothes. Everything's too big for Leah, but I smile when my gaze snags on a hoodie that will look like a dress on her. I take it from the pile and grab a pair of warm socks. "Put these on when you're done. I'll be cooking downstairs. You have body wash and shampoo, and there are clean towels on the shelf. Take your time."

I turn on my heels and rush out of there before Kitten objects. In the kitchen, I play Jim's album and busy myself with the steaks and the steamed veggies, humming to my big bro's songs. I also boil some rice. Leah needs carbs, and I doubt she ate at Fer's house.

In what seems like an hour, Kitten clears her throat behind me. I swivel my head and grin. Just like I thought, my hoodie's huge on her, but she looks cute.

"Did you find the hairdryer?" I ask, although her wet hair tells me she didn't.

Kitten shakes her head.

"It's on the hook on the wall. Hurry, Princess, lunch is almost ready."

Obediently, Leah goes upstairs. I set the table and serve the food. It smells great, and I mentally thank Mom for teaching me to cook when we lived in the city, and I had to make dinner for both of us.

Kitten is back shortly with her hair gathered in a ponytail. I don't know what compels me, but I move closer and pull at the hair tie, letting her hair fall loose. "Better this way," I mumble, and she blushes.

"Let's eat," I say.

We sit at the table and chew in silence. Once her plate is empty, I give Kitten more of everything. After, I make some coffee and pour hers into a mug, adding cream and sugar. I don't even know if she likes it this way, but I'm on a mission to fatten her up a bit. A thin body is only good when it's not because of starving.

I lead Kitten to the living room, and we sit on the couch. I take a sip from my mug and ask, "So, what did Fer do?"

Kitten traps her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm not sure I should tell you. It doesn't matter, anyway. I dumped him."

I nearly choke on my coffee. "You what? For me?"

Kitten giggles. "Jeez, O'Brien. The world doesn't revolve around you. I dumped him because he's a dick, and not the mushroom one — a real one."

"Thank heavens for helping you realize that, Princess. What happened for you to see his true colors?"

Kitten goes strangely quiet. Then, she sighs. "He wanted us to sleep together on my birthday."

I snort. "Whoa. Fer isn't a monk, after all."

"No, he's not. What I didn't like was him saying it'd be a way to thank him for giving my mother the rent money."

"Come again?"

"You heard me."

"That motherfucker," I say through my gritted teeth. "Has he lost his fucking mind? What's his deal?"

Leah shrugs, but her jaw trembles, and I don't want to push it. She'll tell me more later, or I hope she will.

"Let's go to my room," I say, getting up from the couch.

Kitten looks around timidly. "And your dad?"

"He's out and won't be back till tomorrow. What time would that prick drop you off at home if you stayed with him?"

Leah rolls her eyes. "At seven."

"Too bad, so sad." I smirk. "Lucky for you, your boyfriend grew a pair. You and Fer are having a blast, playing checkers with his parents and enjoying sugar-free treats. Then, he's gonna put his flannel PJs on and go to bed. You're staying in the guest room, of course, right next to his parents' bedroom with your door open."

Kitten gapes at me, and I'd lie if I said that shit isn't funny.

"That's a hell of a story I came up with for your mother, Princess. So, take my phone and call her, cause you're spending the night here with me."

Kitten is still in shock, saying nothing, so I wiggle my eyebrows. "I have popcorn and more than a hundred movies. Hurry, Kitten."