When Perfect Meets Crazy

“How did you learn to type so fast?”

I jolted, my heart jumping to my throat. The book I had been about to place on the shelf clattered to the ground.

“Jesus Christ!” I hissed, mentally willing my pounding heart to calm down. “Do not sneak up on me like that.”

As the heat of the moment passed, a twinge of panic born of the knowledge that I hadn’t heard him arrive, much less creep up on me settled in my chest. If he wanted, he could have hurt me before I even got a chance to react. How is he even quiet with those unnecessarily long limbs?

I still had a few minutes before the end of my shift and although, I was gradually getting used to him randomly showing up, it still set me on edge.

“First things first,” I said, forcing myself to take calming breaths. “Where’s the contract?”

“How did you get so fast with your fingers?” he reiterated, closing the small gap between us. “I asked first.”

“I’m sure that came out dirtier than you meant it to,” I replied, stepping back to put much needed space between us again. “And technically, I asked first. Two days ago. When I gave you the contract.”

“Technically.” He drawled the word out condescendingly. “I get precedence because I don’t trust you which I made very clear a long time ago.”

I flashed him an unimpressed look before bending to pick up the fallen book.

“Are you really trying to outsmart me right now?” My tone conveyed incredulous amusement. “Haven’t we already established that even drained, crying and with a headache, I can still outwit you? Seriously, don’t embarrass yourself.”

If eyes could shoot, I’d be riddled with bullet holes.

“Glaring like that isn’t going to change anything,” I pointed out. “Which reminds me, what did your lawyer say? About the contract?”

I didn’t think it was possible but his scowl darkened dramatically. It went from ‘I want to kill you’ to ‘I will decimate you and everything you care about.’

“I take it he was impressed,” I deduced.

“It was okay,” he bit out.

“Okay?” I scoffed. “You’re looking at me like you’d like to teach me a lesson or two in a dark alley. You don’t do that for just ‘okay’. Come on, just admit it was spectacular.”

His nostrils flared.

“It didn’t have any mistakes. You win,” he gritted out, his gaze trained on the opposite shelf above my head.

I knew he definitely wasn’t interested in horticulture so it had to be something else. Some other reason why he couldn’t meet my gaze.

“I more than win, don’t I? He loved me, didn’t he? What did he say? I want his exact words.”

Mother of all shockers, I found out he wasn’t at scowling capacity yet because his scowl darkened even further. Enough that I was starting to debate the wisdom of goading him in a remote aisle.

I took a step back reflexively.

“He offered you a job.” The words were forced out of jaws so tightly clenched it was a surprise they were audible at all.

His revelation was followed by a sharp bark of laughter from yours truly. In my defence, I couldn’t help myself. What was I supposed to do? Not laugh? It was too precious.

“That had to have burned,” I goaded.

“Can we get back to the question about your typing now?” His gaze remained fixed just above my head as an embarrassed blush made its way up his neck.

“Sure,” I acquiesced. “But you signed it, right?”

There was no point if it wasn’t signed.

He nodded reluctantly.

“Doesn’t mean I trust you to honor it. I just signed it as an extra layer of protection since it nullifies your testimony and stuff. For the record, I’m still going to follow you around. The problem isn’t you talking to the cops, it’s you talking to... other people.”

‘Other people’? Seriously?

I held out my hand for the contract, stifling the urge to roll my eyes. At least he signed it. I could work with that. Take that, voodoo doll witch.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you keep skirting my question.” The chill in his voice could’ve competed impressively against the seventh circle of hell.

I stiffened at his tone a light shiver running down my spine as I looked up from the contract.

skills?” My tone was light and forced. A

my generous

on keeping it a secret,

see what one thing has to do with the other,”

with the fact that we were slightly

hacker is fast. Like you,” he insinuated,

Oh please. The story there

work when I was much younger. Like when I was in elementary school,”

could very easily be counted on one hand with fingers to spare; Olly and drag racing, Olly and the underground fighting syndicate and that other thing I was going take to my grave. Not the underwear incident. This was a different to-my-grave secret. One that no amount of alcohol at any college rave would get out of me. That was all. All my crimes. I would never try hacking. If I got caught hacking, my

files she was done with and assign us tasks. My sister and I. It was supposed to be educative and probably get us interested in law. She started off giving us fun tasks like highlighting all call logs to a specific phone

signed and delivered, I had no issue with satisfying his

next book in its appropriate spot then moved on to the next aisle, pushing the cart ahead of me. Masked

was fun at the beginning. Like playing a work version of dress-up.” My lips curved

periphery, I caught him rolling his

Cases weren’t coming in as much and a lot of their clients were jumping ship so they had to let some employees go. My mom wasn’t high up on the chain back then so her secretary had to go too. Her workload increased so

in a way that had

to spend time worrying about us. Especially since there were almost never any mistakes. I didn’t make

to the question

rolled my eyes. “Back then, we were too young to cook so I started helping her type up her notes whenever she

I wanted to lighten her load. It was my cursed caregiver instincts acting up, even

first but she soon realized I wasn’t

I knew I had no reason to do so, especially to a criminal who had shown an above average inclination for idiocy but it had been hammered into my head since I

never made mistakes so she let me. Started asking me to

girl who people would look at and say, ‘how is she so perfect all the damn time?’ I always did everything perfectly. It’s all I knew. My mom had drummed into my

sighed wearily. Mission failed, mum. I made the

suspicion coating his tone as he took in

I answered tiredly. “You’re the one speck of imperfection

He frowned.

and forged on, “that’s how I started

just a

out more hopeless that I intended so I added, “I don’t like being defined by it

textbook defence mechanism. Sue me. Humor, bringing

us all.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re practically a

to be of

defined by her

People

one bushy eyebrow. “Admitting that you study hard is

I didn’t even always know that school was

face scrunched up in a

do you mean you

know.” I shrugged. “As crazy as

to him, absently wondering why I was

thought everybody was like me or just pretending because they wanted to. Because they were lazy. Anyway,” I shook my head, regaining control of myself, “it’s not important. What I was trying to say is that I don’t see what that has to do with not wanting to be defined by it. This is why people feel the need to have safe spaces. Because I don’t want to be defined by something doesn’t mean I should

eyeing

ass bit, I prefer

a hand down his face.

lips into a thin line to hold back a

stack of books into his

“I’m not here to--”

finish this, the longer

“Fine,” he huffed.

exaggerated, stretching his arms

rolled my eyes. If he was so bored, here was an idea; stop fricking following me around.

deal, my tutoring job is today and I’m not taking you in

eyes narrowed, suspicion filling his

“Why not?”

in exasperation. If I really had something to hide, I wouldn’t stupidly give it away by telling him. I was much much smarter than that. If I wanted to fool him, I damn well could and he

are friends with mine and they could tell my parents about

with,” he stubbornly

that but just know that you’ll be standing outside until I’m done. And when you can look into who stays there later, you’ll find out that it’s