Your Loyal Servant

(14) Wait, We're Bonding?

Mom had a wedding to plan, and somehow she had convinced Dad to join her for a party—one of those cheesy get-togethers where everyone blabs about nothing as though it were something important and pretend to both like everyone and wish not to get totally plastered on cheap booze. Mom was a pro, while Dad was probably in hell.

That meant the house would be empty for the entirety of the evening. Had it been a month ago, I would have thrown my own party. In other words: spent the night watching TV and eating junk food while Tommy cuddled next to me. However, that Tuesday night, I had to toss my oh-so exciting plans out the window because somehow my life decided to throw a loyal servant into the batch. Which I just absolutely needed.

Cue eye roll.

I looked at The Freak, who was puttering about the kitchen in a manly apron (though, he could pull it off—trust me, it's a mystery to me too), humming as he cooked something delicious for dinner. When he noticed my gaze, he flashed his charismatic smile and I turned away, slightly embarrassed that he had caught me staring. My eyes fell to the crossword puzzle he was working on, and I pulled it towards me.

As I read the clues, I wondered how it was even possible that he could do this without a dictionary, or the Internet. This guy was a genius, and even that concept eluded me. With his intelligence, you'd think he'd be an analyst for the government, rather than humming some corny show-tune in my kitchen while wearing an apron that had little flowers sewn across it.

That certainly painted a strange picture.

"Twenty across is neutrino," he stated from above me.

The sudden noise startled me so much that I jumped in the air, accidentally slamming my shoulder into his chin. He released a groan and reached his hand up to rub his chin as I watched in embarrassment and shock, eyes wide.

"Oh god," I mumbled, rising from my seat and touching his arm. "I am so sorry."

He strained to smile, making it look like a crooked grimace. He assured me, "It's all right. It was an accident."

Pursing my lips, I rushed into the kitchen, flung open the freezer, took out an ice pack, and wrapped it up in a towel. I returned to him and handed it to him, repeating, "I'm so sorry."

He placed it to his chin, sucking in a quiet breath through his clenched teeth. He closed his eyes as he exhaled slowly. When he looked at me again, he insisted, "Don't worry about it, Ms. Orrie. It's my fault. I startled you because I spoke unexpectedly. I apologize."

A frown found its way onto my face. This guy was so . . . acquiescent. He took the blame away from me and apologized for something that, honestly, wasn't that big of a deal. His family really did a number on him. Freaky was a new species.

I still felt bad for ramming my shoulder into his face, so I inquired, "Is there anything I can do?"

Smiling softly, he said in a tone to match his expression, "Maybe just fill in twenty across for me."

I released a short chuckle, relieved he hadn't asked me to do anything else. "I can do that," I replied, sitting back down and picking up the pen.

While I searched for twenty across, The Freak returned to the kitchen, putting the ice pack back in the freezer. He glanced at his reflection in the microwave, studying his chin. It was a little red, but otherwise it looked fine. He continued to smile, and turned to the meal he was preparing.

Once I found twenty across, I picked up the pen and clicked it. I sounded the word out: N-U-T-R-E-N-O. Crap. There was an empty box, which meant I had spelled the word wrong. I put the pen in my mouth and bit it, thinking. After ten minutes of staring at it, the only thing I had done was change the 'e' to an 'i'.