Shadoworld by Rachel E. Kelly

Author:Rachel E. Kelly [Kelly, Rachel E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Colorworld Books
Published: 2015-09-30T05:00:00+00:00

33

I don’t think Mike slept much last night. I didn’t sleep so well myself even though I got the entire back seat to stretch out on. Every time I did wake up, Mike’s breaths never sounded like sleeping. After we left Quinn, I expected Mike would lay into me about changing our plans, or at least have an opinion about what our new plans should be, but he stayed broodingly quiet. And in fact, we drove to Long Beach in silence, and then without explanation he parked at the city beach and started taking off his jeans, revealing that he’s been wearing shorts under his pants this whole time. He also removed his white undershirt and his boots and went for a barefoot run on the beach. I stayed in the car to figure out my next move. But instead I worried about Mike, because he was gone for an hour.

When I saw his form take shape under the streetlights finally, I hopped in the back seat and pretended to be asleep. It was a while before he got into the car, and I kept peeking through pinched eyes at the windshield to find him leaning against the hood, staring into the darkness. Because I wasn’t up to broaching the topic of a new mission with Mike, I didn’t let on that I was still awake when he finally got in.

Mike is still shirtless when I open my eyes in the morning.

“Can I get an ego maintenance schedule?” I ask the back of his head. “This is getting excessive. Or did you give up on shirts?”

“It’s dirty.”

“So wear the lumberjack one.”

“It’s too tight on my arms.”

“So cut the sleeves off.”

“A flannel button-up with the sleeves ripped off? You’ve been educated on the awkwardness of racial stereotypes and that’s what you suggest? You can’t be serious.”

I roll my eyes. “You are so high-maintenance.”

“You’re the one complaining, not me. It’s not my fault my body makes you uncomfortable. I was just answering your question.”

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable—Okay it does,” I concede. “But you walking around shirtless is like a girl doing the same. There’s obviously something to look at. But you feel guilty for looking… You wonder if they want you to look… Makes for awkward situations.”

“If a girl walks around topless, she’s obviously confident enough to do it,” Mike says. “Nothing wrong with that. I have no problem being shirtless for the same reason. And if I catch someone looking, I take it as a compliment. And considering how much work I’ve put into looking like this, why can’t I invite people to pay me the compliment of looking? It’s like any other accomplishment. People like to be recognized for what they do.”

“Good point. But nobody wants to be seen as just a hot body.”

“And nobody really wants to be seen as just an Olympic gold medalist or just a famous actor. Or just anything else. If you’re seeing someone’s accomplishments as the sum-total of who they are, the fault is on you.

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