Walking Red Flag (Ocean View #2)

by Morgan Elizabeth

“Where did this come from?” I ask, staring at it in confusion. It looks like… real food. “What?” On the plate are chicken, a roasted potato, and green beans. I look from it to him and back again. “Where did this come from?” “I just… I just made it?” “You cooked this?” He nods with a smile, grabbing silverware. “When?” His smile grows. “While you were sitting here sipping your wine and explaining your day to me.” “Where the hell was I?” How did I not see Vic cooking? It seems like a crime, not seeing that. I would really like to see Vic cooking. “In that gorgeous head of yours.” A blush burns my cheeks and I look down at my plate. Plain white. Boring. Lifeless. But he doesn’t let me avoid the conversation. Instead, his fingers touch my chin, tipping it up so I’m stuck looking at him. “No. Don’t do that.” “What?” “Look down. Get embarrassed. I like that, how you get lost in your mind. Like seeing things work in your eyes, seeing you talk and get excited about things.” “You like it now,” I say, moving so I can busy myself with a fork and knife. People like this part of me when they first meet me. The quirky part, the part that makes them laugh and smile. Until they don’t. Until they realize it’s not some cute act I put on, it’s just me. My mind never stops. I ask a million and seven questions, nearly all of them with no real purpose. I space out, my mind ignoring reality and moving at its own speed. “Yeah, I like it a fuckuva lot right now,” he says, his hand moving to my chi...