Except… teaching Phin anything would mean more time with Phin.
Still, I didn't want to seem too eager—ironically enough, that would also be one of the first lessons I taught him. I didn't have to hand over my whole arsenal; such power couldn't be handed out willy-nilly. But I could give him some pointers while also learning more about him.
Which gave me my next idea. "I'll do it, if you tell me why you've been so weird since Walker-ball. Don't bother saying you haven't been," I said as his mouth opened. "I'm incredibly observant, Phineas."
His lip twitched in a near smile.
"Nah, I'll just ask Wyatt. He's getting more action than you tonight anyway." Phin stood.
That wily coyote. Maybe he had more skills than I gave him credit for. I jumped to my feet. "No you won't."
He looked down at his feet, where he stood in the doorway, and then back up at me. "Do you not see me? I am."
I quickly sidestepped in front of him. He stopped suddenly, but our chests still bounced. Or, rather, his chin bounced against my chest. When he fell back, his left leg crumpled oddly beneath him, and he began to fall. I caught him, bringing him back to standing and immediately launching back into persuading him. "You need me, Phineas…?"
He licked his lips. "Peters?"
"Really? PP?"
He tugged out of my arms.
"No, wait, I'm sorry." I adopted the same silky tone as I'd had before learning of his unfortunate initials. "You need me, Phineas Peters."
His bottom lip popped out in a pout. "If I was confident enough to ask anyone else, I would, Nash. But, you're right. I need you because right now, I'm able to talk so freely to you because there's nothing going on between us. You don't have to worry about me developing an insane crush or anything." His cheeks burned pink.
Because he was lying? Or nervous that he was telling the truth?
I'd have to cling to the former with all I had. It was the only option I could stomach. "I have no problem teaching you, Phin. All I want is for you to show some good faith. What happened tonight? That sort type of collision, all my weight down on his leg—he shouldn't have walked away so easily."
"Maybe you didn't fall like you think," Phin said, his cheeks glowing that same shade of pink.
Lies. Praise the moon. But also, what the hell? What was he saying?
"Fine! I'll tell you. Tomorrow, though, okay? Not tonight. I've had my fill of peopling."
I could wait that long. Plus, that meant I would be seeing him again tomorrow. "Deal."
His eyebrows flew up and then settled. "Okay, deal. I'll see you tomorrow." He made to move by, and I grabbed his wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"Home?" he said, but his voice was tight. He'd mentioned being done peopling, and I was learning that was an actual thing.
"How? You didn't call a taxi." I knew because my attention had been on him almost every moment he'd been here.
"I'll just walk. It was only a fifteen-minute drive, and I'm a pretty fast walker. Used to live in some shady neighborhoods."
Phineas Peters had clearly had some shit friends. I would show him how to flirt and how to expect to be treated. "I'll drive you. I'm stone sober by now. I won't talk on the way or make you people. Just let me get you to your front door safely, okay?"
He looked like he might try to argue so I launched in again.
"Call it the Fireman's Code. Never leave a friend to walk through the coyote-filled forest."
Phineas smirked. "I would've kept to the road."
"Oh, and get home in four hours? Great plan." We were at the front door by then, and I turned to find Wyatt, shooting him a wave. He gave me a bro nod.
Phin followed me to my vehicle but stopped suddenly. "You're nicer than I thought. I'm sorry I misjudged you."
I waved him away like it was nothing when really, it was everything. "Happens all the time. Something about my physical perfection and overwhelming charm."
"And there you are," Phin said, rolling his eyes. But when he got in and buckled his seat belt, he did it with a smile.
Chapter Six
Phineas
By the time I got home from Riley's party, I was exhausted, but not the kind that let me sleep. I crawled into bed, tingling all over from sitting so close to Nash. The ride back home was shorter than I remembered the ride to Riley's being. More likely, it was shorter than I wanted it to be once Nash was in the car. True to his word, he hadn't spoken the whole night other than to say goodnight and confirm he'd be by the next day.
He'd been so different at the party and yet exactly the same. I'd barely walked in the door before he'd been right there beside me, and though I hadn't let it show, it had been nice to have a buddy. Those sorts of events, where the person who asked me to go was understandably busy, I ended up sitting quietly in a corner until I could slink out. I could say, even with the charlie horse that still throbbed in my leg, that it was the most fun I'd ever had at a social event.
I hadn't been pushed to do more than I was comfortable, and there were plenty of extroverts around to entertain the crowds.
And what had I done? Brought my curse down on them all. I wasn't stupid or vain. I understood that Walker-ball was probably the most dangerous party game I'd ever heard of, but Nash hadn't been wrong about thinking Wyatt should have been hurt more.
His leg bone had been sticking out of the skin. I'd been able to get my hands on him and heal him enough so that he could walk. The process had taken much less from me than I'd expected—like tapping a ball over the edge of a hill and watching it roll. It almost felt like his body had already begun healing and I was just helping it along.
But the fun had still stopped because of me.
Now, I had to tell Nash something to satisfy his curiosity. Would he know if I made up an answer? I squeezed my BB-8 plushie to my chest and groaned. What if—and this was a wild idea—I told him the truth? I hadn't tried something like that before. Maybe this was like a Beauty and the Beast curse situation, and all I needed to do was find the one I trusted enough and the spell would be broken.
Did that make me the beast?
I frowned and rolled over, looking at the clock and reaching for my phone in the same moment. I tapped the green alien face icon. Looking at the chatter list, I saw that Reg and Bun were offline, but Chuck was there.
GoblinKing: Can't sleep either?
Three small dots appeared near his name, indicating he was typing. I frowned. Chuck had kept a more regular schedule back when he'd been married. Lately, he was on at all hours. It was nice to know there was always someone there to talk to, but at the same time, the guy needed to get out.
Huh. Well, if that wasn't the pot calling the kettle the same thing everyone always called the pot. Nerd, geek, go outside for once, make some real friends.
ChuckShurley: You know, every night's a big night. /s
GoblinKing: lol
I wasn't actually laughing out loud, but I didn't think anyone had taken that acronym literally in years.
GoblinKing: Need to talk about anything?
ChuckShurley: Depends. Didn't you have your big night tonight?