Page 71 of Us Defiant Few

That made him pause. “Then why are you still here?”

“Hard to sleep in a place that keeps you on edge twenty-four seven,” Brock’s jaw clenched as he glanced around, and Takeshi noticed the gun in his pocket.

He wasn’t worried.

If Brock so much as twitched toward the weapon, he’d slice his carotid artery before the next intake of breath.

“It also helps that seeing you in a bad mood always makes me feel just a little bit better,” Brock said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

Takeshi couldn’t help the slight twitch of his lips. Much to his surprise, the brutal honesty made the tension in the hallway ease ever so slightly, and he momentarily halted his thoughts of murder.

“I’m surprised you’re not guarding the other door,” Takeshi noted.

“Why do you say that?”

“Her friend. The one with the blue hair. You watch her a lot.”

Brock’s sharp gaze narrowed, and Takeshi felt a small sense of victory.

“Sensitive subject?”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” Brock clipped.

“What’s that line? I can’t quite remember.” Takeshi looked up in thought. “You can lie to others but not yourself?”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Best I’ve felt all night.”

Brock sighed and glanced at the other door again. During the day, he hid his longing well, but at night, Takeshi saw the yearning and agony in his eyes.

“It’s hard to stay away from her,” Brock admitted.

“Why?”

“Because I’m stupid.”

“That much is clear,”

Brock glared at him but ignored the dig.

“Being a Death-Zoner’s a lonely life.” He sighed. “They train us not to have any connections. If you have nothing to miss, you can do your job at the highest capacity. But Serene doesn’t listen. She always has some smart-ass thing to say. It’s impossible to do my job without worrying about her falling into a ditch or inviting the earth to swallow us in a sandstorm.”

“So you push her away,” Takeshi finished for him, recognizing the truth.

“If I can get her to hate me, she might walk away and save us both.” Brock’s voice lowered, and Takeshi could tell he was forcing himself not to look at her door.

“And how’s that working out so far?”

“Well, seeing how we’re both out here on the floor sharing our fucking feelings, I’d say we’re in pretty deep shit.”

Takeshi snorted, not willing to admit that he agreed with him.

He wasn’t supposed to care.

But despite their distaste for one another, a kinship lay between them for those silent moments. When the sun rose in the sky, it would undoubtedly disappear.

But for now, it was enough.