Kirby didn’t say anything, but she reached for the handle. The old truck door squeaked as she pushed it open and got out. I made sure to walk slowly and with purpose toward the shop as I pulled out the keys to unlock the door. Flicking on the light, I began milling around and patiently waited for Kirby to step inside. This game of seeing just how far I could get her to go on her own was highly entertaining. Maybe I could get her to climb into her cage too. It wasn’t really a cage per se, but the idea was the same.

I wandered around the front of the car I was currently fixing and over to the small bar fridge. Smirking as I heard her footsteps on the concrete floor, I bent over to open it. I pulled out two beers and made my way around to the door. She was rigid, her body on alert as her eyes searched every corner for the boogeyman that was right in front of her.

Holding out the beer, I asked, “Would you like a drink?”

“I didn’t think we were staying long? You said you needed to pick something up,” she said as she stared between the beer in my hand and my face.

“You’re right. I did say that.” I cracked open one of the cans and took a sip.

Leaning against the edge of the workbench, I allowed myself to take her in up close without having to be quiet or sneak around. As much fun as all that had been, it had led to this moment. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. It was her body’s way of expressing that she was suddenly very aware that things were not going her way…again. I took another sip of the beer and continued to stare at her eyes. They were such a prize. Fuck I wanted them so much. So rare, so fucking rare, and they were mine. She was mine.

“I don’t understand,” she finally said. Her arms pulled tighter around her body, but her legs were set to fight.

Smart girl. I loved the fact that she wasn’t a weak mark. It made the chase so much more exhilarating.

“I thought we’d get to know one another better.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I mean, I would love to hear more about what you think of my work.”

Her brow furrowed, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to think about when she would’ve spoken about my work. She was most likely going over our coffee shop interaction, and she was going to come up short. She shook her head back and forth, and I decided to help her out.

I so enjoyed having a hyperthymesia memory.