Nick grabbed the food and got out of the car. A few minutes before, he’d been exhausted, but the tiredness seemed to have disappeared.
“You’re late. Busy day?” Bryce asked as Nick stepped into the garage. He pulled up a chair that Bryce had brought out there for him.
“No, not really. We were slow, actually. It made me tired as hell. I wanted to go home and crash, but I had to stop by the gas station on my way. They gave me an extra ten bucks earlier so I wanted to return it.”
Bryce’s dark brows pulled together. “Really?”
“Yes. Damn, why does everybody act shocked by that? You would have done the same.”
Bryce shrugged. “I’d like to think so. I definitely would have if I’d only made it to my car, but a whole twelve hours later... You’re like a saint. Oh, check that out, Saint Nick. I didn’t even do that on purpose.”
Laughing, Nick shook his head. “You’re such a fucking idiot.”
“Listen to that language coming out of your mouth, Saint Nick.”
He winked and Nick shifted in his seat, his skin warmed though he wasn’t quite sure why. “Oh, hey, I almost forgot, I stopped by the bar and got you some potato skins.”
He held the box out toward Bryce, but Bryce didn’t grab it. He looked at Nick confused, almost the same way the cashier had earlier.
“You stopped by a bar at midnight to get me food?” he asked. Well, when he said it like that, it made Nick feel weird.
“Yeah, is there something wrong with that?” When Bryce didn’t reply right away, he added, “You eat like shit. Even this is better than canned food. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do.”
The quiet between them stretched way too fucking long for Nick’s comfort.
“You’re a nice guy, Saint Nick.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“You’re still a nice guy.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“I know,” Bryce replied. “You’re a different kind of nice than most people, though. Kind. There’s a different between being nice and kind. Me? I’m a sarcastic asshole. You? You’re kind. It’s refreshing.” And then he pushed to his feet, and for some reason, Nick’s pulse sped up. That was important to him, being kind. He wasn’t sure he realized how much until this second.
“I’ll go wash my hands. You want a beer?”
Nick nodded, and then Bryce went inside. Nick didn’t move, just sat there thinking about what Bryce said.
***
Bryce washed his hands and dried them with a towel. The mini-fridge in his garage was empty so he grabbed two beers from the kitchen.
He’d been thinking about turning in for the night when Nick got home. He probably wouldn’t have. It was almost like they had a nightly routine to talk for a few minutes. He would have missed giving Nick shit if he’d gone in before Nick pulled up.
Jesus, the man really was a good guy. Like he’d said, kind, not just nice.
When Bryce got back to the garage, Nick was where he’d left him sitting in the chair. He had his feet up on the stand where Bryce had the Shovelhead. “Hey, watch those feet around my girl. You accidentally kick her and we’re going to have words, you and me.”
“Have words, huh?” Nick raised a brow at him, mockingly.
“Don’t give me shit. That’s my job, not yours.” Bryce pulled the bench closer to Nick, grabbed the food, sat down, and put his feet up beside Nick’s.
After opening the container, he held it out toward Nick. “Have one. They’re fucking heaven.”
Nick picked a potato skin from the box. Bryce waited until he took a bite and then asked, “was I right?”
Nick shrugged. “They’re okay. I could make them better.”
“Look at you. Who would have thought you’d have a cocky bone in your body?”
The right side of Nick’s mouth rose and Bryce could tell he was holding in a laugh. Cocky bone. Yeah...he could see how what he’d just said sounded wrong. “Pervert. No more cocky bone talk.”
Rolling his eyes, Nick took another bite. Bryce popped one into his mouth as well. He’d been fucking starved. He hadn’t eaten dinner tonight.
“So have you always been such a do-gooder?” Bryce asked. “Going back to the gas station. Getting me potato skins.”
“I’m not a do-gooder. It’s important for me to do the right thing. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
No, there wasn’t. That was one of the things Bryce liked about him the most. He was genuine in a world where not a lot of people were. “Never said there was anything wrong with who you are.” Which was true, but he wasn’t sure he’d meant to really say it.
