Callie’s heart broke for Brundar, and that was without knowing what exactly had happened to him.

Her best guess was that he’d gotten beaten up severely.

That explained why he’d become such an incredible fighter, but it didn’t explain his aversion to being touched. Had it been a sexual assault? Had his so-called friend been a much older boy?

It was hard to imagine a twelve-year-old committing such an atrocity.

But then some people were just born evil.

Callie would’ve liked to believe differently. It was much more palatable to theorize that all babies were born pure and good and that the only reason some of them became monsters was because of external factors like neglect and abuse. But it wasn’t true. Genetics played a much larger role in a person’s makeup than previously believed. In recent years, the old nature versus nurture argument was leaning more and more in favor of nature.

Besides, any mother could tell that each of her children was born different. Starting from day one, kids’ unique personalities were quite obvious.

Callie wasn’t sure she believed in souls, leaning more toward the scientific explanation that consciousness and sense of self emerged from biological functions and not some mystical reservoir of souls. It left genetics to account for the marked differences between one child and the next.

“I won’t ask, I promise. But you need to talk to someone about it. It’s not healthy to carry it all bottled up inside.”

Brundar shook his head. “You can’t help yourself, can you? You always have to push. Let me rephrase. I don’t want to talk about it, period. Understood?”

Crap. He’d opened up to her and she repaid him by offering unsolicited advice. When was she going to learn to shut up and just listen?

Was he ever going to tell her anything after that?

“I’m sorry. It will not happen again. Scouts honor.”

He lifted a brow.

“I swear. Do you want me to write it a hundred times? I will. I will write a hundred times; Callie will mind her own business and not stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Brundar chuckled. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Mission accomplished. He looked amused, which meant he wasn’t angry anymore.

“Let’s eat this amazing dinner before it gets cold.”

When they finished the appetizer, Brundar refused to let her help serve the next dish. “It’s my treat today, from beginning to end.”

She leaned back in her chair. “I can get used to that.”

He kissed her forehead as he put the main course in front of her. “Then do. Because I plan on pampering you as much as I can.”

The change in Brundar was so drastic that Callie was almost glad about their spat. He was even talking about a future. She’d learned her lesson, though, and kept her mouth closed, not daring to make a comment that would start a new argument.

After the main course, Brundar made coffee and served it with the dessert.

Cup in hand, he leaned back in his chair. “What have you been doing this morning that has kept you so busy?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she was entitled to her secrets the same way he was, but that would have been petty. Besides, it wasn’t like she could hide it for long.

“I went apartment hunting.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want to keep living off charity. I want to stand on my own two feet. You helped me a lot, but I’m ready to take my life into my own hands.”

“Did you find anything you liked?”

“I did. It’s a studio apartment, not nearly as nice as this one, but I can afford it on my salary which is my main objective.”

“I don’t want you living somewhere unsafe. And how are you going to get to work? Is it nearby?”

She was about to ruin the newfound peace, but there was no way around it. Better to yank the Band-Aid in one go.

“I also bought a car and found a new job.”

“You were really busy.”

Brundar didn’t seem angry, but he didn’t look happy either. Maybe the next item would make him happier.

“I also went to the doctor and got birth control. I’m on the pill, which means we can say goodbye to condoms in about a week. I also got tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Some of the results were immediate, all clear, but some will take up to two weeks. So I guess we will have to wait until everything is in. Did you get yours?”

“Not yet. But I will.”

The frown remained.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about finally doing away with condoms?”

“I am. But I’m not happy about you moving out of here or working somewhere else. I want you safe, and I want to keep an eye on you.”

That was rich. As if he’d been doing such a great job of it for the last couple of days.

Take a deep breath, Callie, and keep your cool. He is reacting better than expected to the news.

“I went looking for a new job because of safety concerns, not because I didn’t like working in the club or bumping into you on occasion. Everyone there knows me by my real name, and that’s not safe. I used the fake name to apply for the new job—a steakhouse, like Aussie. I should be earning about the same as I did there. I also bought the car under the fake name, and I made the doctor’s appointment as Heather, not Callie or Calypso. The fewer people who know me by my real name, the better.”

“I agree.”

“So you’re not mad?”

“Mad? No. Why would I be mad? You did the right thing. Except for the apartment. It’s rented under my name. There is no reason for you to leave.”

“I can’t afford the rent, Brundar. I checked. It’s twice as much as what I’ll be paying for the studio.”

“I’ll share the rent with you.”

“You already have an apartment you’re paying for.”

“With my brother, and it’s paid for by our boss. If I’m going to be spending a lot of time with you, it’s only fair that I share in the expenses. And that goes for groceries and everything else as well.”

He was making a convincing argument. But what would happen the next time they fought? Would she get stuck with an apartment she couldn’t afford?

On the other hand, life didn't come with guarantees. Shit would no doubt happen, and she would have to deal with it. Besides, she hadn’t heard back from the leasing agent yet. Without references, she might have not gotten it.

“I’ll agree to stay here on the condition that you’ll really let me pay half of the rent.”

“Starting next month.”

“Fine.” There was no point in sweating the details. Especially since pushing Brundar beyond what he considered as reasonable seemed to always backfire.

As it was, he’d been much more accommodating than she’d expected.

Heck, he’d implied that he intended spending more time with her, had made arrangements for sharing rent and grocery bills with her. This wasn’t how a guy who planned to bail talked.

It was too good to be true.

What happened to the prohibition on relationships?

Had he gotten approval from his boss?

Or was he rebelling?

Callie burned with the need to ask these question but knew better than to succumb to it. Too much had been achieved today to jeopardize because of impatience. Eventually, she would have the answers, but not today.