Bent dropped Jay into one of the barstool chairs beside the kitchen counter. Sarah stared wide eyed in shock. “You’re not actually planning to just leave him like that, are you?” she asked. Bent shrugged. “Why not? He doesn’t know the difference.” Sarah rolled her eyes. She’d learned early on it was pointless to argue with him. “So when’s dinner?” She wasn’t trying to be rude, but she was getting hungry. Bent winked at her. “Give me five minutes. It’ll be here soon.” His eyes were back to that playful, rich chocolate milk color. She noticed one of his soft, adorable curls had fallen across his forehead. He casually brushed it away from his face. Sarah sighed inwardly. He’d never know how secretly precious he was to her. She tried vainly to keep her feelings for him stuffed deep inside. But at times like this, those butterfly feelings started to slowly flutter back up again. Suddenly, a bolt of bright white lightning flashed across the sky. Its blinding beams illuminated the kitchen from outside the floor to ceiling windows. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Bent glanced up from his phone. “Hmm, a storm’s approaching.” Sarah watched awestruck as another incredible zig-zag pattern of lightning exploded in the clouds. It was terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time. Bent walked over to the windows to gaze out at the storm. “Pretty cool, huh?” he said, glancing at her. The sky seemed to open up and rain began to pour down, blowing sideways in the strong wind. “WOW!” Bent said. “Look at that!” Apparently he liked storms.Sarah shivered. She only enjoyed storms from a distance. A very far distance. The doorbell rang. Its loud, almost grandfather clock DONG DONG sound echoed loudly through the house. “I’ll get it!” Sarah said, jumping up from her seat. She raced across the foyer to the double front doors. As if sensing her, one of the doors slid open. The massive portico above the front doors kept the delivery guy dry. “Hi,” Sarah said, stepping outside. The delivery guy handed her three large pizza boxes. “Whoa, three?” she asked in amazement. The guy checked the receipt. “Yep, says right here. Three extra-large, with extra cheese.” Struggling to use only one hand, Sarah quickly dug a twenty out of her wallet. “Uh, it’s a hundred,” the guy said. Sarah paled. “A hundred dollars for only three boxes of pizza? Where’d these come from? The moon?” The delivery guy scoffed. “Are you kidding? Look where you live! This has gotta be the freakiest, SICKEST, WILDEST house in the entire town.”Maybe for Bent! she thought, humiliated. This would certainly teach HER not to blindly go running to pay for his mystery orders. He clearly didn’t care WHERE he bought pizza. Sarah fished a credit card out of her wallet and handed it to him. But before the guy could take it, Bent pushed roughly in front of her. “Pardon me, but her card is broken. Please use this one instead.” He handed the guy his credit card. “Sure thing, man,” the delivery guy said. He swiped the card on his card reader and gave it back to Bent. “Is that your ride out there, too?” the delivery guy asked. He pointed behind him to the black sports car. Bent nodded. “That’s Bad Boy. He’s been very bad. So he’s in time out,” he said, laughing. The delivery guy shook rain off of his jacket. “Too cool, man. Maybe I can save up enough to get me one of those someday?”The smug grin on Bent’s face instantly crumbled. His car was worth well over a million. He dug an enormous wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it to the delivery guy. “Keep up the good work,” he said softly. The guy smiled so broadly, Sarah’s heart wanted to shatter into a thousand pieces. “Ah, man. I can’t take all of this,” the guy said. “Super awesome of you, but–“”Take it,” Bent said. “Save it. And then someday, you can get something great.” The delivery guy laughed. He took the cash and gave Bent a high five. “Okay, this is officially my FAVORITE house now. And you two are my FAVORITE couple.” Sarah stiffened. Bent wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, she’s a handful, especially when she’s hungry,” he said, chuckling. He didn’t correct him, Sarah realized, her heart soaring.