“Oh, I welcome the opportunity,” I responded.
Devon pointed at me. “You pick fights with Sydney because you’re trying to poke holes in why you’re doing all of this. In truth, you’re just as happy to help your friend as I am.”
I tossed Devon an annoyed, half-lidded gaze. “Don’t psychoanalyze me, McMillian.”
Devon chuckled. “We don’t know much about each other, so it’s all I have.”
Sydney’s words from earlier in the week about getting to know Devon came back to me. “So, let’s get to know each other.”
“What?” Devon asked.
“You’re right. We don’t know that much about each other, so let’s get to know each other more. I don’t want to live with a stranger, do you?”
Devon pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed. “I’ll do it, but on one condition.”
I sighed. “What’s that.”
“After this, I get to lead us in making friendship bracelets.”
“You’re an ass,” I spat back, and Devon started to roar with laughter.
I pulled my headphones out of my pocket, and Devon waved his hands. “Okay, okay, no. Come on. That was a good idea. Let’s get to know each other.”
I slid my headphones back into my pocket. “One question at a time?”
“Sure,” Devon replied. “You start.”
“Okay. Why did you choose psychology?”
Devon recoiled a bit. “Whoa. I thought we would start slow, like with favorite colors or something.”
Was his answer so serious that he’d already avoided the question? “Fine. What’s your favorite color?”
Devon chuckled. “Blue.”
“Very nice. Why did you choose psychology?”
Devon held up a finger and tutted it to either side. “Ah, ah, ah. You said one question at a time.”
My jaw dropped. “You tricked me.”
“I did not. I just made an observation. What you chose to do with it was up to you.”
“Fine. Ask your question.”
Devon thought about it for a minute and shrugged. “What’s your middle name?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Hey, you can’t question my question. You just answer it.”
I shook my head but complied, regardless. “Sadie.”
Devon gave me a warm smile. “Sadie. That’s nice.”
“It was my grandma’s name.”
“Were you close?” Devon asked, and even though it was technically a second question, I let it go in the interest of not scaring off the actual bonding.
I pulled one of the pillows on my bed into my lap. “I never got to know her. She died the night I was born.”
“Whoa.”
I pulled at the edges of the pillowcase to distract my hands. “Yeah. She always wanted to have grandkids, but my mom was her only daughter, and she was really sick when I was born. She braved the elements and her several ailments to meet me in the hospital when I was born, and then she died in her sleep that night.”
Devon’s smile got a little bigger. “She toughed it out just to meet you. That’s a pretty good reason to be a namesake.”
I smiled at him, too. “I think so.” I held up two fingers. “You asked two questions.”
“So I did. You’ve earned two.” I opened my mouth, and he held up a hand. “Let me guess, why did I choose psychology?” I closed my mouth, and he rolled his eyes. “Fine. Um, I wouldn’t say that my parents were bad parents, but they neglected me a lot. I have a twin brother who could probably shoot someone in the face at point-blank range and still be seen as their little angel. I struggled with it. I still do. I guess I’m hoping that one day I can be someone who can intervene with a kid like me, keep him out of trouble and tell his parents to get their shit together. I guess I’m hoping that I can change the stigma around dealing with mental health, too. If my family had been in some sort of therapy, who knows. Things could have turned out differently.”
I could see why that question registered so heavily with him. It actually blew me away. I didn’t realize it was so important to him. In actuality, his playful antics aside, Devon was one hell of a guy. “That’s really honorable. I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve it with your annoyingly accurate assessments of people.”
He flashed a toothy grin. “Why, thank you, ma’am. Question two?”
I looked to the ceiling while I thought about it, then back at Devon. “Why did you choose Presper?”
“That's easy. Henry told me to.”
I crossed my arms. “Do you do whatever Henry asks you to?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Why?” Devon watched me in silence for a moment. It was weird to ask these questions that I thought were totally normal, only to see that they tripped him up. “Sorry. If that’s too deep of a question, you don’t have to answer.”
“Can I trust you?” he asked.
My heart beat a little faster. Was it that deep? “Of course. I won’t repeat anything you tell me here.”
He nodded. “I won’t go into the specifics of it, but that stuff with my brother nearly led me down a life-ending path. Henry helped pull me out. I can’t ever repay him for everything he’s done for me.”
It helped click things into place. No wonder Devon was so willing to participate in the room switching nonsense. In his mind, he was just paying Henry back. “I get it. You’re trying to ease some guilt by doing anything and everything Henry asks.”
Devon furrowed his brow, and for the first time since I’d met him, he seemed legitimately irritated. “I wouldn’t put it like that.”
“It’s not a bad thing, but are you going to do that for the rest of your life? You chose Presper because of him. You gave up your room for him. When will your debt be repaid?” Devon stared back at me in silence, and I held up my hands. “Sorry. I overstepped.”
“No, it’s okay,” Devon said, a pensive look on his face. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it like that. He’s always telling me that he doesn’t expect anything else from me. Maybe I am just doing it for me at this point.” He smiled. “I’ve never had someone call me on my shit before.”
I winced. “Is that a good thing?”
“Yeah, Nina, it’s a good thing.” He was back to his normal, jovial self. “You asked, like, twelve questions, so I get a few.”
I chuckled. “Fine.”
“Why did you choose journalism?”
I folded my hands into my lap. “I don’t know. Because I’m good at it?”
Devon snickered. “And the most arrogant answer goes to…” He fanned his hands out to me. “Also, the most BS answer. There’s a reason you love it.”
“Okay, sure. I have a pretty good relationship with my parents, but there was a teacher at my school, Harriet, who I always looked up to. We were really close, and she led the school newspaper and yearbook clubs, so I joined them, and she told me I have a knack for it. She took me under her wing and taught me everything I know. I like it.”