Winning His War

26

"I don't really care. Whatever you want to do I guess," I forced out after a few seconds of me staring, hoping he couldn't feel my eyes on him while also praying my voice didn't make my actions obvious.

"Well what would you be doing if you were at home?"

"Boring things I promise you wouldn't find fun," I teased as I stood up from the chair. Charlie whined but I ignored him as I headed to the house. The second my hand touched the door handle and barely cracked the door; all three dogs were rushing past me to get inside.

I couldn't suppress my annoyed huff but Patrick laughed at the sound as he flopped down on the couch.

"How do you know I won't like it if you won't tell me? Who knows, I might enjoy it?"

I raised an unconvinced brow at him.

"You find psychological studies, practices, and reviews interesting? Because if you do then I think you chose the wrong profession." Patrick frowned at that.

"That's all you did at home? Work and study about work? Isn't that the whole reason you went to college; so you knew about your job and didn't have to study anymore?"

"The mind is complex," I said with a shrug. "We're learning more about it every single day and the more you know the more you can help your clients. You never know what psychological problem the next person who walks into your office will have so it's good to be prepared."

"I get that but still," he said, his frown still prominent. "That's all you do and you have the nerve to call Jem a workaholic?"

I gaped at his words.

Jem and I are completely different! I mean the man carries five phones on him at all times just in case something happens. Besides, I actually enjoy my work so is it even really a chore if you enjoy it?

"It's a hobby," I state as I plopped on the couch beside him.

"No, gaming is a hobby. That's like saying a professional weight lifter enjoys exercising at his house instead of a gym. You're just working in a different place."

I huffed at him as I crossed my arms. I didn't expect him to understand it anyway.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it," I said barely above a whisper.

"I didn't say I wouldn't like it, I said it wasn't a hobby," he clarified.

"So you're willing to try it then," I asked innocently, knowing he would die of boredom within seconds of beginning.

"I'd really rather not," he admitted with a sigh, his body tense as if he expected a bad reaction.

"Fine then, what would you be doing if you were at home right now?"

His lips pressed into a thin line as he thought but when nothing came to mind, a frown taking over his face.

"I'd be watching TV as I looked over files," he admitted with a sour face.

"So you're going to call us workaholics when you would be doing the same thing as me?"

"Well it's not like I enjoy mine; I just don't have anything else to do."

"I think that's worse actually," I said with a small chuckle as I looked around the living room for anything worth doing. "It sucks that we can't leave. At least we could go find something to do then."

"Yea but I'd rather not take my chances out there, especially without Barrett and Devon when Jem hasn't taken care of that ass yet," he sighed as he looked around too, as if something would just appear from thin air.