In that respect, the cops were right. The life he had now was the result of a choice he made when he was fourteen, with nowhere to go and no way to survive and no one who cared. He chose to help himself. He chose to survive by any means necessary, even if it was illegal. Even if it made him hate himself. That mindset didn’t change when he traded the street corner for the safety of the porn studio and a pallet under an overpass for an apartment of his own. It damn sure wasn’t going to change because, for the first time, he saw himself in Saul’s gaze. Not just as Kyle’s friend, not just as Jacky’s absentee husband, but Ryder Holt. The man who rejected every one of Saul’s attempts to have more than a superficial conversation, who rejected every person who lived in and came to that big communal house, and who left even when Kyle begged him to stay. It had to be the drugs making him see things that weren’t there. “Ryder?” Jacky’s hand tightened around his, more insistent than the gentle tug he’d been using. “You okay?” “Yeah. Yes. Fine.” The words were automatic and untrue, but when Jacky shared a telling look with Saul, Ryder felt his defenses rise. If they had something to say, they needed to say it to his face. He was already losing his independence. He couldn’t handle secrets on top of it. “Why? What did I miss?”

I had no instances of just 'super,' so I hope 'superficial' is an acceptable alternative! #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SizzlingMiamiSeries