Page 35
Her head finally turns toward mine, still not enough to look directly at me, but I can still enjoy her beautifully lit profile.
“I think I know what men’s clothing looks like. What about the other gift?”
“There wasn’t anything else in the bag,” she snips.
“Look again.”
Like she’s under protest, Fia makes me wait before she reaches beneath her in search of the gift bag. She thinks it bothers me, but I’d wait as long as it takes—I’m exactly where I want to be.
Between two fingers, she pulls out my sweats like they’re doused in gasoline, flicking her wrist so they’re in a messy pile at her feet.
I can’t stop the chuckle that slips from my lips.
She’s such a spitfire.
Wrapped in white tissue, the small souvenir that made me think of her is still freshly taped.
Her eyes scrunch up at me, and I nod for her to open it.
“A keychain?”
“A souvenir,” I counter.
“Why would I need a fucking heart keychain from Dallas?”
“Maybe you’ll want to look back one day and realize how much you loved the place.”
She finally turns fully in my direction, her heart-shaped face coated in freckles that scatter across her golden skin.
“Okaaay…” Her eyebrows pinch as she drags out the word.
“We’ll work on thank you. I know it’s hard for you.” I wink, not taking it personally.
Tidying her space, she puts the sweats and keychain back in the bag and returns to ignoring me.
“Those are going to look good on you, you know?” I really can’t help myself.
“I wouldn’t let anything of yours touch me with a ten-foot pole.”
Man, I love when she’s like this.
“Sad, I remember you loving my touch.”
Fia has every reason to hate me. After all, I practically acted like she didn’t exist after my Halloween party two years ago.
I wanted like hell to reach out. But I talked myself out of it every single time, because I knew I wasn’t ready. Knew I was still living the exact way I always had, and that wasn’t what she deserved.
Until I could go months without thinking about going to the club or responding to a message about a hookup. Even more so, I had to make sure I felt comfortable addressing the one shadow that’s been clouding me since I was a child. I let her go on about her life, but not because I wanted to.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your—”
A loud, hollow grumble vibrates the air between us, stopping me mid-taunt.
Craning my neck, I search for the sound. The rain has slowed, so I know outside isn’t the culprit.
The rest of the cabin talks amongst themselves as if they didn’t hear a thing. The rumble echoes once again, and this time, I don’t need confirmation that the sound is coming from right where I’m standing. Her constant readjusting in her seat tells me all I need to know.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask through clenched teeth.
