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When the memory registered, his pale-green eyes softened against the bulb lights. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was a big deal. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. And it meant a lot to me.”

Reed nodded and glanced down at the wooden planks beneath his feet as he scuffed them with the toe of his boot. “You’re welcome, Halley.”

I took another step closer and his head slowly lifted, his eyes even slower to catch up as they skimmed up the length of my body. My pulse revved, and I fought back nerves as I dallied in front of him, words jumbling on my tongue. Before I could overanalyze, I exhaled a big breath and unraveled my arm from around my back. “I got this for you.”

I handed him the video game.

It took a second for his eyes to leave my face. They lingered in that dangerous way, in the way I’d been trying so hard to avoid, and in the same way his palm had lingered on mine earlier.

But when they lazily dipped to my outstretched hand, his shoulders tautened. Went stiff. His throat rolled, and the seconds slugged by in itchy silence.

“Here.” I pushed it closer to him with a smile. “It’s for you.”

Gravel stole his voice. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to do something nice for you. You told me you were excited about the game.”

His head swung back and forth as he palmed the nape of his neck and released a sigh. “No. I can’t accept that.”

My smile wilted. “What? Why not?”

Reed stood from the chair, its legs scraping along the planks like a rusty gate closing on my heart. He swooped past me, headed for the patio door, then stopped just short of it.

Hand still squeezing the back of his neck, he whirled around to face me. “You said you were trying to save your money. You shouldn’t be buying me things.”

“Whitney gave me some extra cash at the mall. And besides, we’re friends. You said so yourself.”

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

Anger and confusion coursed through my bloodstream as I stomped toward him on the deck. “No,” I shot back. “You don’t get to do that. That’s not fair.”

“I’m not trying to be an asshole.” He steepled his hands at his chin. “I do care about you. I want to be a shoulder for you to lean on when you need support. You’ve been through a lot of terrible shit that no one should ever have to experience. But I feel like I’m giving you mixed signals.”

“Don’t patronize me.” Tears breached my eyes as my chin quivered. “I’m just trying to be nice.”

“Why are you all dressed up when you’re about to go to bed? Why are you buying me expensive video games? It’s not my birthday. It’s just a random fucking day, and I’m the thirty-four-year-old father of your best friend. You’re a teenager, Halley.”

“I’m an adult. And what does my age have to do with it?”

“Everything. If you had actually been twenty-one like you told me you were, you’d be—” His mouth snapped shut.

My breath stalled, my heartbeats a stampede threatening to crush my fragile ribs. “I’d be what?”

I waited, holding on to that breath.

His eyes glinted, wild like his breeze-flung hair, and he just stared at me, the rest of his words trampled by the beats of my galloping heart.

“Nothing.” He looked away. “Never mind.”

“Reed…tell me.”

“Go to bed.”

I gaped at him, fury igniting in my chest. My lungs. Everywhere. His tone was condescending, like I was some sort of child who’d been banished to her room for the night.

Hands fisted, I took another deliberate step toward him as he stared off to the side, avoiding my gaze. “What were your plans for us that night?”

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