Page 11 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

Now the blush was easy to see even without direct lighting. “That’s ridiculous, right?” she asked. “I know. I’m sorry. Maybe I did have more tequila than I thought.”

She tried to duck her head again, but he cupped her face, forcing her to maintain eye contact. “You’re not drunk.”

She wet her lips and he almost groaned. He hadn’t kissed her for months but he could still remember the exact feel and taste of her.

“Randi,” he said. “You’re not drunk.” He wanted to hear it again.

“No.”

“Then this isn’t about tequila.”

“It’s…” She sighed heavily. “I say the stupidest things around you.”

He supposed that he knew she was aware of the awkwardness when they talked one-on-one, but that was the first time they’d really acknowledged it. “Things do get…”

He wasn’t sure what word to use.

“Weird,” she filled in.

He nodded and felt a smile forming. It was the best word. “Yeah. Why do you think that is?”

She wrinkled her nose and focused on his cheek instead of his eyes. “Me.”

“You what?”

“It’s because of me.”

He frowned. “Our conversations get weird because of you?”

Her eyes came back to his. “Yeah.”

“Why do you think that?”

She wet her lips again. “You know how when you’re having a normal conversation with someone, even if your mind reallyison what you’re both saying, you have other thoughts going through you mind too? Like if they have a button missing or if it’s hot in the room or that you only have five more minutes before you need to leave…things like that?”

He nodded. He thought he was following. But just like she said—his mind was on the conversation, but his thoughts included things like the shape of her mouth and the fact that he loved peaches and remembering the first time he’d seen her in her cheerleading uniform.

“Well, since we have almost nothing in common, we run out of normal conversation really fast, and then all that’s left are all those extra random thoughts. And I can keep them inside with everyone else except you. I mean, I justleaveother conversations when I run out of things to say,” she told him, clearly exasperated. “But I can’t leave you. And I can’t keep all the stupidity inside, apparently.”

Nolan just watched her, processing that. He liked it. Yes, their interactions were…memorable. But he liked that he affected her differently than anyone else did. Her explanation about the random thoughts in their heads made sense. He supposed he was surprised that showing him her tattoo and her peach-flavored body powder were two of her random thoughts when she talked to him.

“See?” she said. “Even this is weird. This is why I was hoping we’d stick with dancing and kissing.”

“You turned me down for the dance,” he said, still thinking about what she’d revealed.

“Yeah, until you wanted to talk.”

He focused. “You pulled me on the dance floor to avoid talking?”

She nodded. “I like dancing with you.”

“But not talking?”

“I feel like an idiot when we talk. Like right now.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t need to feel like an idiot.”

“Why not? I’m saying idiotic things.”

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