Page 91 of Double Fault

With a deep inhale, I unlock my phone. I type out the text, and for a moment, all I do is stare at it. Finally, I work up the nerve to click Send.

Maddie stands and hops up and down. “What did he say? What did he say?”

“He hasn’t replied yet.” I lock the screen and set the phone down screen side down.

“Maybe he’s in the shower,” she reasons. “Your turn.”

Relieved to change the subject, I turn to my new friend. “Truth or dare?”

Sighing, Ebba stretches her legs out in front of her. “Since you both chose dare, I’ll go with truth.”

Letting my nosiness get the best of me, I shift so I’m facing her head-on. “Did you date Fisher? I sense there’s something there.”

She stiffens, her attention shifting around the room. “Yes,” she finally answers, her tone soft. “My brother doesn’t know. No one knows, actually. That’s why it ended. We were both…I guess what we had wasn’t deep enough. Rather than come out and tell everyone we were together, we just…” She shrugs. “Ended it.”

“Fisher,” Maddie says, her eyes like saucers. “Like my Uncle Fisher?”

“Yes.” Ebba swallows harshly. “But you can’t tell your dad, okay?”

Nose scrunched, the little girl huffs. “Why not?”

Ebba shrugs and sighs. “It’s easier that way.”

“Okay,” she says easily as she sits again. She’s just plopped onto her butt when my phone buzzes. “Is that my dad?” she asks brightly, almost vibrating with energy.

Heart thumping, I pick it up and unlock it.

Noah: Are you really asking me on a date, Curls?

Excitement and embarrassment battle inside me. How do I answer that? Yes, I’d love to see him again, but would I have asked without Maddie’s dare? No.

Me: It was a dare from your daughter.

Little dots appear, then disappear, and a second later, they’re back, and a single word comes through.

Noah: Oh.

My stomach sinks. What the hell does that mean? Is he disappointed?

Me: Unless that’s something you want.

I play with a strand of hair, eyes glued to the device, while I wait for his response. He makes me nervous, but in a good way. I think.

“What did he say?” Ebba tilts to one side and tries to snatch my phone from my hand.

Before she can take it, I clutch it to my chest. It buzzes there, sending my pulse skittering.

Noah: Do YOU actually want to go on a date with me?

I bite my lip. God, I want to, but this man terrifies me. My feelings confuse me. I’m attracted to him, that’s a fact, but most of the time I also want to wring his neck.

Me: Yes.

Noah: We’re going on a date then.

All the air leaves me. The bossiness really does come in handy sometimes, I guess.

Noah: We kind of did already, but this one will be a real date.

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