Page 7 of October

We both go down to pick it up at the exact same time, only to bump heads, sending her back to plop down on her ass with a thud.

“Fuck, are you all right?” I ask, immediately reaching for her to pull her back up to her feet. “Let me see you.”

“I’m okay,” she says as she laughs. “I swear.”

I help her stand then, without even thinking, take her face in my hands to steady it so I can check on her forehead. “Does it hurt?”

“No,” she says, her breath slightly shaky.

We are standing so close. I can feel the heat of her body. “Good.” My eyes drop down to her mouth then back to her eyes. She doesn’t make any movement or indication she wants me to stop touching her. I could kiss her. I could lean in, close the few inches between us, and finally see what she tastes like.

I almost do.

But the pitter-patter of little, very impatient feet makes me drop my hands and step away just as the door swings open.

“GUYS! You’re so slow.”

Wren shakes her head, like she’s pushing a thought away then quickly bends down to grab her phone. “Sorry! I dropped my phone and we… couldn’t find it, but I’ve got it now. Let’s go. We can go.” She all but runs out to the garage, like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

She is busy keeping Casey entertained while I get us out on the road, and soon their chosen music is blasting through my speakers.

They sing the songs together, dance together, and know all the different clapping cues for everything. It’s all over my head, but goddamn if seeing Wren like this, so happy and carefree, doesn’t make her even more enticing.

Fuck.

This is going to be interesting.

Chapter 4

Wren

The air in thefront of this truck is so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife. It’s easy with a Casey buffer with us, but now that she’s gone, it feels… different.

We aren’t talking. The only sound is the rain hitting the car and the windshield wipers whooshing back and forth. The more we drive, the darker the sky gets.

“Casey couldn’t get rid of us fast enough, could she?” I say to him, ending the silence.

“That’s always the case when my parents are involved. She’d drop-kick me immediately for my mom. Literally punt me like a football if need be.” He laughs.

I glance over at him and I’m struck by how fucking attractive he is right now. You’d think I hadn’t already been in the car with him all day long, because I swear he didn’t look this hot before.

Fuck. It’s the hat. He’s turned his baseball cap around and is wearing it backward.

For some people, gray sweatpants are their vagina’s kryptonite.

For mine, it’s a backward ball cap.

It makes him look downright slutty.

“Yeah, I figured that out the first time I met them. She shoved me out of the way to get to your mom faster. I didn’t exist anymore.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m lucky in that way. The support system I have around Casey and I is invaluable… and that includes you.” He looks over at me for a moment and it sinks into my chest. A single glance felt so personal.

“Thank you for saying that.”

A flash of lightning illuminates the sky, followed immediately by a very loud clap of thunder making me jump out of my skin.

“Holy shit,” he exclaims, leaning forward to look up at the sky. “This is getting bad.”

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