Page 32 of Be With Me

“What do you mean?”

I pulled my fingers from his and took a step back as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my raincoat. “You know exactly what I mean. Something’s weird with you, and if we’re going to be ‘dating’,” I made air quotes with my fingers. “Then I think I deserve to know what’s going on. I’m too old for head games, and I don’t have the time or the energy to play guessing games or sneak around.”

“What makes you think I’d ask you to sneak around? Who would we be hiding from?”

“I don’t know. But something is going on, and I want to know what it is, or I’m not leaving this bus stop.”

Right on cue, the bus pulled up with a squeak of its brakes. The doors hissed loudly as they opened and a small group of people piled out, pulling up their hoods to protect them from the rain.

Tyler glanced at the bus and then back at me, his gaze a little frantic. “I swear to you I’ll explain everything. But first, I just…” He closed his eyes, exhaling loudly. When he opened them, he was once again calm and collected. “I just want to have a fun night first. A fun night with you. Can we do that?”

My heart dropped as I stared at him with suspicion I didn’t even try to hide.

He walked to the bus and waited for me to get in first. I glanced at the bus driver, then back to Tyler.

Why did I suddenly feel like this was a goodbye date?

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