Page 73 of Tides That Bind

Even though it doesn’t bother me, I find myself elbowing him anyway, like my body is looking for a reason to touch him.

Quickly, I return my arm to my side.

“I can’t believe he never told me,” I admit.

“I could say the same.”

“I guess trust-worthiness was one of his top qualities.”

Riley sighs. “Add it to the list. The very long list of one damn good person.”

“Isn’t that what they say?” I look at Riley. “Only the good die young, right?”

I watch as Riley’s face hardens—his jaw clenching, skin paling, eyes dulling. This is where I lose him. This is where he goes dark. We can stay in the light—the two of us, teasing, working together, whatever—so long as we don’t let the memory of the very person who put us in this situation cast shade over it all.

But Riley’s blank stare makes me think maybe we—or at least I—have let that happen. Judging by how quickly he jumps to his feet, it feels more certain than just maybe.

“Forgot I had a shipment coming to the store today. I’ll try to be home by the time you get home with Lucas.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

There’s a metric ton of awkwardness between us, like we hadn’t just spent the afternoon laughing, talking, sharing, and poking fun at each other. Andenjoyingit. Or at least I was.

Maybe a little too much.

The lights areon in the house when I finally pull into the driveway well over an hour after Finn and I closed up the shop for the night. I slow as I pull in, my eyes looking up at the rail outside my apartment door Harper walked across. Our conversation replays in my mind, so much more now making sense. Between her opening up and everything that’s happened, I don’t take her distaste for me as personally anymore. I guess they call that growth.

What I don’t know to call is, how, when replaying our time this afternoon on the porch steps, it’s like I’m watching her on video and the camera pans in on her soft, plump lips—how she moves them, the way she tucks the corner of her bottom one between her two teeth when she’s thinking.

I shake off the image and end the replay.Don’t be ridiculous, Riley,I tell myself as I park. I’m tempted to check in on Harper to see how it went with Lucas, but when I find him sitting on the steps leading to my apartment, I have a pretty good idea.

“Hey."

Lucas doesn’t look up. He shuffles his bare feet, and I follow them up his pajama clad legs.

“What are you doing out here? It’s pretty late. And it’s cold.”

“I ran away,” he explains matter-of-factly.

“Black Panther run away too?” I ask when I see the action figure beside him.

Lucas grabs the toy, narrowing his eyes at me.

I motion toward the house. “Does your mom know where you are?”

Lucas shakes his head. “She’s in the shower. Can I live with you?”

“I live with you already.”

“Not in the same house.”

“Close enough. And I think your mom would miss you a lot,” I tell him.

Lucas shakes his head back and forth. “No. She won’t.”

“Kid.” I sigh. “You have no idea.”

“She won’t,” Lucas insists. “If someone wanted to take me, she’d probably let them.”

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