Page 88 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions

Or hard and commanding? Like he knew better than I did. Like he knew how to take care of me. How to push me to the edge, and lift me over it. Like he knew how to catch me when I fell. Like it was a pleasure to carry me.

Did I…want him to kiss me?

His mouth is so close.

It would be so easy to cross that distance.

Alex’s eyes were full of concern. Pale and gorgeous, rimmed with shadows cast by his unfairly thick, black lashes. Without panic blinding me the dark circles beneath them were even more apparent. He hadn’t slept well. It was written all over this face. Why? Because of me?

The thought made a pit form in my stomach.

“Lemme see,” Alex commanded.

“Let you…”

Apparently I was too slow, because Alex wasted no time reaching for my cheeks. He held my face as he tilted my head this way and that. At first I had no idea what he was doing, my mind still unfortunately in the gutter. He inspected me liberally, behind my ears, my throat, my arms. I watched the way his chest moved with each breath.

“What are you doing?” I asked, but Alex didn’t answer at first.

“I’m making sure you’re not hurt,” he finally said after he’d finished yanking at the neckline of my shirt to hunt for bruises.

“Oh.”

Minutes passed as Alex took the time to part swathes of my wet hair, searchingfor injuries I already knew he wouldn’t find. It wasn’t like I’d fallen all that far, or been in the water for all that long. But still…I appreciated his concern.

Brendon had never done anything like this for me. Never worried over me. Never taken the time to fawn and fuss.

“I’m fine,” I reassured, my eyes hot for a new reason.

It wasn’t until I’d felt the inverse of the way Brendon had treated me that I truly realized just how little he’d actually cared. We’d been a couple for eight years. Eight fucking years. And not once could I ever recall feeling this…important.

This cared for.

It was the same with the stepping stones. The way Alex had supported me, the way he’d encouraged me, the way he’d…he’d…takencareof me. I…I’d never had that. I hadn’t known how badly I needed it until he showed me what it was like.

Was this a taste of it would be like to become Alex’s practice boyfriend?

Shaken by my own thoughts, I didn’t even realize that Alex had moved on.

Now he was feeling around my back for bruises. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized his inspection was going to lead to the discovery of my burns.

I winced.

“Does that hurt?” Alex inquired, concerned.

“It’s fine.” I shrugged. With every touch of his sure, confident fingers my pulse kicked up a notch and my traitorous stomach danced with butterflies.

No one had ever looked at me like this before.

Ever.

Alex continued to explore, and I let him, too dazed to do anything but obediently bend to his whims. By the time he found my burned fingers my fear of discovery had somewhat faded. I’d known this was coming. It was inevitable.

What I didn’t expect was his response. I figured he’d do more clinical back and forths, maybe tell me I needed some Band-Aids—or even ignore my burns entirely since they weren’t anything serious.

But he didn’t do any of those things.

Instead, Alex’s voice went quiet.

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