Page 18 of Away We Go

His mahogany eyes trace my face and I realise too late just how close we are. “Cherry.” He runs a finger softly down my cheek. “There is not one thing ordinary about this face.”

I forget how to breathe as my mind turns his words over. And then over again.Is he saying he likes my face?

Before I can process it—him—any further, he leans back, springing to his feet and stepping away from me, his movements jerky, lacking his usual grace.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful?”

I nod dumbly, still stuck in the world where he likes my face.

“And call me if you get into any trouble. Or you need anything at all.”

I nod. Inhale, exhale.That’s how breathing is done, right?

“Wait!” I call after him. He stops at his bedroom door. “I don’t have your number.”

He turns and glares at me.Whoa.Smouldering Nicky is so hot.

“How do you not have my number?” he asks through gritted teeth, like he’s offended.

“Um, I have Sue’s number.”

This seems to annoy him even more. In one swift motion, he pulls his phone out of those delectable sweatpants and swipes across his screen with stabby fingers. “I can’t believe you don’t have my number?”

I scoff. “When have I ever needed to call you?”

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I glance down at it.

Text from Unknown Number.

“That’s me,” he says before turning to his room, and I can see the muscles in his back rippling under the soft material of his t-shirt.Yum.“Save it.”

I watch him until he disappears behind his closed door, finishing the rest of my now-lukewarm coffee in a gulp. I’d just spent time with Nicky, and had an almost normal conversation, and I’m not a quivering, sweaty mess. This is progress. So what if I’m noticing the way his bum looks in sweatpants, or how my skin tingles when his fingers brush mine? It’s just my silly crush springingback to life. And I can keep that under control; I’ve been doing it all my life.

Standing up on shaky legs, I do as he asks and save his number into my phone as I walk to my room. It’s only when I get there that I realisehetextedme, that he’s had my number saved in his phone all along. Oh boy, does that make my stomach flip in a very real way. And I question if, in fact, I’ll be able to keep this crush from blooming into something more. Something that my heart won’t ever recover from.

CHAPTER 5

Nicky

What just happened?

I stare at the bedroom door in front of me and squeeze my eyes shut.

Stop thinking about her in those short shorts!

In fact, stop thinking of her at all.

I scoff at this bit of fanciful thinking and stare at the phone in my hand. It’s been three minutes since I sent her a text from my phone and she hasn’t replied. Not that I asked her to or even expected it. Nevertheless, I deflate a bit when she doesn’t.

Why would she text you?You’ve been an overbearing, older brother-type person since she joined the team. She’s probably desperate to get away from you.

Unhappy with this train of thought, I throw my phone on my bed and pace around my room, pulling at the ends of my hair to get my thoughts in order. Ever since I saw Cherry at her brother’s wedding, I’ve been feeling a type of way about her. And it’s been growing every minute spent in her presence. Seeing her wearing my shirt was a kick in the guts I wasn’t prepared for. But that wasnothing compared to stumbling upon her fifteen minutes ago. She’d been all rumpled from her nap and with so much of her pale skin on display, I hadn’t known where to look first. My eyes had bounced from a glimpse of her collarbone to the long length of her toned thighs before lingering on that sliver of her stomach peeking out between her skimpy pyjama top and her skimpier pyjama shorts. It had taken a Herculean effort to tear my gaze away and focus on the ceiling, and I’d had to clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.

She’s your best friend’s little sister,I lecture myself for the one billionth time.

My phone vibrates on my bed and I dive to grab it, exhaling my disappointment when I see who the message is from.

That is, not from Cherry.

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