Page 19 of Play With Me

I frown. “How do you know so much about suing?”

“Uncle Eli!” Cap says as if it’s obvious.

Of course, the oldest of my two brothers, the hot-headed Eli, would be the one to talk to a kid about litigation.

“They’re broken?” Nora squeaks. “Jude, you know I’m blind without them!”

“We’ll get them replaced,” I say, picking up what’s left of them. They’re completely shattered, arms and lenses. Nothing salvageable. Guilt runs over me as I glance at our still-slick jackets. “Sorry, Nor. You’ve got more at home, right?”

Nora’s blind without her glasses; at home she kept a dozen pairs stashed all over her place. Some at my place too. I left them where they were when I found them, as if she’d be back at any moment.

“Of course, but first I have to get home—” Nora screws up her face. She’s going to cry again. This is some kind of record, and it’s all because of me.

“Uh, buddy, can you grab Nora’s hat? And go tell that grumpy librarian to hurry up with the mop? I’ll meet you by the place we came in.”

Cap nods, looking proud to have a real job to do, and after he tosses me her hat, he disappears around the corner once again, hopping nimbly over the puddles.

“I only have three pairs at home,” Nora says. “They’re custom made and if anything happens to them—” She paws at the air, taking a shaky step.

I catch her hand in mine. “At least it’s not the apocalypse.”

Nora’s terrified about the concept of apocalypses, not because of the fire and mayhem, but because of her bad eyesight.

Nora lets out a breath. There’s a hint of a smile there. But that’s all it takes to make my heart buoy.

“Anyway, if it was, I promised I’d take care of you, remember?” I let go of her hand to pull her cap over her head. “In the apocalypse, I mean,” I clarify, brushing her hair from her eyes before I remember myself.

I need to stop touching her damn hair.

“Come on,” Nora says. “I need to get my books.”

I smile to myself. Her books come next in importance after glasses.

I reach for her hand again, squeezing it tight.

“You look different with your hair down,” I say as we begin walking. “Cute, too, glaring at me without your glasses.”

“You talk too much,” she whispers.

I grin, even though she can’t see it. God, I missed this.

“Well, at least now we have to help you home.”

Nora’s hand goes stiff in mine. I know it’s because I figured out where she lived.

I’d asked for her address via text a while back, so I could send her some drawings Cap made. She hadn’t responded. I think she thought I’d show up on her doorstep. Hell, I probably would have.

“Unless you want to come back to our hotel?” I continue as I lead her around the corner. “Cap’s right, it’s pretty awesome. You could come feel it for yourself.”

But Nora doesn’t laugh at my dumb joke.

My heart sinks.

I lead her down the aisle, my hand beginning to sweat with hers in it.

“Jude,” she says as we round the corner into the main hallway. We’re almost back at the open area, with all the people. “Why are you here?”

My stomach flops. I’ve thought about how to say this a million times over the past year. How to tell her how hurt I was that she’d applied for this school without saying anything to me. How I’d sensed she had a secret but hadn’t thought much of it because what kind of secrets did Nora Albright have? I knew everything about her. She could trust me with anything.

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