Page 34 of Salute, To Bravery
“My name is not too formal, Ian!” I scoffed.
“Odette? You’re trying to tell me that doesn’t sound too formal to you?”
He wasn’t exactly wrong, but I guess I’d just gotten used to formal names. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. You might be right.”
“Damn right, I’m right,” he said, maybe a little too loudly as it echoed off the cave walls. A few of the other passengers turned to look at him, giving him disapproving glares.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to hide the fit of giggles as he awkwardly waved to the other passengers in the train, smiling apologetically. The edges of his ears turned slightly red as he just shrugged. He looked cute when he was embarrassed. I made a mental note to give him crap for it later.
The bright light of the surface glinted off the surface of the wet rocks, and as we got closer to the exit, all the beauty dried up with the heat of the day. I rubbed my eyes, trying to adjust to the offending light as we pulled out of the massive cave and came to a stop in front of the gift shop. I felt his eyes on me and turned to meet his gaze. He, of course, had that soft smile on his lips.
“What did you think of our little cave ride-through?”
“Little? That thing is massive.” I shook my head, and his smile only got bigger.
To my dismay, he squeezed my hand before letting go. He deftly hopped out of the small train car and helped me out so I didn’t fall flat on my face.
I straightened only to realize I was only inches from him, and that earthy cologne filled my head almost instantly. I looked up to find him already staring down at me, his breath brushing against my skin.
“Seriously, did you like it?” His eyes were almost vulnerable, but there was an underlying tone to his voice I couldn’t quite place.
“Yes, Ian. I loved it. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. Thank you.” The smile on my face was genuine, but for some reason it seemed like he needed to see it.
He took a deep breath, and his normal smile returned. I could feel his mood shift almost instantly. “Good, I’m gonna make a pit stop in the gift shop, but I can meet you in the Jeep if you want?”
I nodded.
He bent down, only slightly, before stopping himself and taking a step back. He shoved his hand in his pocket before turning around and making a B-line for the gift shop. I couldn’t help but frown. He was acting odd.
I could feel something there, something between us. It’s always been there, but now we had no barriers. Why didn’t he take the chance?
I sighed and resigned myself to getting back to the car. Turns out, everyone had to get filtered through the gift shop in order to actually leave the place. I’d admit: it’s a pretty solid tactic to make money. Even I couldn’t help but stop and look at the adorable stuffed bats and tacky keychains. I briefly wondered if I should get him something, but I had no idea what he’d like. I settled on a ridiculously expensive travel coffee mug to help fuel his addiction and made my way out to the car.
It wasn’t long before he hopped into the driver’s seat. I quickly grabbed my gift bag and handed it over to Ian only to find an identical gift bag already in his hand. He laughed before switching bags with me.
“I hope we didn’t just try to surprise each other with the same gift.” He pulled the gift paper out of the bag almost immediately. His smile grew. “Okay, not the same thing, but I literately almost bought this for myself.” He held the cup up like I hadn’t seen it before.
“So, you like it?”
“Of course I do, I need to keep my precious black gold safe and warm.” He cradled the cup lovingly, and I couldn’t help giggling.
“What are you doing?”
“Protecting the vessel that holds all my hopes and dreams.” He tilted his head at me, being dramatic. I just rolled my eyes. He finally stopped and put his mug back in the bag. “Are you gonna open yours?”
I had completely forgotten the bag in my hand, which was significantly lighter than the bag I handed him. I pulled the gift wrap out of the bag to find one of the cute stuffed bats I had been looking at earlier. The grin that spread across my face was almost painful, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why are you laughing?” He was smiling, but I could hear the nervousness in his voice.
“I almost bought this for myself,” I said. I pulled the little black bat out of the bag so I could feel the soft, velvety material. Suddenly, my heart clenched, and I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over, but to no avail.
“Dottie, why are crying?” The hand that he had resting on the back of my seat moved to my shoulder, his voice full of concern.
I turned to answer him but couldn’t force the words to come out without crying more. I leaned forward and wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him into a hug.
He only hesitated for a second before wrapping both his arms around me; the hand that was on my shoulder moved into my hair. I felt his lips rest on my forehead as he stroked my hair and just let me cry. His broad chest and long tan arms made me feel incredibly small, not that I minded, but I guess I hadn’t realized how big a man he really was until I was up close to him.
We stayed like that for a long time before I felt him move his head to the side so he could speak. “You know, if you didn’t like bats, you should have just said so.”
