Page 40 of The Trauma Response
Holt
Kissy kissy time? You sure you’re a Marine? Just go for it, Cai. All in or walk away.
Chantelle
Who are you three to be giving dating advice? Seriously?
Thor
Not all of us are lucky enough to fall in love with our perfect match so quickly.
Christian
Speak for yourself.
Holt
All right, all right. Our friend is seeking romance advice. Let’s not pick on him for being a chicken.
Christian
Cai, you’re a firefighter. Women love men in uniform. Trust me, she was into you the other night at Brokedown. Just go for it. Kiss the woman and make her forget everything else.
Thor
Kissy kissy…
Holt
Go eat some crayons, Thor. He’s gotta be smooth. Take his time.
Christian
You literally just told him to go all in or walk away.
Chantelle
Sigh…sometimes I wonder why I’m in this chat.
Me too.
Another message pops up on my phone outside of the main chat. I back out and check it just in case it’s work, but I’m pleasantly surprised to see it’s Des. Sometimes he messages me privately, usually when he’s got something truly groundbreaking to say but doesn’t want to drop it in public.
Des
Don’t listen to them. They’re just being funny, but the truth is you can’t rush a perfect first kiss. You’ll know when the time is right.
It sticks with me. I can’t rush things with Whits, not if I want it to last. With each passing day, I realize that I want something so much more than a hasty, rushed kiss. I want them to be permanent, or at least, I want a relationship with her that could lead to something permanent. I always have, and the more I think about it, the more I realize nothing ever changed.
Or maybe things have a little. I don’t justlikeher the way I did when I wanted to ask her to prom, to the movies, or any date at all where I could tell her how I felt and pretend she liked me just as much.
Now, I love her. I love Tallulah Whitmore, and I have no intention of letting her slip through my fingers again.
I ignore the group chat blowing up on my phone and slip it into my pocket. I’ll take it slow. Let her lead. When the time isright, the perfect kiss will happen all on its own and then I’ll know if we’re meant to be or just a flash in the pan.
Chapter twenty-one
Car shopping is easily the most abominable activity imaginable, but with Jackson along, at least I know I’m not getting screwed over by the dealer. With my new income stream, I can afford something new but not high-end. Which is fine. Totally fine. No need to be a spoiled ex-surgeon who can’t live within her means. Still, the insurance agency is holding up payments left and right—both medical and for my car replacement—so beggars can’t be choosers right now.
