Page 43 of The Trauma Response
Cai and Jax begin debating which of the Whitmore siblings should have his time right now, but I’m not worried. I know I’m going to win, because there is no denying that sparkle in Cai’s eyes. He might have been Jax’s best friend, but he’s still in love with me.
Chapter twenty-two
It’s still a couple hours before dark, and the park is empty. We managed to snag the best bench in the area, and Whits brought that mystery book with her, so it seems the logical thing to do is to sit and read while we wait for God to give us another show of his majesty. Not that the area surrounding us isn’t already spectacular. Early summer in the mountains is just as beautiful as every other season, and the park is brimming with wildflowers and berry shrubs offering a sweet aroma with every breath.
There’s a light breeze that lulls me even deeper into relaxation while Whits reads aloud. Every so often, she runs her right hand over the pages and smiles. With her left, she practices gripping the book, performing a task while ignoring how it feels…ordoesn’tfeel. Just when I begin to doze off for a bit while waiting for sundown, she giggles. I startle a little and blink a few times, working through the haze ofalmostfalling asleep despite my deep interest in the novel.
“Here, lay your head in my lap and rest. You’ve been awake for a long time. I can read something else and wake you when it’s time for the aurora.”
Who can argue with that offer?
“As you wish, my lady.” I shift sideways and lay back, settling my head on her lap. She rummages in her bag, grabs a smaller book, and begins reading. I close my eyes and breathe in the sweet scent of the park again. Several moments pass while her faint breathing and the occasional turn of the page intermingle with birds chirping in the distance. And then a whisper light touch flutters over my hair. She brushes her fingers through it absentmindedly, but it’s almost as if it’s second nature. She never didthiswhen we were kids, but then again, I think our friendship now is even stronger than it was then. The lines are blurrier. Each action is confusing—is it friendship or more?
Butmyheart is clear. I love her. I’m not sure I can let her go, and with each passing day I’m beginning to realize I might stand a chance at winning her heart. I peel open my eyes. She’s biting her lip, eyes darting over the pages, falling deeper into the story with every word. She’s so engrossed, I shouldn’t bother her, but I have to know. Ineedto know where this attraction between us is going. My heart will break if she wants nothing more than friendship, but it’s better to know now than drag out the potential misery.
I curl a finger around her book and pull it down so she’s forced to look at me.
She blinks back to reality and narrows her eyes. “Hey, I was at the good part. How dare you interrupt me just when he’s about tofinallykiss her.” With a frown, she pulls her book back in front of her face.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Fine. I won’t tell you my secret then.”
Whits peers around the book with raised eyebrows. “A secret?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, do tell.”
I shake my head and close my eyes. “Nah, your book is more interesting I’m sure. You should get back to the kissing scene.”
She shakes me in her lap, lobbing my head back and forth. I laugh and open my eyes. “What are you doing to me?”
“You can’t tell me you have a secret then hold out on me, Cai. Spill it.” She closes her book and puts it on the bench beside us.
And just like that, all of my bravery flies right out the window. Her baby blue eyes look down at me again and all I see is the teenage girl who had my heart all through high school. Her hair frames her face in wisps and I can hardly control the urge to kiss her. When the silence goes on too long and our staring into one another’s eyes shifts towards awkward, she looks away and her cheeks redden.
I clear my throat but it doesn’t earn her attention. “About what I said that night at Brokedown, you know, about imagining kissing you and the CPR thing?”
She squeezes her eyes shut and smiles before redirecting her gaze to me. “Cai, I liked you too.”
I have to restrain myself from bolting upright. I slowly sit up and turn to take her in. “You what?”
“It’s true. I always thought you were cute and kind of perfect. I mean, I woreyourjersey to all of your hockey games because I was trying to give you a clue. I liked you. A lot, actually.”
Dumbstruck does not begin to encompass my emotional status right now. “You liked me? Your brother’s best friend? The guy who annoyed you all the time? The one you had to rescue because I was an idiot?”
She huffs a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, you kind of were an idiot for accepting Jackson’s dare, but yes. I was terrified after you fell. I almost lost one of the people I cared about most, and I nearlytold you how I felt at the hospital but then your parents showed up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me later?”
She shrugs. “I guess I was insecure. Besides, I’m a woman who likes to be pursued. A girl’s gotta know a man is willing to put in the work for her.”
Before I know what I’m doing, my hand is on her cheek, caressing just under her eye. “I’d move mountains for you if I could, Whits. I just didn’t know you’d want me to.”
“I know that,” she whispers, her voice catching.
My lips part again, but I want to be completely sure before diving into this kiss. This years too late, long awaited, probably phenomenal kiss. “Are…you…saying if I made a move right now I wouldn’t get shot down?”
“I’m saying you should kiss me, Cai.”
