Page 130 of One Good Crash
"I've got my reasons."
"What reasons?" I persisted.
Again, he looked to his car. "I should go."
And yet, he still wasn't moving. Was that agoodsign? It had to be, right?
I edged closer and lowered my voice. "At least let me say it." I tried to smile. "Thank you."
He muttered, "Fuck."
Startled, I drew back. "What?"
"Nothing. Just forget it, alright?"
I stiffened. "Forget what, exactly?"
When he made no reply, I thought back to our dinner, when he'd been so warm and wonderful. And then, there'd been that kiss on the pier.
Tonight, I'd felt the beating of his heart. I'd heard something new in his voice when he said my name. And even before that kiss, I'd seen something in his eyes, something that looked an awful lot like love.
But of course, that was crazy, just like it was crazy to think that I might love him, too. After watching my mom fall in and out of love for so many years, I wasn't even sure I believed in love, at least not this quickly.
When the silence stretched out, I asked, "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong? Or do I need to guess?"
"Alright. You wanna know what's wrong?"
From the look on his face, I wasn't so sure. Still, I nodded and then braced myself for whatever he meant to say.
But when he spoke, his words – just four of them – made no sense at all.
Chapter 53
Allie was still staring. "Were those hisexactwords?"
I nodded. "Swear to God."
"You're too fucking beautiful?" She frowned. "What does that even mean?"
At the memory of those four maddening words, I sank deeper into the sofa. "Got me."
"And then, he just left?"
"Yup."
Sitting in the nearby armchair, she asked, "Did he at least kiss you goodbye?"
At the memory of him striding to his car and driving off into the night, I almost wanted to cry. "Nope."
She hesitated. "How about a hug?"
"Cripes, I barely got a 'see you later'."
She was still frowning. "What an asshole."
I couldn’t quite agree, not after everything he'd done. Still, I wasn't thrilled. It was the morning after our date, and I'd just spent the last hour telling Allie everything that had happened.
There was only one detail I'd glossed over, and that had to do with Allie herself. But I did need to address it.
