Page 6 of The Rebound
“Gasmoney.”
I roll my eyes. “Petrol.”
“There you go. And your suitcase is in?”
“The boot,” I answer. “Not the trunk.” I hold up my phone. “Mobile.”
“You’re good at this game.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice. And I don’t have an accent.”
“You have a little twang.”
“Atwang?” I stare at him in mock horror. “And what do you have? A lilt?”
“A brogue. It’s completely different.”
“Now you’re definitely making fun of me.”
“Ah, only a little bit.” His eyes slide to me. “I got you smiling though.”
He did. For the first time in I don’t even know how long.
“What?” he asks when I don’t say anything. I’m watching him fully now, not even pretending to be discreet about it.
“Nothing.”
“I got something on my face?”
I shake my head as his gaze flicks between me and the road. Once, twice, three times and I wonder if he feels it too. That spark of attraction I felt as soon as I turned around.
I’ll admit it’s a little surprising because (a) I've only just met the man and (b) the only other person I’ve felt about this way recently is Tyler and he’s probably off sleeping with someone else this very second. Maybe before he even— No.
I shut that thought down before it can go any further. He never gave me any indication he cheated on me.
I’m feeling this way because I’ve barely slept in the last few weeks. Because I lost my partner and my job and I’m one step away from rock bottom and so, of course, I gravitate to the first bit of kindness I’m shown. Of course, if I’m in close confines with a handsome, nice-smelling stranger, I’ll start to get a little… smiley.
My friend Jess would be thrilled if she could see me now. She always moaned about how boring I became once Tyler and I got together. That I wasn’t any fun anymore.
But I can be fun. I can be… well, not impulsive. Intuitive maybe.
The car slows as we reach a red light and Luke pulls up the handbrake.
“Back to serious,” he says, catching my eye. “What are you thinking about?”
I go to answer but something tugs at the back of my mind, a flash of déjà vu that vanishes before I can grasp it.
I’m definitely delirious. Delirious and exhausted and losing my mind because all I can think about is… what? What am I going to do?
Ask him out for a drink? Do people still do that? He’d probably laugh in my face. Or kick me out of his car.
Except the way he’s looking at me now makes me think he wouldn’t do either of those things. The way he’s looking at me now makes me think if I showed the slightest inclination, he’d do whatever I asked. Whatever I wanted.
“Abby?”
My heart stutters at the familiar way he says my name. “Ask me again.”
“What?”
