Page 23 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
“I’m checking the props for the haunted house.” I return the box to the shelf. My heart’s beating faster. I want to ask so many questions. Why is he here? Has he decided to leave Maplewood early? How do we get past what happened?
“I brought you a maple latte. I was at Special Blend and the guy behind the counterrecommended it.”
Bandit races over to him, jumps up, noses his knee, then looks past Bram like he’s wondering where Hades is, and runs a circle around Bram’s legs.
I tap my thigh. “Bandit, come.”
Bram’s lips lift in a half-smile. “He’s fine.”
“Are we?” The question trembles past my lips.
His smile falls and his shoulders sag. “Trev…” He takes a step in my direction, then glances at the cups in his hands, and puts them on top of the utility table. “I need to apologize.”
“Apologize.” My voice is as hollow as the emptiness at my core. “You don’t need to apologize. I do.”
His eyebrows squish together over his narrowed gaze and he huffs a sigh. “You? No. It was me.”
Frustration and remorse well up, pushing me forward with fast steps over the concrete floor. When I reach Bram, I scrub my hands over my face. “I was the one who almost kissed you.”
“Trev.” His voice is as soft as the press of his fingers to my shoulder. I lower my hands. Bram stands in front of me, with light warming his gaze and his lips curving into a real smile. “So was I. Holding on to you as tight as you held on to me. Looking at you, and wanting to kiss you more than anything. I’ve been beating myself up since it happened. Thought I messed things up. That you didn’t want it like I did.”
“I wanted it.” My confession comes out in a parched whisper, each word infused with longing. “Then the whistle came, and we were interrupted by that guy. The mood shifted.”
Bram nods. “It made me think I misread the situation and I’d screwed things up with you. That scared me.”
“I thought the same thing. I knew we needed to talk, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I didn’t want to make things worse.” My watery chuckle is as bone-weary as I feel. “It’s been a long two days.”
The press of his fingers slides into a caress. Bram’s gaze is full of warm affection. “I missed you. Us.”
The stinging behind my eyes shocks the hell out of me. I brush a nonexistent wrinkle out of his shirt and swallow hard a few times to get myself under control. “Thank you for coming to find me and getting the conversation started.”
His gaze searches mine. “So.”
“Yes?”
“If the interruption hadn’t happened, the night would’ve ended very differently, yeah?”
Tilting my head, I consider his words then nod. “We would’ve kissed.”
He inclines his head in agreement. “What do we want to do with that information?”
We watch each other. And I’m not sure what to say. Do I ask why he wanted to kiss me? What if he asks me? I can’t tell him I’ve been in love with him since we were fifteen. And if weacton that information… I don’t want the most important first kiss of my life to take place in a drafty basement, surrounded by skeletons and Halloween decorations.
I clear my throat, blow out a breath, and take a chance. “Let’s go somewhere else. We need to continue this conversation, but not with my dog staring at us. Come with me.”
Bram grabs the lattes and follows Bandit and me up the stairs. “We can reunite Bandit and Hades. They’ll keep each other occupied.”
I lead the way outside. A brisk wind blows, rustling the leaves and scattering more across the lawn. Bandit bounds through them as he races around us. Bram chuckles, dodging my darting dog during the walk to my house.
Hades must hear the key in the lock because he’s waiting by the door. Bandit rockets past me to greet him. With wagging tails, barks, licks and sniffs, he and Bandit are ecstatic to be with each other.
Leaning his shoulder into mine, Bram gestures at the dogs. “They’re like us, always happy to be together. Do you want to go somewhere in particular?”
“Anywhere outside guarantees nosy people.” After a quick scan of my space, I find the answer. “The living room. We can close the French doors for privacy.”
“Hold that thought.” Bram grabs two puzzle toys from the floor and strides into the kitchen. The dogs follow him. Carrying the lattes, I go too.
He inserts two of the peanut butter dog cookies Charlie baked for Hades into the toys. The dogs sit by his feet, their tails wagging. Smiling at me, he rolls one toy across the floor and Hades takes off after it. He sends Bandit’s ball in the opposite direction. “That might hold their attention for a while.”
