Page 56 of Heart to Heart
“It’s hardly noticeable anymore. After the obstacle course, I took the band-aid off and applied some makeup to conceal it a little. Thankfully, no one questioned me after I told them I fell.”
I took Avery further away from the others onto the polished dance floor, fitting one arm around her waist and clasping her hand in mine.
“Did you honestly expect them to?” I asked. “I mean, you are Avery, after all.”
“Tristan Tate, did you bring me out here just to rub my inadequacies in my face? Which, by the way, I’m totally going to step on your feet a time or fifty while we’re out here.”
“See, I don’t see it as an inadequacy. I think it’s cute.” Her cheeks blazed red at the same time I realized what I’d said. “I mean,” I cleared my throat, “I mean, it’s perfectly normal.”
“You think I’m cute, then?” she teased.
No, I think you’re the most beautiful goddamn woman I’ve ever seen.
“Don’t go twisting my words. I said your inability to stand on your own two feet like a normal person is cute. Kind of like a fawn learning to walk. You don’t know whether to laugh or help it up.”
“I heard what I heard, Tristan Tate. There’s no turning back now.”
Was she flirting with me? It was obvious when other women did it, and maybe if we hadn’t allied together, I could tell. But now, I wasn’t so sure. If she was, what then? No, there’s no way she was flirting. She’d made her intentions perfectly clear. Yet, here she was, still driving me crazy.
“What you did for Bianca today was really generous,” I said, changing the subject. “Most women would have left her there and raced to the finish line instead of forfeiting a spot in a group date.”
“I’m not so sure I’d call it generous. Stupid, maybe.” She laughed nervously.
“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious you two aren’t the best of friends.”
“Putting it mildly.” Avery sighed. “But she was hurt, and I couldn’t leave her there. Call it my toxic trait, being nice to people who just as soon walk all over me than treat me like an equal.”
“You sound like you have some experience with that.”
She knitted her brows together as though recalling something that was far from pleasant, and an urge came over me to knock out the teeth of the guy who had caused the pain in her eyes as she replayed in her mind whatever memory he was responsible for. Anyone who would hurt Avery was a world-class douche nozzle.
“I do. But it’s in the past. No need to dredge up that cesspool.”
She looked away, suddenly conscious of the cameras that had begun circling us. My eyes followed hers, trailing over to a set of French doors that led to a balcony overlooking the rose garden. Whether or not it was a silent request for more privacy, I wasn’t sure, but I was going to take it, regardless. With Avery following my lead, in a few swift and stealthy moves, we waltzed over to the door, sneaking our way outside.
Once out in the fresh air, she broke away from me and walked over to the railing, where she closed her eyes, exhaling as though she were finally able to breathe for the first time today.
“It takes some getting used to,” I offered. “The cameras.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them. Except if I’m being honest, I hardly notice anything else when we're together.” She laughed, shaking her head. “God, that sounded so cheesy.”
“It kind of did.” I chuckled, joining her at the railing.
She gazed at the roses spread out like a carpet of silk, captivated. “I want to thank you for keeping your promise. I never expected you to make it in the first place, but still, it means a lot to me.”
‘It’s nothing, Avery. It just gives me an excuse to keep you around.”
She turned her head to look at me. Whatever spell the roses had had on her had been broken. “It’s everything to me,” she said. “I think I got so used to being let down that I forgot what it feels like to have someone lift me up.”
“Avery,” I whispered. God, even with the mask hiding half of her face, she was still so beautiful. “Who did this to you?”
A slow smirk spread over her face. “You’re slowly hitting all my favorite tropes.”
“I’m serious. Whose ass do I need to kick?”
“And there’s touch her and die.”
“Avery.” Before I could register what I was doing, I reached out and caressed her cheek with my thumb, shocked when she reached up to stop me when I moved to draw my hand back.
