“Hunter...” Oh no. Her mouth was drying up again, her words evaporating. Worse, she was still touching him. She should stop, but she couldn’t make her hand obey.
He turned, forcing her hand to shift off his arm, his face still unreadable.
“I... I’m sorry.” From his frown she could tell that wasn’t the right thing to say. “I...” Her gaze landed on their shoes, her white sneakers almost toe to toe with his leather boots.
“Britt.”
She looked up at him, her gaze locking with those incredible eyes that she still longed to draw.
“It’s okay, really.” His expression softened a little, and a small, genuine smile appeared.
She shook her head so hard her ponytail slapped her ears. “No, it isn’t.” A lump formed in her throat, and she couldn’t stop herself from admitting the truth. “I’m a mess, Hunter. A huge mess.”
Chapter 10
Hunter fought the urge to reach out and put his finger on Britt’s lower lip to stop it from trembling. The movement was slight, but noticeable. She was staring at her feet again, and even though he couldn’t see her entire face, the back of her neck was scarlet. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and ducked his head so he could look at her. “Hey,” he said, gentling his voice. “You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.”
“I’m not.” She moved away, then turned her back on him. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Who isn’t a mess, though?” He circled around to face her again. “I sure am.”
Britt lifted her head slightly. “Are you a constant ball of anxiety that avoids people and social situations at all costs?”
She had him there. “No. But I’ve had my fair share of problems.” Ones he wouldn’t admit out loud. Even his roommate had no idea how much trouble he’d been in, only that he was a recovering alcoholic. “I’ve been nervous before. Plenty of times.”
“This is different.” She was looking at him again. “I don’t just get nervous. I break out in a sweat, my palms get slick, my stomach turns sour, I forget my words, and sometimes I almost pass out. And that’s on a good day.”
He noticed her fingers were shaking as she yanked on the bottom of her shirt so hard the material was stretching, making him want to take her hands in his and soothe her. But he couldn’t. She was likea frightened little bunny right now, and he didn’t want to do anything to make her scamper off.
“The only times I feel calm are when I’m creating something or hanging out with my mom or my friend Savannah,” she continued. “Otherwise, I’m a jumbled wreck and no fun to be around.”
“Then we don’t get coffee. We stay here and order something in.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. It’s not just crowds. Sometimes it’s just one person.”
“I make you nervous.”
“Yes,” she said in a small voice.
“You weren’t nervous when we were working on our drawings.”
“No. But that was different.”
He spotted a stool in the corner of the supply room. Quickly he picked it up and put it in front of her, then sat down so they were face-to-face. “Remember that video you made, where you talked about taking chances?”
“Yeah.” She rocked back and forth on her heels. “I know. I’m a hypocrite.”
“No, you’re a normal human.”
Irritation flashed in her eyes. “Being anxious all the time isn’t normal, Hunter.”
“True. But being afraid to take a chance or a risk is something everyone struggles with. Including me.”
“But you’re so confident.”
He almost laughed at that. She had no idea about his internal struggles, and he wasn’t going to dump them at her feet. This conversation was about her. “I play a good game,” was all he’d admit. “I think this might be an opportunity to help each other, though.”
“What do you mean?”
