“Tonight was perfect.” I squeezed his hand, and he returned the gesture.
“It wouldn’t have happened without you.”
A large yawn escaped me, and Giles looked at me with concern. “It’s getting late. We should probably get you back.”
I nodded my agreement.
“Let me go say goodnight to Bev. I think she went to the lobby a while back to talk to some people.”
“I’ll be here.” I gestured toward my immobile ankle.
I pulled out my phone while I waited for him and saw texts from my family. I responded to their “Happy Thanksgivings,” surprised to find that I wasn’t feeling a nagging pull of homesickness. Instead, I felt grateful. Grateful to be here. Grateful to have moved on. Grateful to be sitting next to a guy that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Everything felt perfect.
Staying was the right decision.
Setting my phone down, I glanced around for Giles. He had been gone for almost ten minutes at this point. I spotted him near the front desk talking to Bev.
His body language seemed off. His arms were crossed, and his brow was pinched. I wondered what they could possibly be talking about that could sour his mood that much. I continued to stare until he finally met my eyes. Smiling, I tried to wave him over, but he just frowned at me.
Weird.
Giles stalked over to me, now seemingly in a hurry. When he got to the table, he grabbed my elbow and helped me stand up without warning.
“Whoa.” I tottered a little before catching my balance.
“Sorry,” he muttered, handing me my crutches.
I raised my eyebrows at his strange attitude but said nothing as we made our way outside.
“Did you want to stay at my place since we don’t have your car here?” I asked once we were outside.
He didn’t say anything but continued next to me for the short walk to my apartment.
Internally I debated what to say next, desperate to lift this bizarre mood he was in. I wondered what Bev had said to him.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I limped up first with him directly behind me to ensure I didn’t fall. At the top of the stairs, I unlocked the door. Before I could go inside, Giles gently grabbed my arm and turned me so that I faced him.
“I think I’m going to walk back to my place.”
“Oh, really? It might be kind of hard for me to get there on my crutches.”
He paused, not meeting my eyes. “I’m just going to go by myself.”
I bit my lip, not liking this turn of events. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I-I’m just feeling a little sick. I probably ate too much.”
“Oh,” I said. I wasn’t sure if I should call him out on his weak excuse or not.
He finally glanced up at me. I couldn’t tell if he looked upset or angry. Maybe it was both. Maybe he and Bev had a disagreement, and he wasn’t ready to share the details with me yet. I let out a sigh and decided to just let it go.
I faked a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded curtly and turned to leave. At the last moment, he spun around and brushed a quick kiss to my cheek before retreating down the steps.
ChapterTwenty-Six
My long hairfell over the thick gray sweater I had just pulled on. All I wanted to feel today was comfort, and that included my outfit. After such a magical night, I woke up this morning feeling sad. It probably had something to do with the absence of a certain someone in my bed. After days of being inseparable, I wasn’t sure what had spooked him last night. I was determined to get to the bottom of it. I half expected him to already be here when I woke up. Ready to help me down the stairs with coffee and an explanation.
