“Put them on,” I encourage. “Let’s see.”
He puts them on, and they’re made for him.
“Okay, you have to get them,” I gush, placing my hands on my chest.
He slides the glasses down his nose and winks. “They work?”
My heart flutters. “Mm-hmm.”
Dax takes off the glasses and thumbs through the rack. “Which pair should you try?”
“I don’t know if any are my style. I only own oversized black pairs.”
“So that you’re always prepared for a funeral?”
I click my tongue. “No. They go with everything. They’rechic.”
Dax mumbles a laugh, searching through the rack. “Aww, these would look cute on you.”
He slides on a pair of pale pink heart-shaped sunglasses.
I wince, flaring my nostrils. “I don’t think so.”
He holds them out to me. “Oh, go on.”
Again, how can I say no to that face? I chew on my lip to counteract the dorky smile springing from the corners of my mouth. “Okay.”
I take the glasses and put them on. I comb my fingers through my hair and pose in front of the tiny mirror.
“Okay, maybe you were right to reject them,” Dax teases.
I playfully nudge him. “Hey!”
I take off the glasses as Dax picks out another pair.
Dax slides on a pair of gold star-shaped glasses, and the wind is knocked out of me. I collapse forward, struggling for breath as I spurt out laughter.
Dax holds onto my jiggling shoulders while I fail to compose myself. I manage an inhale of air, but when I lift my head, it rushes back out of me.One look at him has me falling apart. Dax struggles to hold back his laughter, sucking in his lips and squinting behind the ridiculous sunglasses.
He sighs out, planting a hand firmly on his chest as his laughter drifts away. “Man. It’s been so long since I laughed like that.”
I nod, catching my breath. “Me too.”
He takes off the sunglasses and wipes under his eyes. He smiles like he’s on the edge of laughing again. “It’s good to have a minute where everything doesn’t feel so serious.”
“When was the last time you felt like that?”
His eyebrows raise, searching for a memory. “Ages ago. I remember one time my mom and I were messing around at a gas station. There were some weird novelty hats, and she made us try on every single one.” He looks away, smiling. “Even Lance had fun that day.”
“Lance? That’s your brother?”
“Yeah.”
“Was your dad there too?”
He shakes his head, and some of his happiness disappears. “No. I don’t really have any fun memories with my dad.”
I frown as the sorrow hits my gut. “I’m sorry.”
