I look up, startled by the question. Before I can formulate a response, Lila steps in front of me.
“We are,” Lila answers for the both of us.
“That’s amazing,” the blonde says, her attention fixed on me. “My friends and I were just saying how brave you must be.” She extends a hand. “I’m Amber.”
I shake it, a little reluctant, aware of Lila shifting beside me. “Dr. Jonah Reed,” I add automatically.
“A doctor?” Amber’s expression brightens with interest. “Of medicine?”
“Meteorology,” I correct. “I study atmospheric physics.”
“Even better,” she says with a smile that's clearly meant to be flirtatious. “I've always been fascinated by...weather.” The way she says “weather” makes it sound like she's referring to something entirely different. Before I can respond to Amber's painfully obvious flirtation, Lila slides her arm around my waist, pressing herself against my side. The sudden contact makes me stiffen in surprise.
“Are you two together?”
“Don’t mind him, he’s painfully shy when it comes to getting a little attention. It’s a part of his condition,” Lila says, her voice shifting into something I've never heard before—sweet, possessive, and laced with amusement.
“My condition?” I echo weakly, completely lost.
Lila's hand tightens on my waist as she gives Amber a conspiratorial look. “The lightning strike. Two years ago, he was holding a metal weather station when it happened. Doctors say it's a miracle he survived.”
Amber's eyes widen. “Oh my god, that's terrible!”
“He's so brave about it,” Lila continues, patting my chest affectionately. “But sometimes, when he gets...excited...” She nods in the general direction of my crotch. “The electrical activity in his brain goes a little haywire. Last time he tried to flirt with someone, he seized up and spoke in nothing but weather forecasts for six hours straight.”
I stare at Lila in disbelief, my mouth hanging open.
“It was our third date,” Lila sighs dramatically. “I knew right then he was the one for me. Not every woman wouldstick around after a man recites wind velocity patterns like his wedding vows.”
Amber's mouth forms a perfect “O” of surprise. She takes a small step backward, her flirtatious confidence evaporating.
“We’re actually celebrating our anniversary by chasing this Texas system tomorrow. Nothing says romance like category five wind speeds, right, honey?”
I completely stop functioning.
Her body presses warmly against my side, fingers hooking lightly into my shirt like this is a normal thing she does. My brain immediately short-circuits under the combined weight of physical contact and the word honey.
Dammit. She was right. She touches me, and my brain overloads.
“Oh,” the woman says, visibly deflating. “That’s actually really sweet.”
Lila smiles brightly. “He proposed during a tornado warning.”
My head snaps toward her in horror.
Lila nods solemnly. “Very romantic.”
I open my mouth. Nothing comes out.
The woman laughs awkwardly and takes another step backward. “Well, I should get back to my friends. Good luck with your storm chasing.”
She retreats quickly toward the camping aisle where her friends immediately huddle around her whispering and glancing back at us.
The second she’s out of earshot, Lila drops her arm from my waist and steps away. The sudden absence of her warmth leaves me weirdly off balance.
“What was that?”
Lila shrugs, already turning toward the checkout counter with a completely unreasonable level of calm. “You looked overwhelmed.”
