Page 45 of Chasing Amanda

“I walk around this city by myself all the time.” She glared at him. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

He flinched as if she’d wounded him, and regret poured over her.

“I’m sorry.” Stupid tears. She swiped them away, walking a few steps until she thought her voice would sound normal. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

Great. They were even-steven. Just what she wanted.

He shook his head, a little smile on his lips. “After what happened Saturday, I thought you’d be nervous to walk by yourself. You’re very brave.”

“He’s being extradited to New York.”

“Fear isn’t always rational.”

Mark would know. Whatever fear had him running away from her certainly wasn’t.

At the corner, Amanda turned toward her apartment and campus.

When Mark took her hand, her breath caught. It felt so right, being with him. Obviously to him too. Did he even realize what he’d done?

Maybe she should yank her hand back, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t make herself put distance between them. If that was what Mark wanted, he was going to have to do it.

They walked in silence, her thoughts swirling like leaves in the wind. She told herself to keep quiet and enjoy the moment, but words escaped against her will. “We’re not even going to talk about this?”

He squeezed her hand, and she wished she’d skipped the gloves. She wanted to feel the warmth of his skin against hers.

“About what?”

“About you and me.”

His lips pressed in that tight line that told her he wasn’t happy. “There is no you and me, Amanda. I’m going to be gone for a long time. I’m sorry that you think there’s some future for us, but there isn’t.”

“You’ll be home, eventually.”

“Hopefully.”

“Don’t say⁠—”

“By then, you’ll have met somebody else, somebody more appropriate.”

Stopping, she tugged her hand from his and faced him. “You’re okay with that.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“And you’ll be seeing other people?”

He smirked. “I’m going to Afghanistan. They wear burkas over there. I won’t be seeing any women.”

“I’m sure you’ll get vacations.”

“Leave.”

“Plenty of opportunities to date.”

He shrugged but said nothing.

Fine, then. “Carl came by yesterday. He asked me out. You don’t mind if I go out with him?”