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“I wouldn’t call it an obsession but if I got the chance to…”

“You’d fuck me, then leave a cartoon whoosh cloud in your wake. Believe me, I know. I’m still clearing the smoke from the last one you left.”

When Kota tries to push past me, I block her with an arm. Close to her ear, I say, “You ran from me.”

Twisting her head to look me in the eye, she argues, “I didn’t run. I had a plane to catch.”

“You ran like your life depended on it. Through the house, then out to Guy’s car.”

“Oh, you mean after you refused to give me a ride.” She says it so pointedly, there’s no way it’s an actual question.

“I couldn’t take you. I told you that.”

“You could. You just didn’t want to.”

“No, Kota. I literally fucking couldn’t. You know this. I didn’t know how to drive.”

Why is she making me repeat this? It was bad enough having to tell her the first time.

Turning to face me fully, she crosses her arms over her chest and pops out a hip. “You can’t drive?”

“What do you…” Why is she asking me that, especially like that? Like this is the first she’s hearing of it. “I can drive now, but at the time, no, I couldn’t. I told you that.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did. I fucking said ‘I can’t.’” Both words are emphasized with one hand chopping the other.

“You didn’t give a reason though.”

“That was the reason. I couldn’t drive you.”

“Well…” She pauses. “I didn’t know that.”

“Why did you think I couldn’t take you?”

“Because you didn’t want to.”

“Silver.”

She drops her arms to spread her hands at her sides. “You warned me enough times!”

“Not after…”

“What? A stolen kiss in my closet?” The skepticism is back.

“No, the… The night before that.” I guess she wouldn’t remember because she was passed out for that, but I wasn’t and I’ll never forget.

“What happened the night before?”

“We slept together.”

“I thought you said—”

“Not that way. But we…” Cuddled? Is that what I’m saying? I’m a changed man because we cuddled?

That can’t be right.

Can it?