Page 23 of See Through

“I want to talk about what you said last night.”

“Aubs, we really don’t have to. If I made you uncomfortable⁠—”

“You didn’t.”

I’m shocked by her assured tone. If this conversation keeps going in the direction I think it might, then I’m not sure my legs will help me stay upright. Not only are they aching from my workout, but from what she’s insinuating.

I didn’t scare her away. In fact, she came back, which means something else happened in her mind, something that might match what I feel for her. This might be the best fucking day of my life if I’m right. I was going to let her get comfortable while I showered, but I’m not able to move from my spot anymore.

“Okay, what about last night do you want to talk about?”

“The part when you said you’ve been flirting with me since you’ve known me, and everything you said the night of our last investigation.”

I grab the counter, needing something to hold me steady. “Okay. The floor is yours.” Really? What the fuck am I saying?

“Is what you said true?” Her gaze doesn’t waver from mine, her voice a whisper as she waits for my confirmation.

“Of course it is,” I admit. “I’d never lie to you, Aubs.”

She steps toward me, the only thing in between us the counter, just like how it was yesterday. Though yesterday, there was a big wall in between us too, and I smashed it down as soon as I said what I did.

Her eyes switch to my mouth, then back to my eyes, and I wish I could crawl into her mind to see what she’s thinking. I want to soothe any of her racing thoughts, reaffirm the ones telling her all the right things.

I want to make her feel like she’s the only girl in the world for me, and I wish I could spend every single day proving to her she is the only thing I’ve seen since class all those years ago.

“So, you like me? At least, that’s what I got from our conversation.”

There’s no use hiding it now. “Of course I do, Aubrey.”

I’ve waited years to say that to her, and I can barely feel the words coming out of my mouth as they tumble into the air towards her.

“And you’ve felt like this since you met me? Since before you even knew my name?”

I nod, stopping myself from leaning into her touch, her bubble, her personal space. I’m drawn to her how I always am, as if she’s the spark that’s going to light my life on fire.

“We’re friends, Dean. Best friends.”

“You have no idea how much I wish I could erase that word from the dictionary.” I grab her hands. “And don’t get me wrong, I have loved being your friend, Aubs, but there has always been a part of me that has wanted more.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before now?”

“Because I was afraid of losing you. Why haven’t you brought up the fact that I flirt with you all the time before? I thought you knew. I was always really bad at stopping myself.”

“I only just noticed it,” she snickers to herself. “I don’t know how. Even Maven noticed before I did.”

I knew I liked Maven. “What changed for you recently? Something must have happened to jumpstart this conversation.”

I’m dying to know when she had the same feeling in the pit of her stomach I did. Or maybe it was something different for her, something less obvious that made her start to think about our relationship more?

“I knew everything about how to help you after your nightmare.” She stares at me. “It made me think about how you helped me after Adrian died. You stocked my fridge full of all my favorite things. You know me better than anyone on the planet, and I know you the same way. It scared me at first. Then, you admitted you had been flirting with me, and it’s like every conversation we’ve ever had filtered through my mind, and the glass ceiling broke.”

I fix her necklace, the clip showing next to the small rose pendant always hanging from her neck. She sucks a breath in, staring at my lips for the hundredth time during this conversation.

I linger for a beat too long, her heart beating fast under my touch, and her hand comes up to graze my skin before she pulls away and my hands find the counter on either side of her. I can’t feel my legs. I cannot believe we’re talking about this right now.

“Have you thought about us since last night?” I wonder. I bet she has, which explains why she hasn’t texted me all day.

“I have.”