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“You,” I immediately answered. “It could totally be your fault.”
Face flushed with a happy glow to let me know she was as fully invested in our banter and enjoying it as much as I was, she sent me a saucy glance under shuttered eyelashes that caused my body to stir with a crazy heat.
“Except I’m not the one who always abandons my favorite spot to sit by you,” she countered. “You always sit by me. Ergo, it would all be on you. You’re the one causing a shift in the balance.”
“Oh, ho.” I let out an incredulous laugh and glanced around the darkened parking lot as we pushed our way outside. “You’re going to be that way, huh? Well…” Shaking my head, I naturally followed her toward her car. “I guess, thank God this movie ended up better than the last one, then.”
Giggling because I could tell she hadn’t expected me to agree with her so quickly, she paused by her car and glanced up at me as she blindly dug through her purse to find her keys. “Wow. It’s nice of you to see reason for once.”
When a gust of wind brushed past, fluttering some of her hair from her ponytail into her face, the urge to reach out and help her tuck it back out of her way came over me—strong—and I shoved my hands suddenly into my pockets.
Lifting my shoulders and locking my elbows straight as I pretended to shiver, I took a step back, letting her know I should go.
She wiped the hair away with a free hand and pulled her other hand from her purse, her keys held securely in her palm. “Well…” She heaved out a large breath. “Thanks. For, you know…” She motioned around us vaguely. “Walking me to my car again.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, is that what you thought I was doing? Shit, sorry.” With a cringe, I shook my head. “No, I actually did that for me.”
When her brow furrowed with confusion, I nodded. “That was for my protection. Yeah. See, I was hoping you’d whip out your trusty knee and rack some mugger in the junk if anyone jumped out to rob me.”
Releasing a grin, she rolled her eyes over my goofball explanation and turned away to unlock her car. “Goodnight, Gracen.”
“’Night,” I murmured, watching her a moment as she prepared to leave. Panic flooded my system. I didn’t want her to go yet. This might be the last time I ever saw her.
It should be the last time, but still…
What if it was actually the last freaking time I saw her?
I told myself to turn away and go already. But I lingered, watching her open her car door.
“Oh, hey,” I called, wincing even as she immediately turned back, her eyebrows lifted in question.
Stupid, stupid, stupid me; I should’ve just let her go. But I couldn’t.
“So…” I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth before motioning around us—wait, when had my hands escaped my pockets? Should they just be roaming free like that? This didn’t seem safe.
I cleared my throat, ignoring them as I gave Yellow my attention. “Is this going to become your permanent theater? Because if it is, I guess I’ll return to my old place, then.”
She stared at me without moving for a full five seconds. Then she shut her car door and took a step in my direction.
Shit. What was she doing? She seemed animated as she approached. Sparkling with interest. It looked good on her. Too good.
I stumbled a step in reverse, even as my heart began to beat hard in anticipation.
“You…” Growing breathless, she paused a moment, swallowed audibly, and then flushed before smiling. “Are you saying you came here tonight just to avoid running into me?”
Fucking hell, I had pretty much just admitted that, hadn’t I?
With a sniff of total disdain, however, I sent her an incredulous look. “What? No.”
Inside my shirt, nervous sweat slithered down the center of my spine.
Yellow paused, looking suddenly uncertain, but then she studied my face a bit longer and took another decided step in my direction. “Yes, you did. You liked watching that last movie with me but felt guilty about it because of your sister, so you tried to evade me by going to this theater for this movie so you could avoid us having any more fun together.”
Letting out a nervous laugh, I said, “Wrong again,” even as I backed up some more before accidentally ramming my ass into the side of a truck parked next to her car. Trapped, I could only watch as she stepped even closer and looked into my desperate gaze.
Her eyes glittered with conquest. “Do I intimidate you, Gracen Lowe?”
“Yes!” I blurted because, Jesus, wasn’t that incredibly obvious by now? But then, shit, I probably shouldn’t be announcing it so blatantly. “I mean, no.”
