AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry,” he says into my hair, his voice sounding choked. “That must have sucked.”
I’m not going to cry. I spent years crying from the pain and that’s over now. The whole thing is over. My life is better. It’s mine every week of every month.
“I would’ve been there for you.” He squeezes me tighter.
“I know.”
“I’m so—”
“I’m happy.” I don’t want to hearsorryagain.
Timothy leans back and looks at me. His eyes are shiny, but maybe that’s because mine are brimming. “I’m happy too,” he says. “But I’m sorry I made you my emergency contact without asking you first. I forced you to be there for me.”
When I wouldn’t let him be there for me. It hangs unspoken between us.
“It’s okay, and it’s different. I chose to have a procedure done, and I was happy going alone. You didn’t choose what happened to you. Whether or not I was your emergency contact, I’d have been there.”
He’s quiet for a moment, his light brown eyes searching my face before he nods. “I’m still sending chocolate every month.”
“You don’t have to.” I’m not going to fight him over the chocolate that I desperately want. Not when he has a trust fund.
He gives me a stern look. “Come on. You still get moody.”
I gasp in mock outrage and gently push him away. “Rude.”
Timothy laughs, but it lacks his usual joy. “Just accept the chocolate as inevitable.”
“Okay, fine.” I need to do something for him, and suddenly I know exactly what. “But you need to accept my underwear once a month.”
His jaw drops.
“I will sew you underwear,” I grit out, annoyed at myself for my choice of words. “Boxers, briefs, or boxer briefs?”
He smiles and this time he looks happy. “I’ll take whatever you make me.”
“I think I have some dinosaur print. Definitely need to get my hands on something that says bam and pow and wap like in an old comic book. Maybe some animal print or rocket—”
That last word dies on my tongue as Timothy grabs my chin, tilts my face up, and kisses me. It’s firm and quick, platonic rather than romantic, but I lean in any way. Except he gets to his feet, oblivious, and carries on downstairs like nothing happened, leaving me lurching after him.
I touch my lips lightly.
They’re tingling.
Chapter fifteen
Timothy
I’manasshole.Iforced Mina to be there for me when she wasn’t willing to let me be there for her. She’s not mad, and she’s going to sew something for me and—oh shit.
I kissed her. It stops me in my tracks.
“Sorry, got carried away,” I call back up. I mean to glance at her for half a second, but I do a double take. She’s still sitting on the step, two graceful fingers lightly touching her lips. She looks dazed.
Have I been too busy trying to wall off my heart, too busy sulking about my life to notice? Is there the slightest possibility she’s changing her mind about us? There was that moment in the kitchen where I’d implied—with no evidence whatsoever—I’d heard her vibrator, and she’d blushed.
It might be something. It might be nothing, but I’m an optimist.
“I can’t wait to wear your underwear,” I add, winking at her. I don’t wait for her to respond, carrying on down the stairs.
