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I was shocked to see how dark it was outside when we finally left.
Chapter 28 – Denver
Sadie drove the way she did everything else, with a quiet intensity that was slightly scary, and if I was being honest, fun to watch. Of course, that’s not what I told her. I told her she drove like a NASCAR wannabe with a death wish.
I really shouldn’t have. It only made her drive faster. Or maybe it just felt that way because we were in her tiny Jetta, and she got a wicked gleam in her eye every time she accelerated. She did not appreciate the way I gripped the armrest like it was offering me emotional support. Some of it was an act, and some was because I was genuinely afraid.
“Denver, stop that. I’m an excellent driver. You’re in good hands.”
“That’s what all bad drivers say.”
She glared at me before turning back to the road so she could find a way to pass up yet another car. We weren’t even running late. If anything, we’d be waiting on everyone else outside the science center. More time for me to mess with her. I wasn’t sure how far I could push this before she left me on the side of the road somewhere, but I kinda wanted to know. It was my way of living dangerously.
“I miss my Jeep.”
“We can’t always take your Jeep.”
“Why not? I wouldn’t mind.”
“Imind.”
“Of course you do.”
“And you accuse me of picking fights.” She kept her hands at ten and two while she drove, her back tensed and her whole body coiled, as if this was a race and she aimed to win it.
She could win a lot of things. Like the top prize for making me want to lose my mind. She was wearing red lipstick, drawing my attention to her lips over and over again. I wondered if Jenny or Makayla helped her pick out her outfit tonight. She was in a black tank top with cute little yellow buttons down the front and jeans that… wow. Anyway. I had a lot of things going through my mind. Like not dying, and not thinking about Sadie that way, and not fretting about her dating someone else.
I was supposed to be happy for her. She was opening herself up to other people and that was a good thing. A great thing. It was just… I knew the florist had written his cell phone number on the back of his business card. And I knew Sadie had put it in her phone because they were already texting each other. I’d glanced at their text thread before she turned it away less than thirty minutes ago, right before we got in her car.
She was on a date with me, but texting with someone else.
Not that this was a real date. But it felt real. She smelled amazing, and she looked amazing, and if we made it to the science center alive, I was totally going to find a reason to hold her hand again. She’d been very stingy with the handholding ever since we woke up together. Okay, stop right there. I couldn’t be thinking about that again.
“What are you thinking about?” Sadie asked, suspicion in her voice. Not even my thoughts were safe from her.
“Nothing.”
“We’re almost there. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried about that.”
“Is it Colton? Honestly, getting him here is a miracle.”
“Let’s see if he actually shows up.” He’d better. I hadn’t been lying when I said this event would give the guy a chance to talk with women in a way he couldn’t otherwise. The museum had this set up like an escape room, separating people into groups of eight to ten and giving them a certain amount of time to work together and get out of their maze. Team building was a perfect blind date situation. Or maybe that was optimistic. It was also an easy way to get into arguments with people you’d just met.
I glanced at Sadie, curious to see how the two of us would fare trying to solve a puzzle under time restraints. I used to get so bristly around her. Now that I knew her better, I didn’t mind coming up against her tough-girl shell. It felt like a challenge. A privilege, even. To get beyond the walls she put up and see what was underneath before she kicked me out again.
Sadie pulled into the parking garage next to the science museum and took a ticket from the automated booth. Then she punched it and rounded the corner to go up to the next parking level, sending my heart up into my throat momentarily. She was much more careful about driving past parked cars and pulling into an available spot, which I appreciated.
She glanced at me. “I was in a carpool for years, you know.”
“Yep. That was excellent driving back there. Five stars.”
She shook her head. “I’m about ready to revoke your friend status.”
“You couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried.” I hurried out and around to her side to get her door, offering my hand. It was more as a tease than anything else, so it shocked me when she took it. She laced her fingers through mine, like a key sliding into a lock. A rightness settled over me that I immediately wanted to fight against.
Yeah, I liked Sadie. I liked flirting with her and fighting with her, and I especially liked when those two things merged. I liked being one of the privileged people she let in, but that didn’t mean I wastheperson. Her person. That was a level we hadn’t reached and couldn’t reach. At least not with each other.
