AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The last time he saw them, he had a fight with them,” I admitted. “Said he hated them and shit like that. All because they wouldn’t let him get a dog.”
“Well, fuck.” Wincing, Oaklynn gripped my arm. “That would mess me up too.”
I nodded.
Her gaze turned to me, and my nerves wrenched painfully because I knew what she was going to ask right before she said, “So the reasonyouwere in the group…?”
I swallowed down a painful knot in my throat.
“Was it because of the person who was murdered? The one you found?”
My attention fell to the top of the table, and I knew I should tell her now. She really deserved to know. But when I glanced up again, a voice inside me begged,not yet.
I just needed a little more time with her.
Nodding, I flipped my palms face up, seeking her grip, and she readily accepted my fingers, squeezing them sympathetically.
“How old were you?”
“Ten,” I answered. “But I’d turned eleven by the time I joined the group.”
She winced in understanding. “It must’ve been pretty traumatic.”
Hissing out a long breath, I gave her another nod. “I didn’t want to admit how strongly it affected me, but after my parents made me go to counseling, I could finally tell just how low I’d gotten by how much it helped.”
“I’m glad you went, then.”
“Yeah. Me too,” I admitted, only to catch sight of something over her shoulder. A familiar mustard yellow color I’d seen Oaklynn wearing just this morning when I’d kissed her goodbye at her car.
Glancing past her, I focused on the large television screen on the wall, where the university network was giving their midday report. Blinking at her face on the screen, I shook my head.
“Wow. I didn’t know your news report was going to air on the campus feed.”
“Huh?” Oaklynn wrinkled her nose and turned to see what I was watching. “Oh my God,” she cried. “Oh my God.”
Jumping from the booth, she turned to face the television fully, holding both hands to her mouth and watching with wide eyes.
Once the piece was finished, and they’d moved on to talk about the weather, she turned to face me in frozen shock.
“Oh my God,” she uttered yet again and motioned to the television. “They just played me on the campus news. On T.V.! How is this happening?”
I laughed. “So you didn’t know?”
“Of course not. I just turned the flash drive in to my professor this morning to ask if she thought it’d work as a good piece for myportfolio. I didn’t expect… This is just…wow. I was on the motherfucking campus news.”
“And you did amazing,” I said, sliding from the booth as well to stand with her.
“I did, didn’t I?” she breathed, still clearly in awe. She laughed at herself and shook her head. “I mean, I must have if they decided to air it, just like that. Oh! I can’t wait to tell Alec. I think he’ll be jazzed to see his work on the big screen too.”
“Definitely,” I agreed, checking the time. “He should be between classes now if you want to catch him.”
Shaking her head, she reached out and grabbed the front of my shirt. “I’ll tell him later. Right now… I want to celebrate withyou.”
The heated intent in her eyes made my stomach clench. Arousal raced across my flesh as I edged closer. “What did you have in mind?”
Her gaze slid over my chest and down before slipping its way back up to my eyes. “When’s your next class?”
“Not until two.”
