inching ever closer.
She stands up now, kicking the paint bucket to the side. “Look, do you have anything else to say to me? Apology accepted. Whatever. Now get the hell out of here so I can work on the car, okay?”
I grit my teeth. Not the kind of reaction I was going for. “Cat, please—”
She rolls her eyes, looking annoyed . “Please what?”
“Please… I don’t know. Please j ust don’t leave, okay? I don’t want you to… leave.” I kick myself in the ankle. I sound like such an idiot.
“And why not?” Her hands are on her hips now, but her eyes look sharp, calculating, like there is a wrong answer to this question and she’s seeing if I pick it.
I close my eyes. “You really want to know?”
“I do.”
This time, I answer her clearly. I grip her arms with my hands and look deep into her eyes. I’m consciously aware of her warmth flooding into me, of the shudder that races down my spine as our skin meets. “Because I don’t want you to go,” I say so quietly I’m not even sure if she can hear. I feel my biceps flexing as I hold her, hold her and don’t let go. “I need you.” The words seem to echo around the silent neighborhood, dancing every which way as if to taunt me with their desperation.
I need you.
But it’s true. It’s so freaking true. I need her, and it’s that simple. I need her there for me, I need her presence, her smile; she always knows what to say, and I need that too. Fuck love. Fuck all of this. We’re best friends. I can’t stay apart from her over something this stupid. She’s too important to me for that.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Cat’s lips purse into a thin line, and I can’t detect any emotion from her. God, she has a great poker face. But me? Not so much. I can feel the warmth settling on my cheeks already, and I know—just know —I’m blushing. And hard.
This near to me, I can feel Cat’s body inching closer and closer to mine. I see her lips, open and soft, sliding in closer to my jaw... And that hyperawareness scares the hell out of me. I’ve never noticed these things before.
Finally, Cat opens her mouth to speak. “Interesting,” is all she says.
My heart sinks. “Interesting?”
“Interesting,” she confirms, forcing a slight nod.
Here and there crickets chirp behind us and I can hear the distant hum of a car on a nearby road somewhere. It’s cold out, freezing cold, but my skin is so hot from being near Cat that I barely even register it. I release my grip on her arm, shaking my head. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
I sigh. “What?” I mutter, because by the blankness of her face, the subtle, sharp edge to her words, I can tell she’s angry. She has reason to be angry, dammit. I was an idiot. An asshole . Look where that got me.
“What do you mean, ‘what?’”
“Are we seriously going to do this?”
“Do what?”
I laugh, annoyed, and throw my head back. “I deserved that.”
“You did.”
I kick the ground. “Dammit, Cat! Why are we treating each other like enemies? We aren’t! We’re best friends, but we just… I just…” I close my eyes, gathering the energy to continue. “I don’t want us to turn out like this,” I finally say.
B efore I even realize what’s happening, my fingers reach out and brush her arm. I feel the searing warmth of her skin, then a tingle down my spine, and something else too. Something… I jump back, not wanting to know what it was. I shudder, and she just sighs.
“Could you be any more obvious about it?” she says.
I open and close my mouth before saying, “Probably.”
“You’re an idiot,” she says.
I force a laugh. “I know.”
“I’m glad. I thought I was going to have to explain to you why, and you know how thick-headed you are.” Then, she smiles to herself, a distant kind of smile that I can’t possibly place. She shakes her head, and the look disappears in a flash. “But, at least, you’re a cute idiot.”
I let a little
She stands up now, kicking the paint bucket to the side. “Look, do you have anything else to say to me? Apology accepted. Whatever. Now get the hell out of here so I can work on the car, okay?”
I grit my teeth. Not the kind of reaction I was going for. “Cat, please—”
She rolls her eyes, looking annoyed . “Please what?”
“Please… I don’t know. Please j ust don’t leave, okay? I don’t want you to… leave.” I kick myself in the ankle. I sound like such an idiot.
“And why not?” Her hands are on her hips now, but her eyes look sharp, calculating, like there is a wrong answer to this question and she’s seeing if I pick it.
I close my eyes. “You really want to know?”
“I do.”
This time, I answer her clearly. I grip her arms with my hands and look deep into her eyes. I’m consciously aware of her warmth flooding into me, of the shudder that races down my spine as our skin meets. “Because I don’t want you to go,” I say so quietly I’m not even sure if she can hear. I feel my biceps flexing as I hold her, hold her and don’t let go. “I need you.” The words seem to echo around the silent neighborhood, dancing every which way as if to taunt me with their desperation.
I need you.
But it’s true. It’s so freaking true. I need her, and it’s that simple. I need her there for me, I need her presence, her smile; she always knows what to say, and I need that too. Fuck love. Fuck all of this. We’re best friends. I can’t stay apart from her over something this stupid. She’s too important to me for that.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Cat’s lips purse into a thin line, and I can’t detect any emotion from her. God, she has a great poker face. But me? Not so much. I can feel the warmth settling on my cheeks already, and I know—just know —I’m blushing. And hard.
This near to me, I can feel Cat’s body inching closer and closer to mine. I see her lips, open and soft, sliding in closer to my jaw... And that hyperawareness scares the hell out of me. I’ve never noticed these things before.
Finally, Cat opens her mouth to speak. “Interesting,” is all she says.
My heart sinks. “Interesting?”
“Interesting,” she confirms, forcing a slight nod.
Here and there crickets chirp behind us and I can hear the distant hum of a car on a nearby road somewhere. It’s cold out, freezing cold, but my skin is so hot from being near Cat that I barely even register it. I release my grip on her arm, shaking my head. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
I sigh. “What?” I mutter, because by the blankness of her face, the subtle, sharp edge to her words, I can tell she’s angry. She has reason to be angry, dammit. I was an idiot. An asshole . Look where that got me.
“What do you mean, ‘what?’”
“Are we seriously going to do this?”
“Do what?”
I laugh, annoyed, and throw my head back. “I deserved that.”
“You did.”
I kick the ground. “Dammit, Cat! Why are we treating each other like enemies? We aren’t! We’re best friends, but we just… I just…” I close my eyes, gathering the energy to continue. “I don’t want us to turn out like this,” I finally say.
B efore I even realize what’s happening, my fingers reach out and brush her arm. I feel the searing warmth of her skin, then a tingle down my spine, and something else too. Something… I jump back, not wanting to know what it was. I shudder, and she just sighs.
“Could you be any more obvious about it?” she says.
I open and close my mouth before saying, “Probably.”
“You’re an idiot,” she says.
I force a laugh. “I know.”
“I’m glad. I thought I was going to have to explain to you why, and you know how thick-headed you are.” Then, she smiles to herself, a distant kind of smile that I can’t possibly place. She shakes her head, and the look disappears in a flash. “But, at least, you’re a cute idiot.”
I let a little
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