Coming to a crouch, I looked up at him.From this angle, he appeared about ten feet tall and even broader than usual.His legs were clad in navy scrub pants, and his corduroy coat was zipped to the top.One green apple dwarfed in his big hand at his side.
He offered his free hand to me.“Do you need help up?”
“No.”
His arm fell back to his side.Nodding slowly, he chewed on his bottom lip looking around the store then back to me.“What are you doing down there?”
I flung my arms out.“I dropped my apples.”
After I hid from you, and you scared the shit out of me.
“Right.”Taking another step back, he looked like he was about to flee then decided against it.“How are you settling in?”
I went to answer him but realized how weird it was to continue talking to him from the floor, so I pushed to stand with my hands on my thighs ignoring the crack of one of my knees.From this height, I could make out the dusting of reddish scruff on his jaw.It was an outrage for me to behave like a complete embarrassment while he looked ...like that.
“Fine.”I gripped one of my elbows with my other hand, hoping I looked chill but sure I looked like someone trying to look unaffected.“Um, yeah, it was good to meet the Cregers and Missy the other night.They’re gonna help me out.So, that’s good.”
Remi cleared his throat.“That’s great news.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s Furgie doing?”
A genuine smile spread across my face.“She’s a lot better.Thank you.”
“That’s grews.”A crease formed between his eyebrows as he blinked.
I snorted, my cheeks beginning to burn from secondhand embarrassment—which was a bold feeling considering he’d just found me hiding from him.“You mean, great news?”
“Yeah.”He sighed.“But I’d already said it, so I tried to say something different.”
“I think it’s grews too.”
He laughed and even the fluorescent lights couldn’t diminish his handsomeness.My stomach flipped.I always did love his laugh.It was full, and from the gut.It was even better when I was the one making it happen.
“Anyway, I’ve gotta get home to her,” I said.Taking hold of my cart’s handle, I tried to pretend like all I wanted from the store were the three items inside of it.
“Of course.I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
I scoffed.“I’m sure.”
He took a few steps away, and I grabbed whatever looked even remotely appetizing and nutritious on the way to the cashier.It was when I was placing my floor apple, a cucumber, carrots, a giant bag of trail mix, and beef jerky that I realized I’d been recording a voicemail for Sadie the whole time.
“Oh, holy hell,” I mumbled.“Well, I guess you’ll call me back to unpack all this.”
The teenager ringing me up gave me a skeptical glance but looked away at my forced smile.It felt like time was being pulled through sludge, moving at an unnaturally slow pace while I pretended not to know exactly where Remi was the whole time I waited for my total.
Where was this hyper awareness of his existence a few minutes ago?I demanded, silently.
I had just paid and was leaving the building when my phone started ringing.I answered it knowing who it was without even looking.“Hey ...”
“So, that voicemail you just left me,” Sadie said through the speaker.
“You listened to that already?”
“Uh-huh.I was so confused, what was all of that?”
I slid into the driver’s seat of my vehicle.“You know, just that classic situation of spotting your ex at the grocery store, panicking for no reason, hiding behind a pile of apples, and then having him sneak up behind you, anyway.”
