Rina’s eyes narrowed. She made a fist and bobbed it back and forth, signingYes.
I nodded. “Right, of course.”
She scowled and pushed at my chest.Asshole, she signed, which made me laugh.
“You really love signing that, don’t you?”
She tried to maintain her scowl, but it kept breaking as she fought a smile.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me again. “I promise I’ll buy some today,” I said. “Hell, with all the Christmas sales going on both online and at the stores, I can even get family packs.”
She looked down at me like I was a rabid.
“Family pack condoms don’t exist, do they?”
Fuck.
She shook her head very slowly, as if she was scared I’d grow another head if she moved hers too fast.
They are called VALUE packs, she wrote.
God, she was so stunned by me that she couldn’t even Sign words. She had towritethem instead.
I had officially broken Rina.
Time for a subject change. It was absolutely necessary, after all, both for me and my rapidly waning dignity.
“Sooooo…” I pursed my lips and jerked my head to the right. “Do I get to eat that cake now, or have I lost my privileges?”
Rina blinked at me for several agonizing seconds, and then flipped a middle fingerrightin front of my face.
It didn’t take a genius to know whatthatsign meant…
20. Smell Of Inked Pages
Itouched the tip of my index finger to Rina’s arm. “Are you…okay?”
Her eyes appeared all but glazed as she grinned up at me and gave me averyenthusiastic thumbs-up.
“Right.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I continued to walk next to her in theFictionaisle.
We were atBarnes & Noblein Webster Ave, and in the thirty or so minutes we’d been there, Rina had made me circle theFictionandRomancesections at least a dozen times. The struggle on her face as she looked around at all the books with undeniable longing, was almost comical, but also so fucking adorable.
I’d offered to take her out on a date toB&Nas a thank you for all the baked goodies she’s been feeding me, Taron, and the guys for the last few days. First, it was that yummyFubácake in the van, and then all sorts of Christmas cookies and pastries after that. I’ve been hogging them down with -0% shame, so I thought it was about damn time I did something for her that I knew would make her happy.
I just…didn’t know she’d get high as a fucking kite by the smell of inked pages and fancy book covers.
I guess it was a thing now in this world. I shouldn’t be surprised; it’s 20-fucking-21. If this world can have people who literally sell their farts in mason jars and become millionaires, then I guess wecouldhave people like Rina, who got off on book-whiffs and hardcover jackets.
The world, after all, needs ample balance to function without a hitch.
Mr. Ribeiro was under the impression that Rina was at their shop, but with Taron and the guys working on the library without my assistance, I was pretty sure he must’ve suspected that both Rina and I weren’t where we were supposed to be. I will admit, I had looked over my shoulder a few times since walking into the bookstore, half expecting Mr. Ribeiro to somehow show up and kick me in the balls, but that hadn’t happened so far, so I’d decided to relax a bit.
Rina and I were about to enter theFictionaisle for the eleventh time, most probably, when she stopped and grabbed a paperback from the last shelf in theRomanceaisle before hugging it close to her chest.
I stood in front of her and gave her a smile. “Finally picked a book, I see.”
It’s the last copy, she signed, and then pulled her phone out of her coat before typing something on it.
