I hit send and a few moments later she reaches into her coat pocket, turning her body slightly away from Emily. Her lips purse as she types.
Just wanted to see you...
I bite the inside of my cheek, hard enough to make it sore, but I can’t stop my eyes from searching out her profile. A blush crawls up her cheeks and I’m arrogant enough to think it’s because she can feel me looking at her. I think I know what she’s doing: this is how Corrine says sorry.
Maybe it’s the way the low light of the bar makes her mysterious and sexy or the way she went so far outside her comfort zone for me. Maybe it’s just because I love her and I’ll forgive the people I love almost anything.
But I forgive her.
My chest feels a little lighter because of it. If she wanted to make it up to me I appreciate the gesture butthisisn’t what I want. Because even though we’re here, together, we’re not here together. I can’t throw my arm around her. I can’t kiss her cheek or tease her for gracing us with her presence. And I realize, every time I’m shown an opportunity where I can’t do those things, I want them more and more.
She doesn’t take more than one or two sips of her drink. She never puts down her coat. But even she can’t stop her body from swaying to the music or smiling at Jer’s jokes. When I dance I look like I’m cutting all the wrong shapes but for once that doesn’t matter to me because all I really want is to sidle up behind her and match the motion of our bodies to the beat of the music. I want to buy her next drink. I want to hold her hand when we walk out of here together.
But we can’t be a real couple in public.
Can we go home now?I text.
She pulls her phone from her pocket, continuing to nod at Abila as she types in her password. She fights a smile hard. Her mouth flattens as she turns to Emily.
“Everything okay?” Emily asks. She looks to me. Back to Corrine.
“Mmhmmm.” Corrine is casual and quiet. “Just a small emergency back at the office.” She turns to me. “Maybe you can give me a hand?”
“Sure,” I say quickly.
Amy clears her throat in an incredibly obvious way. I flip my hair out of my eyes, trying to seem a bit more chill than I feel. Emily smirks and I scratch my jaw, avoiding Corrine’s eyes.
“You okay to get home?” I ask Amy.
She frowns. “I thought we were hanging out.”
Shit.“We will. At the launch on Friday. I just...”
Amy rolls her eyes. “Fine. But you’re staying the whole night on Friday.”
Wrapping her in a hug, I squeeze enough to make her whack me in the back. “Can’t...breathe,” she croaks.
“You’re the best sister,” I whisper.
“I’ll take care of her.” Jer grins.
“You mean, I’ll take care of you,” she retorts.
Jer hugs me and we say some more goodbyes before I follow Corrine out of the bar. We walk in comfortable silence back to the office building.
Corrine hands me her keys. “You drive.”
She waits at the passenger door, scrolling through her phone, reminding me of the first time I saw her when I didn’t know I was seeingherfor the first time.
We get into the car and I adjust the seat and roll down the windows to let in the smell of coming rain. The streets are dark and quiet. By the time I pull into the parking garage beneath her building, her hand has found a home on my thigh and could this be what a relationship with Corrine would be like? Driving home from after-work drinks with friends. Her letting me drive and me not having to adjust the seat.
Her body warms my left side as she sags into me on the way up to her apartment and I pull her closer, dropping my head into her hair and smelling coconuts. I hand Corrine the keys and she unlocks the door. Toeing off her shoes. Turning to me with the door open, she says, “Coming?”
Chapter 38: Corrine
“Are you hungry?” he asks, opening the fridge as I walk down the hall to my bedroom.
“Not really,” I call.
