After rubbing my hand with his free one, he slid his arms off the table and leaned back in his chair. I knew I’d made him uncomfortable, and I cursed myself for ruining the moment.
“So much has happened in such a short space of time, my head feels scrambled. First, my mom and brother, and then my dad and a fricking sister. It’s all so uncertain.”
“And then there’s us.”
His face softened, and his eyes remained locked on my face. With the hint of a smile, he said. “To be honest, that’s the only thing I feel certain about right now, us. Last night was unbelievable.”
“It was,” I agreed, placing my roll down.
“How do you feel? I wasn’t too rough, I hope.”
“I don’t think so.”
The way he was looking across at me felt intense. “Considering our size differences, you took me really well.”
Shuffling back in my seat, I asked, “I did?”
“Yeah, because, as I said, it’s not just sex,” he explained, and I believed him.
His words sent a thrill through me, and I felt my heart swell in my chest. How had I managed to stay away from this man for so long? And he had just admitted something to me.
Phoenix does care.
Those perfect three words were on the tip of my tongue. It was my moment. And then it was ruined as Reed camethunderinginto the room. “Is that burritos I can smell?”
Nix and I glanced at Reed as he threw himself into a spare chair and picked up half of the burrito on my plate. “Waste not want not,” he said with a smirk.
Reed’s appearance broke through our special moment, but not all was lost.
I didn’t feel uncomfortable, and the conversation between us all flowed fine. It was like nothing had changed with Reed in the room.
We spoke about Ma, saying how we would keep our relationship private for the time being. Reed asked how Nix was feeling about his father, and we all agreed that he shouldn’t keep that from Ma.
Reed said he hadn’t heard from Storm, and I told him about the messages from Molly. I could see he was upset that she hadn’t reached out to him, but I didn’t say anything.
“She knows where I am if she wants to talk. Besides, Coach said he needs to see me about something important. He’s volunteering over at Egerton Elementary, and I’m to meet him there at two, so we’d better motor, Nix. If you still need me to spot you at the gym?”
“What does Coach want to see you about?” Nix asked, pushing to his feet.
Reed shrugged as he stood. “No idea. But it sounded important.”
My boyfriend grunted, “It always is with Coach.”
Nix then asked if I wanted a lift to the gym. I sometimes attended the yoga classes there, but I declined and decided to use the day to study and hang out with Micah. He was due to return to New York the following day, and I’d hardly seen him.
We tidied up the breakfast pots together as Reed went to get changed for the gym.
At the front door, Phoenix pulled me into his arms and kissed me.
“Do you fancy going to the movies later. A first date type of thing?”
“Yes, that would be great.”
And that is exactly what we did, and our night at the movies was perfect for what was hopefully one of many dates.
*****
The next week was crazy. Mine and Nix’s relationship amounted to us seeing each other behind Ma’s back, which I hated in the end. It was like carrying around another lie. She wasn’t stupid either. I didn’t miss the way she watched us at the dinner table. As well as the lingering looks, Nix and I were getting along, and so she must have known something was off.
