His thumb stroked my cheekbone before he sighed. “Fuck me, this is harder than I thought.”
“Should I be worried about us?” I went to step back.
“No-no-no,” he huffed, smiling quickly. “It’s not that. Fuckin’ hell, it’ll never be that... I’ve just never felt so, uh...”
He pressed his lips together, jaw feathering but eyes alight with—
Awe?
“Dean, if you don’t speak—”
The room was filled with a distant beeping. Not from within the room, or inside the apartment, but throughout the entire building.
Dean frowned as he looked up. “Is that a fire alarm?”
“Yes, but it's probably nothing—”
In answer to my assumption, an automated voice crackled throughout the apartment block, warning everyone to evacuate, safely.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered to the air. I wanted to find wherever the speakers were and rip them from the wall just so Dean could tell me what was on his mind.
Dean chuckled. “Does this happen often?”
“Yes. It’s usually because someone has burned their breakfast or something—”
A knock on the bedroom door was next, followed by Kira politely saying, “Sorry to interrupt, but we have to evacuate. So, um, put some pants on and get downstairs.”
“Thanks, Kira.” I pressed my lips together and eyed Dean. “You were saying?”
He cringed. “Raincheck?”
“Dean.”
“It can wait.” He backed away towards the bedroom door. A lopsided smile on his face as he patted down the pockets of his jeans, double-checking he had everything before he left. He was avoiding the topic.
Whatever the topic was.
“Why can’t you tell me now?”
“Because it’s not somethin’ that should be said in the middle of an evacuation.” He pulled the bedroom door open, slinging his wrist across the top as he leaned into it. “Agree to dinner and I’ll tell you tonight.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Technically, I already agreed to dinner, but fine.”
I picked up my shoulder bag from the dresser and checked it had everything I needed within it as I approached him. That coy smile was still plastered on his face as he gestured for me to go first, only to kiss my cheek when I passed him.
On the way out of the apartment, with the fire alarm ringing through the halls, I beelined for the kitchen. Quickly grabbing a bag of mini salted caramel pretzels from the pantry before joining the others at the front door.
Dean was waiting with a confused frown on his face as he watched me shove a handful of the snacks into my mouth. Kira and Aiden had just stepped out.
I smiled sheepishly with my lips closed, swallowed part of the mouthful, and then mumbled, “Breakfast.”
“You know I’m drivin’ you to work, right? We could pick somethin’ up on the way,” he said as he closed the door behind us.
I shrugged and popped another pretzel into my mouth before offering him the bag. “Breakfast appetizer, then?”
He chuckled and took a handful, turning one of the pretzels over in his hand before tossing it into his mouth as his knowing smile returned. “I’ve already had my appetizer.”
With the elevators off limits in fire emergencies, even if there was no fire, moving down the stairwell was tedious.
