“How does that feel?” he asked as he tucked the bandage in on itself. Intentionally or not, he brushed the pad of his thumb against the dip below mine as he cradled the back of my hand.
A shiver skittered over my skin at his touch, but I blinked and stepped back, nodding once as I looked down at the clean, white bandage. “Better… Thank you.”
“At least it wasn’t your drawing hand,” he said as he closed the first aid box.
I couldn’t help the little smile that pulled at my lips despite the tear streaks on my face.
The bathroom door swung open again, making way for Roxy as she strolled in. She raised her brow at what she saw and crossed her arms. A smirk slowly spread to her dark red lips. “If you two are done, we’re locking up soon.”
Dean breathed heavily through his nose and turned around to lean against the sink, ignoring Roxy as he nodded to my hand. “I’ll let Antonio know you won’t be workin’ downstairs for a little while.”
“He’ll be okay with that?”
A shrug of confidence as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “He’ll understand.”
I smiled briefly, only because my eyes drifted to Roxy as she waited impatiently by the open door, tapping her nails on her arm.
I sucked in a breath before heading towards her, avoiding eye contact as we passed each other. But she couldn’t care less about my existence anymore. Not when she sauntered further into the bathroom.
Chapter 24
Lily
Standing outside the Bay Ridge cinema in jean shorts and a loose, powder blue, button-up top, I contemplated canceling the date.
I clutched the strap of my bag as I scanned the street from left to right.
A bus pulled up to the curb in front of me, brakes squeaking and doors folding open. Several teenagers excitedly hopped off, already chatting about the action-thriller that was screening inside in 10 minutes. I was half tempted to climb onto the bus and find out if it went by my apartment.
After last night's events at the meeting, any enthusiasm to go on this date with Oliver had sort of faded. I had almost canceled it this morning before Kira talked me out of it. She said it would be a good distraction from everything else going on. So, I told Oliver I would meet him at the cinema instead of him picking me up from home. It gave me more time to procrastinate. And more freedom to leave if I changed my mind.
Coward.
“Lily!” Oliver’s cheerful way of greeting was almost drowned out by the traffic whizzing by.
He was standing across the street beside his silver Audi. Hands in the pockets of his jeans, he jogged across the road once it was clear to do so. A broad, warm smile was already on his face and his honey-blonde hair bounced a little with his movement. His happy demeanor made me feel guilty for wanting to leave in the first place.
“Hi,” I smiled as he came to a stop in front of me. His expensive cologne filled my senses with wood and spices.
“Have you been waiting long?” He pulled a hand through his hair, brow creased slightly.
“No, no. It starts in…nine minutes,” I said as I checked my phone. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Plenty of time to buy snacks,” he winked, steering us toward the cinema entrance.
I was left a little speechless. Not because of the wink — that was done so casually, I figured it was a habit. It was the way he took my right hand in his and walked me to the door as if we knew each other better. His hand in mine felt strange (soft, smooth, and holding on lightly) and like he had it in front of his car's air-conditioning vent for too long. But I remained polite, as we approached the ticket booth, and left my hand in his.
There was no arguing with Oliver when he offered to pay for the tickets, popcorn, and drinks. He stopped my hand from reaching for my bag once the cashier rang up the price of the snacks. Smiling, he said, “Allow me.”
I pursed my lips in a small smile and collected our sodas from the counter while he held onto the tickets and popcorn. The icy chill and moisture from the cups numbed my hands and soaked the fresh bandage on my left palm.
“What happened to your hand?” Oliver nodded to it as we walked to the double doors leading to the movie. The corner of his mouth twitched as he looked across his shoulder at me. “Paper cut from too much reading?”
I huffed a laugh. “No. I accidentally broke a glass. At home.” It was the same half-truth I told everyone at work this morning who had asked similar questions. Which was also the same time Mom had granted me the rest of the day off so I could go on this date.
“What were you doing?” he chuckled, handing the tickets to the usher. She tore them in half, handed back our halves, and gestured for us to enter. Oliver took the lead as we went into the cinema.
“The glass already had a crack in it. I just put it down a little too hard,” I said to his back as I followed him. I was getting way too comfortable with lying so easily.
