‘Open it!’ he said. I told him to go first, but he refused.
I finally relented and opened the gift bag. Then I saw the name on the box and stopped immediately. Emile Henry was a cookware company. And not cheap.
‘Holy shit, Gabe.’ I took out the box and gasped.
‘It’s a—’
‘A bread cloche, no, I know!’ He snorted. I had seen them online and actually wanted one. It was a Dutch oven that doubled as a bread box. It was also a hundred and fifty bucks. Way more than I’d spent on his gift. ‘This is too nice, Gabe. I can’t accept it.’
‘You can, ’cause it was on clearance and all sales were final.’
I didn’t know what to say. ‘Was it really?’
‘No. But I did just see your face, and you’re not making me take that back. It’s yours. All I ask is you bake me some bread in it.’
‘Hell yeah! You get free carbs for life.’
He laughed. I wanted to bask more, but I saw him fidgeting with his gift. Oh, right! This was anexchange. And there was no way I was giving him the gift in that box now. I put the bread cloche in the gift bag and grabbed for the box in his lap.
He snatched it away, smiling. ‘No!’
‘I just realized it’s the wrong box.’
‘Oh, did I get Ava’s present?’
That kind of hurt. I did have a gift for Ava, but we hadn’t exactly spoken since our blowup, so I didn’t know where we stood on gift giving at the moment.
Gabe pulled open the cardboard box. ‘Is it a—’
He stopped speaking. I bit my top lip and pulled at my fingers. I was so nervous. What if he thought it was stupid? Itwasstupid. Shit, and now it was too late. Pandora’s box was opened.
He stared at it. I couldn’t read his face. There were no dimples at all. My chest tightened, and I pulled at my finger harder, cracking a knuckle.
‘I know it’s silly. I just thought it was … I don’t know.’ I chuckled. Now I felt super dumb. Even dumber, if that was possible, when he took it out. It was a little Hot Wheels DeLorean fromBack to the Future. I saw it at an antique store with Ava a few weeks ago. It was just sitting there in a shoebox on top of all the other little Hot Wheels cars from who knows when.
It had seemed cute at the time. But that was before he gave me a $150 piece of bakeware.
He turned to me, and I could see the smile growing on his face. ‘I fucking …lovethis.’
Dimples! YES!
‘Seriously? It’s a silly toy.’
He shook his head and stared at it in his hands, his eyes turning glassy. ‘No, Thomas. It isn’t.’ My face burned hot again.
But before I could get too embarrassed, he reached across the center console and pulled me to him. There was no question this time:hewas kissingme. His hands went up to my hair, but he was still holding the Hot Wheels in one. It felt like he was trying to drive it across my scalp, and I laughed against his lips.
He must have known exactly what I was laughing at, because he laughed too and put the Hot Wheels back in the box in his lap. His hand then returned to the nape of my neck, and I breathed him into me.
Vic be damned.
Finally, after what felt like seconds yet also an hour but was probably ten minutes, I pulled away. When I spoke, it sounded like I was out of breath, even though I hadn’t moved from my seat. ‘My mom’s probably wondering where I ran out to.’
‘Probably.’
Then we were making out again.
‘I should go,’ I said, pulling back. Also, if anything else was going to happen – andMY GOD, did I want it to happen – I didn’t want the cloud of Vic hanging over us. All that had to be over with if we were going to do anything else.
