Whatever light and love I had, I poured into that kiss. We twisted to avoid hat and forehead collision, my lips swelling with affection.
How much could I tell him with a look? With a touch? Was I telling him I loved him?
I trembled, and he eased back, his eyes slow to open.
“Maybe we should get back,” he said, his voice soft and graveled.
“Yeah,” I said. We were at work, after all. This was hardly the place for emotional confessions. Or make out sessions.
He stood and reached for the door, but I grasped his shirt.
“Wait. Are you okay? With my boundaries and coming to my house and…everything?” I licked my tingling lips.
“Mostly.” He straightened my cap, then bent to pin me with his gaze. “It’d be nice if next time you talked to me instead of the whole run-and-hide routine.”
“Okay. And you'll do the same for me, presumably.”
He nodded. "I'm busy right now, but I'll do my best."
My heart thudded. It wasn’t like he’d hunt me down and demand anything. Affection. Control. I flexed my fingers into fists. No matter where I went, I couldn’t escape the fact I really fucking liked him as more than a friend.
28
Something More
All this obsession over a relationship could be for nothing. Sal wasn’t ready for a new girlfriend so soon after Janice. But that horny, silver-haired server didn’t need to find him a warm body. Sal had me. And I had Space Spies 3009…and snacks.
He came over every couple of days. Sometimes, it’d end up in bed, and other times, we’d hug goodbye. I had a weird urgency to text him, even when I’d seen him hours before. I grinned at his toy demonstrations. Everything was a fun discovery with him. Spinning tops. Bubble guns. Kisses in storage closets. Not that he was doing that with anyone else.
He caught me watching him and waved, his dimples a beacon of joy amid the error-ridden LED screens at my desk. I grinned at him, my cheeks heating as I returned to work.
I licked my lips and checked the clock. Lunch wasn’t too far off. Once he packed up the demonstration, I gave him fifteen minutes to wrap up any sales, then told Ash, “I’m taking my ten.”
“Okay.” She smirked, watching me walk out the front.
“What?” I tugged my fleece over my ass.
She raised her shoulder and flicked her middle finger over a tablet. “Let me know if there are any great deals out there.”
But I didn’t know what she was looking for. I furrowed my brow. “Okay.”
Was she amused by the fact I rarely went anywhere for my break? Or that I didn’t have my headphones on for once? I could be visiting my brother. Or shopping. People did that. Especially around Black Friday.
I hurried into Geppetto’s Workshop. Sal popped up from behind the desk, where he kept a box of demonstration toys.
“Hi.” I dragged the syllable, super awkward.
He grinned, cheesing. “Did you miss me?”
“No. I was bored.” I snatched Tom the Turkey. How the hell had I gotten to the point I needed an emotional support stuffed animal just to admit I wanted to spend time with him?
He nodded and looked down, fiddling with some smaller items like candy and keychain plushes.
I ambled over, squashing the turkey as a buffer between me and the counter. “Did you see the new Craft Cove event? We can party up to get bonuses.”
He shrugged and scratched his chin. “I’m not playing much these days.”
Ah. Because of the breakup? Because he’s still in love with Janice and doesn’t want to see her gift thing?
