Rolling my shoulders, I tried to ease some of the tension in my muscles while she checked for stragglers and eventually locked up the gym.
“Why are you so quiet?”
I whirled around. “What?”
“You’re too quiet. It’s weird. Not like you to be all brooding and not smiling stupidly. So, what gives?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grunted.
How did she read me so easily? Was it that obvious?
Tori scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure, Grumpy Pants. ”
I snorted, biting the inside of my cheek again. I hadn't planned to tell her — truly, I hadn't — but before I knew it, the words were tumbling out of my mouth.
“I just … I don’t know.” I brushed the hair out of my face and huffed. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”
“Why’d you come here then?” she asked coldly.
My eyes went wide. “No! I didn’t meanhere. I don’t know what I was thinking even leaving home. The frustrating part is, IknowI can do this but nothing is working and I’m kind of getting fed up with it.”
Tori cocked her head to the side, her expression softening.
“I’m not dumb,” I added quickly, before she could open her mouth. “I know I’m not. Just … slower to grasp certain things. Been like this forever but it’s never been as glaringly, embarrassingly obvious before. Feels like I’m a fish out of the fucking water.”
Tori blinked, and I huffed out a breath, raking my hand through my hair once more. “And I don’t want you to think that about me, so I don’t even know what I’m doing here, telling you all this.”
For the first time, I admitted out loud to caring about what she thought of me.
“You’re not slow. You’re a visual learner, that’s all.” Her words were blunt, but they grounded me. She didn’t sugarcoat anything, and I found I appreciated this trait of hers more than ever before.
“You’re not stupid, Kai. Trust me. I’ve met stupid, and you … you’re not it.”
Although there was a certain sharpness in her voice, I could also make out a hint of affection beneath the surface.
Stunned, I watched her step closer, her focus never wavering.
“You watch people first. It’s not slow. It’s cautious. And smart.”
The tight knot lodged deep inside of me seemed to unravel ever so slowly.
“You think too much about what people expect from you. That’s the only thing slowing you down.”
There she went, calling out my real insecurity.
My breathing picked up as I stared at her, taking in her pretty face with those big, intense eyes. Once again, I wondered whether I was an open book or if it was simply the invisible connection I felt between us.
Did she feel it too, or was it just me? Whenever I got close to her, there was a sizzling, crackling energy drawing me to her like a moth to a flame.
Tori scoffed, but the corner of her mouth curled up in a faint smile. “What? Don’t look at me like I’m performing a miracle. It’s basic observation.”
I cleared my throat. “Right.”
She stepped closer again, and my breath caught in my throat.
“There’s nothing wrong with thinking differently.”
Her eyes tracked the movement of my throat as I swallowed hard.
