“That’s amazing, truly.” The urge to hug him again overtook me, and it was a damn good thing we were in the GLO Mobile. “Nothing makes me happier when a book can really change your mindset.”
“The book, yeah.” He slid me a heavy glance, his eyes swirling with unsaid words. That look… shit. My breathing got heavier, almost like pants. His insinuation was clear—I’dhelped himchange his mindset, and that alone made me struggle to keep distance between us. Ilovedbeing his person, and it made me think about a future that wouldn’t happen. Even though I realized I had feelings for him, big fat messy ones. Feelings that would eat me up and spit me out because while I knew Calcaredfor me, that’s all it would be. More than indifference. He’d never give me the happy ending and swoons and the love I’d dreamed about my whole life.
“I’m not done yet, but thanks for recommending it.”
I clicked my tongue and pointed to my head, dead set on lightening the mood. “I got all sorts of ideas and recommendations in here, buddy boy. Ask and I’ll deliver.”
“I’m counting on it.”
He pulled into Charlie’s driveway, and I was anxious to get started, but the weight and warmth of his words took root in my soul and grew. I was dangerously close to getting feelings for him beyond wanting to kiss him silly. I had to come up with a way to prevent it and fast, because watching him stare at the hockey stick and jersey he brought for his little cousin? The care he put into helping Charlie? Yeah, it wouldn’t be long before I dove headfirst into heartbreak.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Cal
Spending the entire day with Elle made everything go by so much faster. I blinked and it was noon. Blinked again and we had to head back to get ready for the bar. I’d rather bite my tongue than admit it, but Wednesdays were my favorite because it was just us there. Her behind the bar making drinks, and me doing everything else. No Alex to catch me staring at her. That little shit made it clear they wanted me to fall on my ass.
Even after being around Elle for twelve hours straight, I craved more. I couldn’t recall a single human being who I could tolerate for this long. Anyone else, I’d need at least a three-day break in between seeing their face, but with her? I didn’t even want to go shower upstairs. She was infectious and wonderful. I didn’t have to hide my grief or inner thoughts with her. Fuck, she’d already seen the worst parts of me and still was my friend.
That fucking F word again.
I stretched my arms over my head, working out the tension in my chest as I stood near the door. The weather was weird for a summer June day. The humidity was horrible, and thetemperature had dropped majorly by the time we got here. It wasn’t uncommon to have a summer storm, and I checked my phone:tornado watch.
Figures.
It was six, and we only had about ten people at the bar. No major sports games were on, and I grabbed the remote from the bar top. I turned on the news as Elle caught my eye.
“Tornado watch,” I said.
“Oh.” Her eyes lit up. “Mind if I step outside for a second?”
That was a weird ass response to learning we might have a tornado, but Elle was weird. In the best way possible. I snorted. Her brain had to be wild to visit. “Sure?”
“Thanks.”
She almost jogged toward the end of the bar and out the front door. Her black ripped jeans and white shirt were torture. So simple, yet they hugged every part of her I wanted to explore. She was effortlessly beautiful, and I wished I could go back in time to that day when I’d said the terrible comment about her major. The one where she thought I’d made fun of her intelligence. Then, if I erased it, we could be something more. Maybe. If I was capable of a real relationship.
It had been more than a few minutes, and I wanted to know what she was doing. I gave the patrons a quick scan, and it was clear no one needed anything. So, I opened the door and found her standing in the middle of the road glancing up. “Elle?”
“The clouds, Cal. Look at them!”
I did, and my gut churned. They were wicked green and the sky so dark it looked like nighttime. Lightning flashed in the distance, and the air felt heavy. Really heavy. “Get inside.”
“I will, but I love when the wall cloud comes in. It’s romantic.”
“A storm with a tornado is not fucking romantic, Elle. Get your ass inside.”
She narrowed her eyes a me before tilting her head up and grinning wide. “I read once that when the rain stops, that’s a bad sign. It’s only sprinkling.”
“Yeah, forgive me for not caring that you read something about a storm once. They are dangerous.” My impatience flared. I wasn’t afraid of storms like she was of bees, but I had a good, healthy fear of them. Like a normal human being. There were a few things I didn’t fuck with, and Mother Nature was one of them.
She got out her phone and took a couple of pictures, and I about had it. My skin itched with irritation at her lack of safety. The sky was so black it was like midnight, and nothing good would come of this. The bar was on the ground floor, and we had a little cellar downstairs, and I was half-tempted to carry her ass there. “Thirty seconds and I’m removing you from the road.”
She shook her head and waved her hand, like I was a pesky little gnat. “Settle down, just a few more pictures.”
The sirens went off, the eerie sound that reminded me of Tuesday morning drills in school. My heart skipped a beat as the dread sank its way down my body, freezing me to the spot. “That means it’s a warning, not a watch, Elle!”
