She swallows audibly. We go quiet for a short while until she breaks the comforting silence.
“God. I just cried all over you. I’m sorry.” She shifts away with a sniffle, flipping down the visor to wipe her puffy eyes. “I’m a mess, huh?”
You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, even with snot dripping from your nose.
“Not at all. Here.” I give her an ice cube from the water I ordered and wrap it in a napkin for her. “Put this under your eyes. It’ll help with the swelling.”
“Thanks.”
“Hockey players are no strangers to icing our injuries. Here, look at this killer bruise I got at an exhibition game.”
I lift the hem of my shirt to show off the mostly healed bruise on my ribs. Her lips twist wryly.
“You should’ve seen it the other day. Want some water? You should hydrate.”
“I’m okay. Just this.”
She puts her hair back in the flower clip to get it out of her face, and settles back in her seat with her food.
I watch her crushing her nuggets, wondering how the hell it’s possible for me to be even more into this girl. She already has a powerful hold over me.
“Way to be a creep.” She sounds more like herself and offers me a nugget. “Eat this instead of watching me.”
I chuckle. “I really want some, but I already had my weekly quota of cheat meals. The nutritionist will have me by the balls if I eat that.”
When I give it a longing look, she takes my hand and gives it to me.
“One nugget isn’t going to hurt. I thought you wanted to commiserate with me?”
The corner of my mouth tugs up. “Maybe without the skin.”
She’s flabbergasted as I peel it off the meat. “Dude. You can’t eat a naked chicken nugget. That’s just sad.”
“I know.” I laugh at the pitiful meat. “Damn it.”
“Here.”
Maya takes it away and balls it up in a napkin before shaking her box of delicious smelling nuggets insistently. I rub my fingers together.
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Her lips twitch and she leans in. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Sharing food with her makes something warm and happy spread through my chest. The feeling grows when I have to fight her for the last nugget.
“This is my sad meal. Get your own.” She swats at my hand.
I snort. “I thought you wanted to share with me.”
“Yeah, but the last one’s mine.”
She bites it in half, eyes gleaming with the spark I think I fell for the first night I met her. Catching her wrist, I bring her hand to my mouth and eat the second half.
“Hey.” A hoarse laugh escapes her. “That was mine.”
I trace a circle on the inside of her wrist. “Mmm. Thanks.”
She shivers, watching my tongue swipe across my lips. Pulling free of my grasp, she squirms in her seat to get comfortable, tucking one of her legs beneath her.
