“That is a wildly unfair but not inaccurate assessment.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I clicked the volume down a little and let the remote drop onto the cushion beside me.
The apartment was dim except for the TV and the little lamp in the corner by the chair.Outside the window, city light leaked through the blinds.Not enough to brighten the room much, just enough to remind me Madison was still out there doing what it did.
Swift was close.
Not touching me but close enough that I could feel the heat from him.
Close enough that if I turned my head, I’d be looking right at him.
So of course, that’s what I did.
His eyes were already on me.
And there it was again.
That strange little jolt in my chest that had been happening more and more with him.Not quite panic.Not quite nerves.Something hotter and more dangerous.
His gaze flicked over my face slowly, like he was reading something there I hadn’t said out loud.“What were you really doing in the bathroom?”he asked.
I blinked.
“Brushing my teeth.”
His mouth twitched.“Other than that.”
I blew out a breath and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.“Thinking.”
“About?”
I hesitated, then shrugged.“The shooting.”
His expression changed just a little.Not softer.Just more attentive.
“My brother.”
That got his full attention.“And?”he asked.
I looked down at my hands folded in my lap.“And how everything feels impossible right now.”
He didn’t answer right away.
Didn’t fill the silence just to fill it.
That was one of the weird things about Swift.He didn’t talk unless he meant it.Every word that came out of his mouth felt chosen instead of tossed around.
Finally, he said, “It’s not impossible.”
I looked back at him.“It kind of feels impossible.”
His eyes held mine.“I know.”
Something in my throat tightened.“Do you?”I asked before I could stop myself.
He leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable in that way that made me want to throw a shoe at him and kiss him at the same time.
