“Because… she’s not some random girl at a bar looking for a good time. She’s got this whole innocent thing going on, and I don’t want to be the reason she wrecks everything.”
“Or maybe,” Atlas said with a shrug, “you’re scared because for once you actually care about the outcome.”
That landed hard.
“I don’t get scared,” I said, but even I could hear how unconvincing it sounded.
“Indeed…” she rolled her eyes. “I guess that’s why you’re out here chain-smoking and overthinking.”
Before I could come up with a decent comeback, the sound of footsteps and familiar laughter caught my attention. I looked up and saw Kelechi and Carmen walking towards us, their silhouettes backlit by the glow from the car park lights. Kelechi had her arms wrapped around herself against the cold, and even from this distance, I could see her breath fogging in the air.
As they got closer, I noticed how she wrinkled her nose. It was a small, quick and subtle move, but I caught it.
She hated the smell of smoke.
“Ready to head out?” Carmen asked cheerfully as they reached us, seemingly oblivious to the heavy conversation Atlas and I had been having.
“Definitely,” Atlas replied, pushing off from the car. “This cold is brutal.”
We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, followed by Atlas and Carmen sharing a lingering kiss that made me look away. Carmen gave me a warm hug and told me it was great to meet my “project partner” with a suspicious smile that made my cheeks burn.
Atlas shot me one last look—which could translate to don’t be an idiot—before they got into the car and drove off.
And suddenly it was just Kelechi and me, standing beside my Honda in the nearly deserted parking lot. I dropped my cigarette and crushed it under my boot before unlocking the car.
“Come on,” I said, opening the passenger door for her. “Let’s get you out of this cold.”
Once we were both settled inside with the engine running and the heat beginning to chase away the winter chill, I found myself studying her profile in the dim glow of the dashboard lights. She was looking down at her hands, seemingly lost in thought.
“Hey,” I said softly, turning in my seat to face her. “Does smoking bother you? I noticed you… earlier. You seemed to react to it.”
She looked up at me, her eyes wide with panic.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude. I just… I’m just not used to it.”
She said it with the guilt of someone who’d committed a crime. God.
“You don’t need to apologise,” I said. “I should have thought about that.”
She shivered slightly, pulling her thin cardigan tighter around herself. The car’s heater was working, but slowly, and I could see goosebumps on her arms where her sleeves had ridden up.
Without thinking, I shrugged out of my jacket.
“Here.”
“Oh, you don’t have to?—”
“Take it,” I said, holding it out to her. “You’re freezing.”
She hesitated for a moment, then reached for the jacket. Our fingers brushed as she took it from me, and the contact sent electricity shooting up my arm. Her skin was soft and cold, and for a split second neither of us moved.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling the jacket around her shoulders. It was a bit big on her, swallowing her mid-sized frame, and something about seeing her wrapped in my clothes made my mouth go dry.
“Better?” I asked, though my voice sounded rougher than before.
She nodded, tucking her hands inside the sleeves.
“Much better. It smells like you.”
