His comment stings my heart.
Today is Black Friday.
The anniversary of the day they died.
I heard it in my nightmare. That knock on the door when a stone-faced policewoman told me my parents were in an accident. That they weren’t coming back. That I was alone.
But Marcus doesn’t know what today means, so I push down my sadness.
I resist the urge to run my hands through his tangled hair. “Don’t be sorry. We all have our trauma, Marcus, and it’s all fucking terrible. Mine isn’t any better or worse than yours. Just different.”
He opens his hand, and I place my palm against his, marveling at how much larger his hands are.
“I think this stuff is starting to wear off.”
I swallow. “Does that mean we shouldn’t hold hands?”
“No,” he replies softly as his fingers interlace with mine. “I really like holding your hand.”
“Same.”
And we sit like that until the incoming tide forces us to our feet before we end up completely soaked.
“So tell me about your trip into town.”
Marcus purses his lips. “I can’t go back there.” His voice is quiet, like he’s telling me a secret. “It was the crow’s fault.”
I blink. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Right after the second edible kicked in, I was extra loopy, I guess. I don’t know. But I’m not a very graceful person.”
I snicker. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Marcus’s eyes narrow, and I catch a hint of grumpiness remerging.
There’s my guy. Notmyguy. He’s not mine.
“Anyway, I was scaring off the crow.”
“What did the crow do?”
He side-eyes me. “They’re creepy, and this one wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“Makes sense. Crows do lack a sense of personal space.” I hide a smile behind my hand. “Continue.”
“Well, more crows showed up. It was like . . . a whole gang of crows.”
“A murder?”
“What? No, they didn’t kill anyone.”
“No, no, a murder is the official term for a group of crows.”
He stares at me, deadpan. “Really? Or are you fucking with me right now?”
I laugh. “Really.”
“Well, now they’re evenmorecreepy.” He clears his throat. “Long story short, I tried to scare them off and accidentally threw my shoe at the bookstore window.”
