“And now we’re picking up the pace.” I sign the receipt and manage to catch my brother’s attention long enough to indicate that we’re leaving.
It isn’t until we step outside that I notice the gorgeous weather from earlier has decided to take a hike. Jules stands under the awning and stares at the hotel across the street that somehow seems miles away. “We’re going to get soaked.”
Large drops of rain steadily fall, bouncing off the pavement and making the air smell of wet cement. She sighs, and I don’t know if it’s because we’re going to have to make a mad dash or if it’s because she still thinks the rain is romantic.
An idea pops into my head. I step out from under the awning and hold out my hand, wiggling my fingers. “Dance with me.”
Her mouth twists into a small smile. “What?”
“You said you’ve always wanted to dance in the rain. So dance with me.” She slowly puts her hand in mine.
She lets out a shriek when the rain hits her skin, the droplets probably colder than she imagined. I give her a twirl and pull her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. She follows my lead, and I move us in slow circles. We’ve played in the rain together before, as kids, splashing and jumping in puddles. But this…this is different.
This is dangerous.
When the laughter dies, she stares at my mouth and licks her lips. I’m unable to look away. Her hand feels warm in mine, and I grip it like a lifeline. I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as I want to kiss her now.
When I finally bring my eyes back to hers, I hold her gaze until it becomes heavy with unspoken implications. She searches my eyes.Drops of water trail down her face, making what’s left of her makeup run.
“What Belinda Carlisle song?” she asks, a throwback to a conversation from months before. I had almost forgotten.
“Whichever one you want,” I tell her despite “I Get Weak” playing on an endless loop inside my head.
Her expression changes. From curious to understanding, and I know that something has just shifted between us.
“Ready?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I tell her without knowing what I’m supposed to be ready for.
She tugs my hand and leads me across the street to the hotel.
Our rooms are on different floors. I’m on the sixth, and she’s on the fourth. We stand on opposite sides of the elevator, dripping wet and shivering. The air feels as thick as the tension between us. She won’t look at me, but I can’t seem to look away from her. I should say something, maybe attempt to be funny, to dismiss whatever it was that happened while we were dancing. But I don’t want to.
When the elevator finally stops and the doors open, I step out with her, wanting to drag out the tension for just a moment longer.
The trek to the end of the hall is over far too quickly. She nervously fiddles with her key card. It takes her three times to get the door open, and when she does, we both laugh, the sound carrying some of the tension away. She flicks on the light in the doorway, brightening the otherwise darkened room.
“Well,” I start to say. But the words “good night” get caught on my tongue.
She leans against the open door. “Do you want to come in?”
Desperately.“Do you want me to?” I ask instead, trying to convey what I really mean: Do you wantmelike I wantyou?
She nods. “Yes.”
My head is firing flashes of red, telling me to stop before it’s too late. Warning me of the consequences if I step inside her room. I cross the threshold anyway.
The door shuts softly. A drop of water trickles from a loose strand of hair down the front of her neck until it finally disappears down the V of her dress.
Oh, how I wish to be that drop.
“Alex,” she whispers breathlessly. The way she’s looking at me, like she wants to eat me whole, sets fire to my body.
This is a bad idea. I know that if I stay, it won’t quench my desire for her; it’ll ignite it. And once it’s set ablaze, I’m not sure I’ll be able to extinguish it. The smart thing to do, thesafething, would be to tell her good night and walk away. To preserve our friendship and pretend this never happened. But it’s that look, one of uncertain and untamable desire, that triggers something inside me. I slip my hand around the back of her neck and pull her against me, crushing our mouths together tofinallytaste her lips.
Chapter Eleven
Julia
