Page 585 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

In that second, a frantic ticking in my chest, one I didn’t even know was there, finally stops with a heartbreaking sigh of relief.

Every hardened muscle in me unclenches, nine days of grief from being separated from him,

and I sink fast,

whole body surrendering.

He kisses me slow, a little broken⁠—

breath catching,

fingers shaking,

a man scared.

Then the kiss falls open, starved, and he drives an arm around my waist, hand at my spine as he drags me flush against his heart, anchoring me to him, holding me as if I’m about to walk right out of this building and never come back.

It’s a hot, heavy-lidded rush—his tongue slow and hungry across mine, his teeth grazing my lower lip.

I taste coffee. Salt.

The terrifying desperation.

My fingers slip to the back of his head, in his hair, and a hard, aching sound catches in the back of his throat.

Then he slows all the way down,

and the kiss reaches so far into me,

no part of me's left unfelt.

Eventually, we break the kiss,

and he buries his face in my neck and holds me.

Right there in the hallway.

For a long while, he just holds me

and doesn’t let go.

We walk back into Maria’s room as if we weren’t making out in the hall. Which is stupid, ‘cause Andrew’s mouth is swollen, my face is hot, and his hand is clutching mine to death.

“Lemme guess.” Paola lifts a brow. “Niente happened.”

For the first time,

a real smile breaks across Andrew’s face.

Then the door opens behind us before we have a chance to cross the room. The doctor walks in with the coordinator.

Andrew squeezes my hand.

The room freezes.

Maria holds her joined hands at her mouth.

Paola’s standing slowly from the couch.