Page 68 of Xavier

Fifteen

Him

She doesn’t say anything the whole way home.

She does let me take her hand though, in the limo, and somewhere along the trip she leans back, her side against my chest, as she stares out the window.

I breathe more than I need to, long deep breaths, taking in her scent, her warmth.

She’s the same but different.

There’s something in her eyes that wasn’t there all those years ago, but I can still hear the Malynda I knew in her laugh, her silly jokes, the way she wears her emotions on her face. How she points at things that make her smile and laugh; and it’s almost always tied to something that ignites her creativity.

I didn’t know what to expect from tonight, I just couldn’t imagine her on her own on her birthday. Why she wasn’t spending it with her boyfriend, Cameron, I don’t know. But I was going to take every chance to show up for her, when he wouldn’t.

She sighs gently and I look down at her.

The lights from the city catch on her eyelashes, framing her face with a soft glow.

Twelve years I waited for this.

But I feel more clueless than ever.

She’s here, but where has she been? What happened? And when can I kiss her again like I did on the roof?

The limo swerves, parks, and she sighs again before sitting up.

“This is me,” she murmurs, as if she’s telling herself.

“I’ll walk you up.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Relax, I’m just making sure you get to your apartment, okay? I won’t ask to come in. I won’t pretend to need a glass of water. I won’t even smile and I promise to waddle bow legged so you don’t get tempted by my sexy manwalk.” She doesn’t say anything but I can see the corners of her mouth twitching hard, so I go in for the kill. “But hey, if you don’t think you can resist me in all my flannel manliness, I understand. I wouldn’t want to make you do something you’ll regret. You’re right. It’s settled, I’ll stay here.”

“Bastard! Come on, then, sheesh. Stop before you hurt yourself.”

She climbs over me to get to the open limo door, mumbling, and I have to bite my tongue from getting hard at the feel of her body across my lap. Something tells me that she knows exactly what she’s doing, though, and that revenge was in order.

I exhale and follow her out of the car and to her building’s entrance. There’s no doorman so I open the door for her and she brushes past me.

Vanilla. I’m drowning in the scent of vanilla.

“What floor?” I ask, when we get into the elevator.

“Not the penthouse,” she shoots back.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not the top floor.”

“Fifteen,” she says and rolls her eyes. I try not to laugh, she’s being awfully cute in her pretend standoffishness, so I have no reason to make her stop.

The elevator stops.

“Good night!” she says, pushing past me through the opening doors.

“It was a good night,” I say, as I follow her down the hall.

“What are you doing?” she says, her hand pushing against my chest.