mean to pry, I couldn’t help it when I reached out.
I touched him.
His beautiful eyes followed mine to his hand as I moved my fingers delicately over his warm knuckles, then to his fingers that were so much bigger than mine. His mouth parted and he turned his hand over when I guided it to do so. His fist remained clenched, but slowly, he let me open it. I got to see his palm then, and there in the center was the mood ring he gave me. I’d never seen it this way before, though. It was a yellowish-orange.
“You, um,” he said, swallowing. “You left—”
“I dropped it,” I finished for him, chewing my lip again. “I dropped it.”
He looked at me for a long moment, studying me. Eventually, he nodded again, and I was happy to see that full smile of his return.
“You dropped it,” he confirmed, holding me hostage to that wonderful gaze. He slid his hand out of his pocket and reached down, surprising me when he was the one to engage a touch between us by grabbing my hand. I thought he’d put the ring in my palm but he didn’t. He put it on me, sliding it on naturally, as if this was supposed to be. It was as if this was always supposed to be.
All too soon, he let my hand go and both hands went into his pockets this time. “Look, Alexa. If you were leaving for whatever reason, going out on your own, that’s okay. You can do that you know? Anytime.”
Though, I knew that were true, I didn’t want to admit that to him. I didn’t want him to know I left because things felt too deep. I didn’t want him to know I felt and it… it scared me. I was embarrassed.
Sparing both his feelings and mine, I remained silent.
“As long as you know that,” he said, nodding. He gazed around and I wondered where we’d go from here. He found me again, but was that good for either of us? He had places to go and I did, too. Being together again would only make that worse once the trip concluded. That’s why I left in the first place.
He faced me. “You said you like to dance, right?”
That’s not what I thought he’d say next. I almost thought his next words could possibly be parting ones. I had run after all. He had to have known that. I pushed my bag up on my arm. “Yeah.”
He chewed in the inside of his cheek a moment, rubbing behind his neck. He seemed nervous, and really, I’d never seen him so cute. Brody was so huge, wide, and powerful, so it was different seeing him looking vulnerable.
Dropping his hand, he let out a breath. “Would it be weird if I took you out some place?”
I blanched the words came out so quickly. Despite that, he continued.
“There’s this place I think you’d like a few hours away,” he said, though a bit breathy. “This place after we reach Texas. They got dancing and stuff. I don’t know. You probably don’t have time and it’s probably even weird that I asked, but I just thought you’d get a kick out of it. Nothing funny. I just think it would be fun. I don’t know, is that weird?”
He got a laugh out of me at his sudden awkwardness. He’s the only one who’d been able to get me laughing so much in a while. “No,” I told him, and his eyes flashed, but then the smile came back. It came back after I told him it wouldn’t be weird at all.
Chapter Nine
Alexa
Brody was right. The place he was talking about wasn’t far away at all. An old barn-looking establishment, the building was bustling with people. They both came and left in clusters and my heart charged at the sound of amped up music, lights flashing from the inside out. This looked to be a bar at first glance, but they definitely had a dance scene and I surprised myself by how excited I had suddenly gotten. Brody told me he wanted to take me dancing, and really, I had been amped just because it was him and he asked. I didn’t know what this meant for us.
But I also didn’t want to fight whatever it was either.
Brody ended up parking the rig by several others in the far dirt
I touched him.
His beautiful eyes followed mine to his hand as I moved my fingers delicately over his warm knuckles, then to his fingers that were so much bigger than mine. His mouth parted and he turned his hand over when I guided it to do so. His fist remained clenched, but slowly, he let me open it. I got to see his palm then, and there in the center was the mood ring he gave me. I’d never seen it this way before, though. It was a yellowish-orange.
“You, um,” he said, swallowing. “You left—”
“I dropped it,” I finished for him, chewing my lip again. “I dropped it.”
He looked at me for a long moment, studying me. Eventually, he nodded again, and I was happy to see that full smile of his return.
“You dropped it,” he confirmed, holding me hostage to that wonderful gaze. He slid his hand out of his pocket and reached down, surprising me when he was the one to engage a touch between us by grabbing my hand. I thought he’d put the ring in my palm but he didn’t. He put it on me, sliding it on naturally, as if this was supposed to be. It was as if this was always supposed to be.
All too soon, he let my hand go and both hands went into his pockets this time. “Look, Alexa. If you were leaving for whatever reason, going out on your own, that’s okay. You can do that you know? Anytime.”
Though, I knew that were true, I didn’t want to admit that to him. I didn’t want him to know I left because things felt too deep. I didn’t want him to know I felt and it… it scared me. I was embarrassed.
Sparing both his feelings and mine, I remained silent.
“As long as you know that,” he said, nodding. He gazed around and I wondered where we’d go from here. He found me again, but was that good for either of us? He had places to go and I did, too. Being together again would only make that worse once the trip concluded. That’s why I left in the first place.
He faced me. “You said you like to dance, right?”
That’s not what I thought he’d say next. I almost thought his next words could possibly be parting ones. I had run after all. He had to have known that. I pushed my bag up on my arm. “Yeah.”
He chewed in the inside of his cheek a moment, rubbing behind his neck. He seemed nervous, and really, I’d never seen him so cute. Brody was so huge, wide, and powerful, so it was different seeing him looking vulnerable.
Dropping his hand, he let out a breath. “Would it be weird if I took you out some place?”
I blanched the words came out so quickly. Despite that, he continued.
“There’s this place I think you’d like a few hours away,” he said, though a bit breathy. “This place after we reach Texas. They got dancing and stuff. I don’t know. You probably don’t have time and it’s probably even weird that I asked, but I just thought you’d get a kick out of it. Nothing funny. I just think it would be fun. I don’t know, is that weird?”
He got a laugh out of me at his sudden awkwardness. He’s the only one who’d been able to get me laughing so much in a while. “No,” I told him, and his eyes flashed, but then the smile came back. It came back after I told him it wouldn’t be weird at all.
Chapter Nine
Alexa
Brody was right. The place he was talking about wasn’t far away at all. An old barn-looking establishment, the building was bustling with people. They both came and left in clusters and my heart charged at the sound of amped up music, lights flashing from the inside out. This looked to be a bar at first glance, but they definitely had a dance scene and I surprised myself by how excited I had suddenly gotten. Brody told me he wanted to take me dancing, and really, I had been amped just because it was him and he asked. I didn’t know what this meant for us.
But I also didn’t want to fight whatever it was either.
Brody ended up parking the rig by several others in the far dirt
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