here, but one thing I need you do is stay away from that Thorlackson kid. Okay?”
“What? Why?” Panic hit my stomach, then chest, before I could get another word out. Regardless of how I felt about Briton currently, the sentence was a terrible one.
“Just trust me.”
I could see he was serious. I didn’t want him to know my interest was instantly piqued so I feigned a yawn. “Whatever. He didn’t seem that into me anyway.”
He looked back into the hall like he was looking for Judith. “Judith says his family is trouble, honey. Please just do me this one favor and stay away from him.”
I wanted to know why he cared, but if I had learned anything in seventeen years, it was that pretending to go along with him made things easier. I shrugged again. “Whatever, fine.” I didn’t even know why I wanted to see the damned guy again anyway, but I did. I just didn’t realize it until my dad said not to.
He looked serious for a second. “I mean it, Olive. He isn’t as nice a kid as you think.”
My blood boiled, it was the weirdest reaction. “I didn’t think he was that nice anyway. Now drop it. I don’t want to talk about it, for Christ’s sake.” It came out spicier than I wanted it to.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Check your tone, young lady. This is for your safety. You know I love you.” He looked me in the eyes as if to check that I knew he loved me. I gave him my best smile to make him leave.
“Night, Dad.” I closed my bedroom door.
“Night, sweetie.”
I clicked the lock and walked into my closet to hang the dress and bag it. My feet tingled as the blood rushed back into them when I stepped out of the heels. The walk home with Josh had been a long one, even in such a small town. The shoes were one-block heels, not five.
I slipped my pajamas on and walked over to the door to my balcony, opening it and letting the cold fall air shoot into the room around me. My chest felt tight as I stood there, trying to get my breath back with the cool wind rippling my pajama bottoms around my legs. My tank top didn’t feel quite thick enough for the bustling cold air I was subjecting myself to, but I needed it. I had the strangest sensation. It was like my body was fuzzy and thick, and I couldn’t get away from it. It was like losing the control I had over myself.
I walked out into the cold night and leaned against the cold siding. I tried to calm myself, taking deep breaths and pulling the cold air into my lungs. I shivered from the siding against my back and, instead, walked to the old metal railing, watching the dark world around me. I couldn’t help but wonder how many women had stood on the balcony of this old house and looked down on the street. It could have been like a Romeo and Juliet movie set. The balcony was perfect for it. How many people had lived in this place? It wasn’t creepy, just old. Old in the way you were curious about the stories it held.
The night was silent and peaceful. The town was silent. It was so alien for me, coming from Chicago. The wind seemed to be the only noise, and no matter how cold the breeze felt, my skin was on fire from his touch.
Josh had walked me home. Josh was sweet and easy to be with. He was a gentleman.
But the rude and somewhat odd behavior of Briton was what I was stuck on. I couldn’t push him from my mind or shake the touch of his hands. The way he held me was commanding and controlling, and somehow that was attractive. That weirdly bossy attitude was attractive.
I sighed at the small town and the fact that the simple ways of the people there were getting to me. Never before had I found rudeness or a firm grip attractive.
Not to mention, the size thing. For whatever reason, I loved how tall he was , he towered over me . He took up all the room in my eyes and made me feel safe. I didn’t even need to close them to see every inch of his face in my mind; I had memorized it. In
“What? Why?” Panic hit my stomach, then chest, before I could get another word out. Regardless of how I felt about Briton currently, the sentence was a terrible one.
“Just trust me.”
I could see he was serious. I didn’t want him to know my interest was instantly piqued so I feigned a yawn. “Whatever. He didn’t seem that into me anyway.”
He looked back into the hall like he was looking for Judith. “Judith says his family is trouble, honey. Please just do me this one favor and stay away from him.”
I wanted to know why he cared, but if I had learned anything in seventeen years, it was that pretending to go along with him made things easier. I shrugged again. “Whatever, fine.” I didn’t even know why I wanted to see the damned guy again anyway, but I did. I just didn’t realize it until my dad said not to.
He looked serious for a second. “I mean it, Olive. He isn’t as nice a kid as you think.”
My blood boiled, it was the weirdest reaction. “I didn’t think he was that nice anyway. Now drop it. I don’t want to talk about it, for Christ’s sake.” It came out spicier than I wanted it to.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Check your tone, young lady. This is for your safety. You know I love you.” He looked me in the eyes as if to check that I knew he loved me. I gave him my best smile to make him leave.
“Night, Dad.” I closed my bedroom door.
“Night, sweetie.”
I clicked the lock and walked into my closet to hang the dress and bag it. My feet tingled as the blood rushed back into them when I stepped out of the heels. The walk home with Josh had been a long one, even in such a small town. The shoes were one-block heels, not five.
I slipped my pajamas on and walked over to the door to my balcony, opening it and letting the cold fall air shoot into the room around me. My chest felt tight as I stood there, trying to get my breath back with the cool wind rippling my pajama bottoms around my legs. My tank top didn’t feel quite thick enough for the bustling cold air I was subjecting myself to, but I needed it. I had the strangest sensation. It was like my body was fuzzy and thick, and I couldn’t get away from it. It was like losing the control I had over myself.
I walked out into the cold night and leaned against the cold siding. I tried to calm myself, taking deep breaths and pulling the cold air into my lungs. I shivered from the siding against my back and, instead, walked to the old metal railing, watching the dark world around me. I couldn’t help but wonder how many women had stood on the balcony of this old house and looked down on the street. It could have been like a Romeo and Juliet movie set. The balcony was perfect for it. How many people had lived in this place? It wasn’t creepy, just old. Old in the way you were curious about the stories it held.
The night was silent and peaceful. The town was silent. It was so alien for me, coming from Chicago. The wind seemed to be the only noise, and no matter how cold the breeze felt, my skin was on fire from his touch.
Josh had walked me home. Josh was sweet and easy to be with. He was a gentleman.
But the rude and somewhat odd behavior of Briton was what I was stuck on. I couldn’t push him from my mind or shake the touch of his hands. The way he held me was commanding and controlling, and somehow that was attractive. That weirdly bossy attitude was attractive.
I sighed at the small town and the fact that the simple ways of the people there were getting to me. Never before had I found rudeness or a firm grip attractive.
Not to mention, the size thing. For whatever reason, I loved how tall he was , he towered over me . He took up all the room in my eyes and made me feel safe. I didn’t even need to close them to see every inch of his face in my mind; I had memorized it. In
Similar Books
