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"You wanna co so I could process what he’d said, tothe back of his neck sheepishly and waiting for uess It’s not like I have a whole lot goin’ on around here" I glanced behindme to make a break for it When I turned back, I wrinkled e?"
He stood on his toes so he could checkthe jeans and one of the T-shirtstrip froood in clothes that fit," he toldsurprise "Are you sure? Because I’a pants Are you saying they’re not in style, because they totally were five years ago?"
His expression beca me catch my breath "I’m pretty sure you could pull off just about any look you wanted to"
"Good" I laughed, hoping he couldn’t hear the shakiness inelse, and I really don’t want to put ain, like ever"
I checked the tiain, and it was still just before six o’clock, sao I lifted e and held outfor ured she had my number--because she was the only one, aside from Tyler, who did--and she could call if she orried
Tyler’s fingers closed around mine Austin’s hands had always been dry, so special creaainst all the chlorine and sun dah quality about therit sandpaper He’d spent half his life in the pool, the other half in every available lake, river, and stream He was one of those people who probably wouldn’t have minded if he’d been born ebbed toes
Tyler’s hands were soft Not like a girl’s or anything, but not calloused liketo everyone, I hadn’t picked up a bat in five years
But now that I stopped to think about it, there were so s about Tyler that were different froine I’d ever mistaken the two of thereen but were mossier colored than Austin’s And the diainst hieous and stunning
I blinked hard, trying to snap some sense into myself Where the holy hell did that co but Austin’s younger brother, because no matter what, that’s what he was--Austin’s brother--and I struck a silent deal withother than a friend, because that is all he could ever be
CHAPTER FIVE
"OKAAAY, I GIVE UP WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?" I asked, surveying the less-than-savory alley where Tyler had parked "Shouldn’t we be someplace a little less" I raised my eyebrows "Stabby?"
Tyler shoved open his car door in a way that ood shove in order to open "Relax," he assured me "It’s perfectly safe"
He smiled, and that ot out and ca for me No one had ever opened my car door like that, not even Austin
I blushed and duckednot to notice how tall he was or the way he se He locked the car and went to a door that was dented and painted black He didn’t knock or anything but let hih for me to realize I was supposed to follow, so I trailed after hie room of some sort croith metal shelves and stacks of cardboard boxes and plastic crates that filled every possible space There seemed to be no order to the chaos Mostly, it looked like books and catalogs, but there were also stacks of rolled posters and piles of photographs, and h He slipped right past the hoarder’s haven not giving it a second glance, leading le word into an even more cluttered bookstore beyond
This wasn’t one of those chain bookstores, though, the ones where everything is perfectly aligned and tidy, and where there were tables strategically positioned to highlight this week’s hottest sellers There was no soft jazz playing in the background or a café with easy chairs so patrons could kick back with a pastry and hang out to browse their selections This was more like a thrift store for books, which n on the other side of the plate glassthat read used books
It had that smell too That ot your assigned reading in English class The ses of a book that’s been passed down year after year, the one with the dog-eared pages and highlighted passages, and rips and a tattered cover And if you were really, really lucky, sooing to read the book, drew pictures of ladies’ boobs at the front of each chapter