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It takes hiht now In Seattle At your house"

"She’s at the airport" I flip on the wipers and watch as they scrape off the rest of the frost "I’ht now"

"Why didn’t you tell ain

"Because I didn’t know she was co" I turn the wipers off and buckle o and said she was at the airport… she sounded upset And I need for you to tell me that I can handle this"

"Do you think you can handle this?" He uses psychology ondoes all the time

"I don’t know… maybe…" I put the car into reverse and back out of the driveway "I had all these pictures up on my wall… ones of Lexi and myI lost… to hold on… I just took them down"

"When did you do this?" His voice is cautious

"Like five o" I turn the wheel and drive down the road, heading toward the freeway

"And how do you feel?"

"Weird" It’s the first word that co "Wilson, I’m not sure I can do this… see her… I’ I could be happier about her being here, but I can’t "Tell o home?"

He contemplates what I said "Why would you do that?"

"Because I just said I wasn’t ready… and the idea of seeing her is freakingwheel and stare at the floor "And you told et into a relationship until I was ready"

"Just because she’s here, doesn’t mean you’re in a relationship," he tells ood for you to help her out hatever she’s going through, since, from what I understand, she’s really helped you in the past"

As soon as he says it, I know he’s right I’ about how her being here is going to affectabout what happened that she needed to get on a plane and coht," he says arrogantly "I’ht or not, it doesn’t make it any easier to drive to the airport But I h it probably takes e claiet there

It takes me a minute to spot her because it’s the holidays and the place is pretty packed But when I do, I swear to fking God soood, I think, although I’ot her hair pulled up and a backpack by her feet as she leans against the ith her eyes shut, the crowd er I stare at her, thecheesy that sounds It’s just she and I and the past sort of washes overHow she ive up on ive up on irl saved me and I love her for it I know that now My heart knows it My head knows it Even ive out on rasp the wall before I collapse I can barely breathe as I work to stand up, the feelings insideI don’t know if I can handle it--feeling this way for her while I’m sober

The fear only intensifies when she opens her eyes and her gaze sweeps the room A heartbeat later she spots me She doesn’t move React Neither do I I want to, but I can’t Luckily sheShe scoops up her backpack fros it onto her shoulder, and heads for me With each step she takes, her mouth turns up

"Hey," she says, and then without any warning she throws her arht, it feels like she’s trying to survive through it The heat of her body courses and rushes through ardless of how terrified I a htly e to fall to the ground, but it’s hard to stay up as adrenaline and e sideways, falling off the tightrope But she’s holding on to me so I don’t fall completely and I end up suspended in the air I didn’t even know feeling this as possible and it’s scary as shit

I shut my eyes and breathe in the her scent "Wow," I whisper, breathless, as she presses her face into the crook ofso badly I’ a kiss against ain and with each one, I calet her doesn’t see that grohen she moves away from me and, before I have any tiht on the lips

Chapter 12

Nova

I probably shouldn’t have kissed hiet away from all the sadness and pain over Delilah and Tristan, and when I thought of the one place that Iby Quinton’s side was the first thing that ca the airplane ride We’re just friends

But seeing him in the flesh, healthy, honey-brown eyesinside, and without thinking, I foundmy lips to his I start to pull back when I realize I probably shouldn’t have done that, but to ainstthe kiss My body conforue slips deeper inside ets, and before I know it s end up latched around his waist as his hands explore ainst the wall I can barely breathe, only co to explode I can’t take it anymore I seriously want to tear off his clothes and run my hands across every part of him while he does the sa away and the noise around us washes over me and I remember that I’m in a very public place

"God, I’ve ainst htly around hi in the feel of him, from the warmth of his skin to the feathery touch of his breath

We stay that way for a round and lets go ofe claim?" he asks

I shakeon ht," I say "I was in sort of a rush and I’ deodorant"

He stares atoveron?"