Page 27 of Holding On

"I haven't had one since I was a kid. Sounds good. But I might need help toasting the marshmallows. Unless you're leaving."

"Um, no. I can stay." I hand him the other sack. "Here. I got you this too."

He pulls out the six pack. His smile drops to a frown and his brows furrow as he looks at the beer.

"Is something wrong?" I ask. And then I remember the accident. According to the paper, they were all drinking that night. Ethan's friend was drunk driving. That's what caused the accident. Shit! How could I be so insensitive?

I snatch the beer from his hands and shove it back in the sack. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I wasn't even thinking."

There's a blank stare on his face, his eyes on the sack which I'm now clutching against my chest.

"I'll just leave. Here's your burger." I hand him the sack. "There's chips in there too." I hurry off to the van, feeling like a complete and total idiot. Fumbling with my keys, I finally get the door open and set the beer on the floor.

"Becca, wait."

When I turn around, I see Ethan wheeling his chair toward me. "I didn't say you had to leave."

"I shouldn't have come. I didn't even call, and technically I don't even know you. You must think I'm totally nuts."

He gives me a sexy grin that causes a flutter in my belly. "You are a little nuts, but who isn't?"

I smile back. "I guess that's true, but I still should've called first."

"Next time. For now, I'll let it slide." He says it jokingly, putting me at ease. "Want to come inside?"

"Sure." I follow him to the door, then hold it open for his chair. It gets caught on the door frame so I grab the handles and move it back to realign it.

"Don't," he says in a harsh tone.

"I was just helping."

"I don't need your help." His shoulders stiffen as he grips the wheels and pushes himself through the door. The force causes the grocery sack to fall off his lap. I go around him and pick it up.

"Stop." He grips my wrist. He's mad at me for helping and I'm mad at him for being moody. But as our eyes meet, I can feel something else between us. An undeniable attraction. It was there when I was cleaning his house the other day but I tried to rationalize it. I told myself the attraction was only because he's hot but it was more than that. There's something else there that I can't quite explain.

As for Ethan, I told myself any attraction he had to me was because he doesn't get out much. He probably hasn't been with a girl for weeks, or maybe since before the accident, so when he saw me the other day, he couldn't stop staring. But I'm not sure if that's really the reason.

He holds my gaze for just a moment, his fingers still wrapped around my wrist. "I can do it myself. It's just a broken leg. I'm not handicapped."

"I know. I was just..." I look at the sack in my hand. "I'll put this in the kitchen." I hurry in there, wanting to get away from him. I don't like it when his mood changes like that. It's so sudden, and I never know what's going to trigger it.

Why did I come over here? This was a bad idea. And yet I don't want to leave. Leaving Ethan all alone doesn't feel right. So even if he's cranky and irritable and moody, I'm staying.

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