Page 47 of Falling for Autumn Again

“If you wanted to kiss me, Ezra, you just had to ask.”

I kind of hoped after all my hints, she’d make the first move, notdiscussit. I shove my hands into my pockets. “I never said I wanted to kiss you.” True—I didn’t say it, but I definitely do.

“So, you don’t?” One of her dark brows rises as she studies me.

I clear my throat and force my feet to hold still—they’d really like to shuffle right now. “I didn’t say that either.”

Autumn sighs out a small laugh, her hands falling to her sides. “Well, which is it?”

“You tell me, Green. Do you want to kiss me?”

She reaches out, tugging on the front loose end of my T-shirt. “Yeah. I do.”

She tugs again and I catch myself on the window of the car, my arm stretched out, Autumn right in front of me.

I peer down at her, heart pounding, and she looks up at me.

“Took you long enough,” she says before bouncing up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ezra

I don’t knowhow to explain myself. But I do care about Autumn. I know I’m not letting her walk in the dark almost a mile to cover up some saplings all alone. Not when the weather is about to turn.

“You’re going to end up sleeping in the shed out there.” It doesn’t answer her question ofwhyI care. But it’s the only safe response I have.

She breathes out an audible breath and faces forward. “Goodbye, Ezra.”

She’s good at saying goodbye.

Still, I can’t stop seeing her face when she confessed she thought I’d come back for her father’s funeral.

I don’t say a word, but stop my trek beside her. For ten whole steps. Then, I follow behind.

“I know you’re there,” she says after we’re twelve minutes into our walk. I’m very aware that she waited until we were far away from the houses to speak up. She knows I’m here—but we’ve come this far, so she must know I’m not turning back now.

The wind has picked up and I wish I would have grabbedmore than a sweatshirt. But I wasn’t planning on walking a mile when I left my house.

“Then why don’t you wait up for me?” I call back.

She stops and looks back, hair blowing in the wind. "Because I told you I wanted to be alone."

“Fine, I’m giving you space. I’ll stay alone back here and you can stay alone up there.”

She scoffs and shakes her head. “Gee. Thanks.” She starts up her walk again, the cold wind blowing her hair behind her now. It’s definitely going to rain. And we’re definitely going to get wet.

Thanks, Autumn.

“Hey,” I bark, quickening my stride to meet up with her. It isn’t difficult. Autumn’s short legs were never a match for mine. “Are you always this pissed? Is this thenewAutumn?”

“Not always. Just when you’re around,” she says, without bothering to look in my direction.

I stride next to her, my pulse quickening and my blood boiling with the first plop of a big fat raindrop. “Is that why you stayed? You told me to leave while you stayed behind all because I did something to tick you off? You’ve been angry ever since?”

She shakes her head, not speaking. She won’t even grace me with a glance.

“BecauseI heard,” I say, coming up with the lie on the spot, “that you were seeing someone else. You liked him better than me. So, you ditched me at the last second.”

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