Page 178 of Collided

“What is it?”

I watch as he clenches and unclenches his hands as if tension is whirring through him and he can’t seem to get rid of it.

Slowly, I lay my hand over his and he goes still. His eyes focus on where we’re touching, and he takes a deep breath. “Do you want books?”

I stagger with shock. “What?”

“I want to buy you books,” he says with a seriousness that leaves me bewildered.

“Books! You want to buy me books. What? Why?”

An exasperated sigh leaves him, and he rolls his eyes. “Do I have to answer all those questions?”

I gingerly nod.

Running a hand through his mess of dark strands he fixes me with an intense look. “I didn't like the way I treated you on my fucking birthday. You planned a good day, and I fucking ruined it. It won’t happen again. But I feel irritated for being a fucking asshole, so let me make it up to you.”

“You could just say you’re sorry, which you did.”

“Let me buy you books.” His throat moves undeniably slow in a sexy way. “It’ll make me feel better.”

“I forgave you.”

Heath’s eyes brighten as if he’s been struck with a lightning bolt idea. “Mailbox then.”

Confusion clouds my mind until the meaning settles in.

I gasp. “No. Don’t do that!”

“Then let me buy you books right now.”

“But—”

“Stop arguing with me.” He sends me a glare, but it doesn’t faze me.

“Okay, but there is an issue.”

“What now?”

“The books I want aren’t available here.”

“We’ll buy them online then.”

The sound of ‘we’ makes another flock of birds take flight in my belly. Only this boy can make me feel like this.

I can barely hold my giddiness as he pulls out his phone.

I place orders of three books on his Amazon account, but he pushes me to make it ten. When I try to fight him, he takes matters into his own hands and orders books that are similar—book cover-wise—to the ones I read.

I can’t believe he pays me this much attention. My parents have never cared about what books I read. They’re alwayscriticizing my hobby, sometimes making me believe it’s stupid. But I know it’s not stupid.

Reading is the only thing in the world that makes me the happiest. And nothing that makes you the happiest is very stupid.

Chocolate comes second.

“They’ll be here by next week,” Heath informs just as he proceeds with the checkout.

“I forgive you again for being an…”

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