Page 71 of Tell Me It’s Right

“Why do you care so much?” she demands.

I let out an incredulous laugh. What could have changed so drastically in the past ten minutes? Even with all the craziness, we were getting along so well today, or at least I thought we were. Maybe I’m just oblivious.

“Oh, come on,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “The ice cream couldn’t have been that bad.”

It’s the wrong thing to say. I know it the second her shoulders tense, but worse is when she whips around and I see how glassy her eyes are.

My stomach drops.

“Everything is just a joke to you,” she murmurs.

The words are barely audible, but they hit like a punch to the gut. It’s the same damn thing my dad’s been saying all my life.

Stop fooling around.

It’s time to be serious.

You treat everything like a joke.

Grow up.

And maybe there’s some truth to it. Maybe I’m not serious enough at times. But with the shop, with Gracie, that’s never been the case.

And I thought she knew that.

But maybe she sees the same thing my dad does when she looks at me. When everyone looks at me.

“Everything’s a joke to me? I’m the one trying to have a conversation with you, but you just expect me to be able to read your mind and magically know what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

I flick my wrist. “Yeah, the tears are really selling that.”

I wince as soon as I say it. That didn’t come out right at all.

Her eyes harden. “You know what? Fuck you, Liam. And fuck trying to save your shop. I don’t know why I’ve even been trying so hard when it’s obvious this is all a game to you. Consider yourself off the hook for your summer charity project. I quit.”

She storms toward the closet for her bag.

Summer charity?—

Oh.Oh.

“Gracie.”

She throws her bag over her shoulder, and the second she turns toward me, I don’t think. I just move.

I close the space between us, grab her face with both hands, and crush my mouth to hers.

She goes rigid, but that lasts only a fraction of a moment, and then her lips part for me. I’ve imagined kissing Gracie more times than I care to admit, but the reality of it?

Earthshattering.

I can feel her uncertainty, her confusion.

But she kisses me back.

She kisses me back.

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