Page 15 of Forsaken Oath

I twirl my fork in the whipped cream, my head cocking to the side as I look at her. “So we’re both in Oak Creek on business and happen to come to the same drive-in theater on the same night,” I muse, letting the thought dangle.

“Don’t forget that we shared the space underneath the table during a tornado,” she says with a chuckle.

“That’s not all we shared,” I murmur quietly. I tell myself it’s just some harmless flirting.

Her cheeks pinken and her gaze darts to my mouth. “Small world, hm?”

I run my tongue along the back of my front teeth with a small shake of my head. “Nah, Peach, that’s what we callfate.”

“Fate?”

“Divine intervention. Serendipity. Kismet.”

“I know what fate means,” she says dryly. “I’m just not sure I believe in it much.”

“You don’t think there’s a reason for everything? A predetermined destiny?”

She exhales, and I can almost see a physical weight wrapped around her shoulders. “No. I think we make our own luck. But sometimes . . . sometimes, you draw the short straw.”

I lean back, studying her. "Sounds like you've had your fair share of short straws."

She shrugs, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Who hasn’t? Life’s not always rainbows and butterflies.”

“No, it sure as hell isn’t,” I agree, my voice low and rough. “But without the bad shit, how would we recognize today?”

Her eyes meet mine, searching, questioning. “Today?”

I gesture between us with my fork. “The good stuff. Two strangers, crossing paths in the most unlikely of ways. Who knows what could happen next?”

She raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement playing across her features. “If you’re expecting to hook up in the middle of the drive-in, you’re gonna be disappointed, playboy.”

My nose wrinkles at the moniker, despite its accuracy. “Reformedplayboy.”

“Ah,” she tsks. “Let me guess:you took one look at me and mended your waysor whatever line of bullshit you feed to women?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You got me all wrong, Peach.” Well, not about being a playboy. That shit was right on the money. But I’ve never used lines—this one or any others—on a woman in my life. I’ve never needed to.

When I was racing in the circuit, women flocked to any driver like a bee on honey. They didn’t give a fuck about me, so I never felt too bad about not calling them afterward.

She hums under her breath, her fork toying with the last crumbles of pie crust on her plate. She lifts it to her mouth, and I find myself transfixed by the way her lips close around the utensil. It's such an innocuous action, but with her, it feels strangely intimate.

She sets her fork down with a quiet clink and looks up at me. I can see it written all over her face. She’s gonna leave. “Well, this has been . . . interesting.”

Panic flares in my chest at her words, sudden and unexpected. I’m not ready for her to go yet. There’s something about being in her presence that soothes the restlessness inside me. Most days, it’s a yawning, endless cavern that spotlights the tediousness of my life.

But not tonight. Not with her enchanting whiskey gold eyes and her plush lips. Her musical laugh and her dry humor.

I search for the right words, something to keep her here just a little longer. “Take a walk with me.”

She regards me with a skeptical look, her brow furrowed. “A walk? Where?”

I lean back in my seat, forcing a casual smirk that I don’t feel. “The night’s young, and the weather’s nice. Let me give you the grand tour of the Oak Creek Drive-In.”

She hesitates for a moment, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. I can practically see the gears turning in her head. “Alright. Let’s go for a walk.”

I slip a hundred under the strawberry rhubarb pie plate, more than enough to cover our food, and hustle Peach outside. How this place stays open has always been a mystery to me. I’m not even sure what their hours are, except that they always seemto be open. I’ve been here a few times before, though it’s never been quite this eventful.

The air feels charged, heavy with static but still. Like the night sky is holding its breath, waiting to see if I’m gonna fuck this up with this girl.

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