Page 15 of One Touch

“We all have our own ways of getting through life. And it’s okay for those ways to change.”

“What’s your way of getting through life?”

I pursed my lips. “Grin and bear it?”

“Romantic.”

“I’m about as romantic as a dead fish.” My eyes inadvertently wandered down to the bare skin of her shoulders. I’d never been this close to her before and was spellbound by all the beautifulfreckles marking her shoulders, her neck, and her chest. I forced my eyes away, trying not to think about all the other places she might have freckles, too.

“Everyone’s at least a little bit romantic.”

“Not me I’m afraid.”

Her eyes were rimmed with red. She looked down, unable to meet my gaze.

“Hey,” I said. “Just because things didn’t work out with Vlad, doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams. Understand?”

She shrugged.

“You know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think you’re gonna get dressed in my overalls, and you’re gonna think to yourself, ‘Wow, this feels way more comfortable than a wedding dress.’ Then I’m gonna call Elara and have her come and pick you up. You’re gonna talk to your friend. You’re gonna maybe visit the ER. And for a while, you’re probably gonna feel a little confused. Even though you might feel like you hate Vlad, you’re gonna fucking miss him because we don’t have any control over our damn brains.”

She stared at me with those incredible eyes. I hated that I was jealous of Vlad. If I had someone like Lily, I’d never let her go.

“But tomorrow, or maybe the day after, you’ll wake up, and you’ll feel better. It will be that deep feeling of relief that you get after a storm. Because trust me, you have just come out of a storm. And you fucking survived.”

There it was. An actual smile. “You a fortune teller?”

I chuckled. “No. Just been through enough sadness to know how it works. Oh, by the way, Vlad tampered with the car.”

“Tampered with it?”

“Yep. Brake rotors are pitted and cracked. He switched the stock brake calipers for some high-performance crap that shredded the rotors to pieces.”

She looked at me blankly.

“In less technical language, he fucked the brakes to try to go faster.”

With a nod, she said, “He fucked everything to try to go faster. Everyone.”

“What I’m saying is that the crash wasn’t your fault. Now, do you have Elara’s number? I need to make sure that my prophesy comes true.”

She read it out aloud and I tapped it into my phone, then handed her the overalls. As she took them, I paused.

“One condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me you won’t rip these. They’re my favorite pair.”

“I solemnly swear not to shred your overalls.” Lily held up two fingers to swear, and as she did, the towel under her shoulders suddenly shifted down.

I didn’t even think, I just shot a hand forward to catch the towel, before tugging it up to cover her modesty. As I did, my fingertips caught the soft skin over her clavicle.

One touch. And it sent my body into overdrive.

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