Page 22 of One Last Wish

“No!” He laughed out loud, the sound brightening up the whole space. “The opposite, actually. You fascinate me.”

“Oh.” Swallowing hard, I tried to think of any other detail about myself that I could tell him. “I love lights.”

“Light?”

“Yeah, at night. I love walking around all the glistening lights. I stand for hours on The Brooklyn Bridge sometimes, watching the nightlife in Manhattan wake up with all those tiny twinkle lights in the distance.”

“There you go then.”

“What?” I asked, frowning at him.

“You need to go out dancing more, catch a few concerts of the music you love, and get Theo to take you out on a date to look at the lights. All your problems will be solved.” Oh, the jackass was mocking me. I couldn't help but chuckle at his smile. “You can have this session for free,” he teased, standing up, “but I’m charging you for the next one.”

“Thanks,Doctor Darce,” I called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Tell Alice I’ll dock her pay if she keeps filing her nails at the desk.”

“How do you know she’s doing that?”

“I have eyes and ears everywhere,” I smirked, picking my book up from the table in front of me.

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BY THE END OF THE DAYit was Darce and I left to lock up again.

“Why do you work so many double shifts?” he asked while I was closing up. “Do you even get days off?”

“I get a day off a week. I don’t mind the extra shifts. Besides, what else do I have to do?”

“Live?” Darce pointed out like it was obvious. “You really need to get out more.”

“I go out with my roommate, Evelyn, most weekends!”

“Oh, you have at least one friend, then?”

“I wouldn’t call her that, but it beats going out alone.” Darce gave me an astonished look. “What?”

“You keep everyone at a distance, don’t you?”

“I thought I’d made that clear.” The front door wasn’t pulling shut properly for me to close it. With my tiny frame, it wouldn’t budge. If I didn't close it soon, the alarm would go off. Darce moved, standing extremely close to me, and slammed it shut just in time. I could feel the vibration of his body, and I swear his breathing was more erratic. Our fingers were so close that they were almost touching. “What’s the deal with you not liking to be touched?”

“I’m not ready to go there yet.”

“But you will explain it at some point?” Even though I had finally locked the door, we didn’t move. Our eyes connected in some sort of battle, searching for answers of questions we hadn't even asked yet.

“If you start living...yes.” Darce was making this aboutme? “Isn’t that enough of an incentive? Start living and I’ll give you some answers.”

“You do not play fair!” Why was the smile on my face so huge?

“I never said I did.” He tilted his head, giving me a sincere smile before pulling away. “See you in the morning, Alora.” Without looking back, he walked off.

Why did he keep doing that?

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