Page 27 of Catch Me

“Are you trying to annoy me?” She says, eyebrows lifting on her forehead.

“Yes,”

“Well it's working,”

“Good,” I smirk, “it turns me on.”

Her gaze drifts down to my slightly tighter than usual shorts and I watch her lips dance into a smirk. With a flick of her curls she turns back towards the lift and presses the button without another word.

The car journey is quiet, but a peaceful quiet, not an awkward one. I let Lois plug her phone in and choose the music, she of course chooses her usual favourites. She gets chattier the more I ask her about music, but when the topic of her upcoming gymnastics competition comes up, I feel the shift in her bubbly energy.

My hand has been resting on her thigh the entire journey and now she lays her hand on top of mine with a heavy sigh.

“I don’t know really, I'm excited for it but,” she sighs again and leans her head back against the headrest. “I’m not sure I'm totally ready to lead the team in competition like Callie used to. I’m not as strong as her, not mentally anyway and I don’t know if I'm good enough for the girls.”

I give her thigh a squeeze. “Of course you’re good enough Lo, you’re more than good enough.” I think fast, trying to bring back her chipper mood. “Which routine is your favourite, tell me about it.”

Her lips purse, then she beams widely. “I love, love, love my floor routine. I’m still perfecting it but I’m finally able to land my full twisting double back and I'm so fucking proud of myself for that. It’s the one skill I’ve been trying to get for ages and when I landed it a few weeks ago for the first time I could have cried with happiness.” She’s lost in her own world now, dimples constantly on show. “Ellen didn’t think I’d be able to get it consistently in time for the first competition of the season next weekend, but I proved her sorry ass wrong.” She turns to me then, her smile falling a little. “Sorry if I'm being annoying. I know I can ramble on and I'm a bit too much sometimes, I do try to tone it down.”

“No,” I grip her thigh tight again and she blinks at me. “Don’t do that. Who told you that you were too much? That you were annoying?”

She shrugs lightly. “Sean used to say I was an annoying little weasel who didn’t know when to shut up.”

My ears are hot for a moment at her comment, at the way her face fell when she thought she was irritating me, that she was too much for me. I mean, what does that even mean? She could never be too much, I want all of her and I’ll take every single bit that she’ll give me. As the fury ignites in my chest and myprotective claws spring out, ready to slit her brother’s throat, I remember who Sean really is. Him and Lois never used to get along, the fights during their teenage years would deter anyone from having more than one child, but that is all behind them now. I know if Sean heard how his words as a teenager made Lois feel, he’d feel pretty fucking shitty himself. He loves her, I know this and that’s why the rage I initially felt fizzles out pretty quick.

I take her hand in mine and swallow it in warmth. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re annoying, or that you’re too much. Don’t apologies for being yourself, or for being excited about something, or being proud of something you did.” She peers across at me. “You’re not too much, you’re the exact right amount, you’re perfect just as you are.”

Lois resembles a deer who’s just ran out in front of my car. Her hazel eyes are wide with shock, but I see the hint of a tear in the corner of her eye. I meant every word, but somehow I didn’t expect this reaction from her and now I don’t know where to look. I’ve never done this before, never had feelings like this for someone and I have no idea what I'm doing.

We pull into the lot of the hotel five minutes later and still, neither of us have said a word. Lois took to staring wide eyed out of the windscreen and I kept my gaze firmly on the road, too scared to even glance her way incase I scared her off with the intensity of my words. I switch off the engine and get out of the car, following Lois around to the boot to collect our bags.

“You know,” she finally says and my heart calms down at her breaking the silence. “I always had you pegged as a ‘I don’t believe in love’ kind of guy, but you really are just a secret softie aren’t you?” She grins at me, cheeky glint in her eye.

I flex a bicep. “Not a softie mini Taylor, you should know that better than anyone.” She gifts me an eye roll and I lower my arm, grabbing her suitcase from the car. “Seriously though, Idefinitely believe in love, I’ve seen it first hand. I tried to fall in love before, but I think that’s where I went wrong.” I drop her suitcase to the ground and she takes hold of it, watching me intently as I continue. “You shouldn’t have to try, it should just happen without you having to do anything at all.”

‘That’s what happened with you' I think to myself.

But then Lois has her jaw on the concrete again, this time she’s so surprised that she lets go of her suitcase and it begins to roll away from her.

“What?” She croaks, looking like she’s seen a ghost.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

I didn’t fucking think that did I? I said it out loud.

CHAPTER 15

LOIS

Did he just slip up? Did he mean to say that out loud?

The pale, gaping mouthed look on his face would say no, he didn’t mean to tell me he’s in love with me.

“What?” I say again, when he doesn’t respond. “That’s what happened with me?”

Nick finally swallows dryly and blinks once. “Yeah, with you.”

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