Page 101 of Captured Heart

I shake my head. “Alex, you don’t owe me anything. My dad and I wouldn’t have made it out of that situation alive if it weren’t for you. And you did all the hard work. You got arrested to protect me. You put yourself at risk and testified even though you didn’t want to, but you did it for me. I’m a stronger, more resilient person because of you. You changed me. You taught me how to fight back, how to trust myself. And you gave me the courage to push myself out of my comfort zone, and I carry that with me ‘til today. Once I stole a car, I realized I’m unstoppable.” I laugh, then turn serious again. “If anything,yougavemea second chance in life.”

A small smile tugs at his lips. “You make it sound like I’m a man who’s...worth something.”

It’s weird, but his self-deprecation probably hurts me more than it hurts him. His past has distorted his view of himself, and I can only hope that one day he sees the strong, incredible man he is through my eyes.

“Hm? Well...I don’t think anything can adequately sum up how much you’re worth to me.”

His grin widens when he recognizes his own words. The faintest tinge of red colors his cheeks, and he drops his head to hide his face. It’s proof that no one’s ever made him feel valued like that before.

He takes a few seconds to recover from that before lifting his head to look at me again. “Touché.”

We talk for hours. The conversation flows easily despite the weight of everything unsaid. He notices the little things, like the fact that I still drink iced coffee and toy with my necklace when I’m thinking about something. I can’t help but smile because it feels good to know he remembers all these insignificant details about me.

“Okay, level with me,” he says, leaning forward with mock seriousness. “Scale of one to ten...how bad are your jokes now?”

“What are you talking about?” I feign offense. “They were never bad.”

He raises a skeptical brow. “Alright. Let’s hear one.”

I glance at him, my lips twitching. “Okay, okay, but just one. It’s a gem. I was saving it for when I go on tour but seeing that you’re so desperate for some decent entertainment, I’ll let you hear it.” I take a deep breath to dramatize the delivery. “Okay, here goes. What did the ocean say—”

“You know what? No. I already regret asking. Let’s just stop right there.”

Ignoring him, I jump in, barely able to contain myself. “What did the ocean say to the beach?”

“Shhh.” He places his finger on his lips. “We can keep it a secret. No one needs to know.”

“Nothing. It just waved!” I blurt, and then that usual expression comes over Alex’s face.

He presses the bridge of his nose and exhales a heavy sigh of resignation. His head tilts ever so slightly to the side, his lipspressing into a flat, unimpressed line. “I don’t think I could put into words...how much that offended me.”

That’s all it takes. Giggles erupt before I can stop myself. I double over, laughing so hard tears spring to my eyes.

“Oh, come on,” I wheeze, clutching my stomach. “That was funny.”

A faint twitch tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Nope.”

“Yes, it was! You just don’t appreciate the talents of Katelyn, the Droll Troll.”

“I hate to break it to you. No one does.”

“There are plenty of people who do.” I’m unperturbed by the brash comments. “And I’m all about keeping the crowd happy. You know, I tried to clean up my act once, really did, but...turns out, I couldn’t mop up all the blood.”

“Oh, God,” he groans, rubbing his temples. “I think I just had an aneurysm.”

I wag my eyebrows at him. “How was that one? Kinda dark, huh? So dark you’d probably be tricked into thinking it was nighttime already.”

“It is nighttime.”

“Is it...or is it just my joke?”

He finally cracks and a hearty laugh bursts out of him.

“Admit it, you missed this,” I say.

He stiffens, becoming slightly awkward, but his gaze lingers a moment too long before he swiftly changes the subject. I try not to get frustrated. I keep fishing for something more, but he continues to give me mixed signals the same way he did two years ago.

I glance at my watch as an attempt to avoid the slight discomfort and realize how much time has passed. It’s almost eleven p.m.

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