Page 29 of Unforgettable

“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling anything but. “You were saying all these nice things, and I honestly don’t have the right words to tell you how much it meant to hear them.”

He raises his head. “But you think a kiss could convey your gratitude?”

“Undoubtedly.”

A wide grin splits his face in two. “As much as I would like to be kissed by you, I remember you saying something about us being friends.”

“Fine,” I pout. “No kissing.”

“How about dessert?” he asks, just as Aisha returns to clean up the table.

“I could do dessert.”

Obviously having overheard our conversation, Aisha convinces us to get the vegan dessert platter to share.

While we wait, Reeve looks at me pointedly. “If you don’t want to be in the medical field like the rest of your family, what is it you want to do?”

Channeling Reeve, I repeat his own words back at him, because it’s not just a cop-out to the hard question, it’s the absolute truth. “Is it weird to say I have no idea? I have hobbies and likes and dislikes and all the things that make me, me. But nothing feels permanent.”

“Yes,” he exclaims. “Nothing feels permanent. That’s exactly it, but I’ve just never been able to put it into words. And I think I latch on to things, thinking they ground me, but they never do, not long enough for me to find my feet.”

Every sentence strung together between us reveals truths about him and unearths truths about myself, and my chest expands, trying to hoard a large amount of unrecognizable empathy and emotions I feel for the man in front of me.

“I could really kiss you right now,” he says, but there’s a weight in the words that wasn’t there when I said them earlier. Now it is evident to the growing alliance and friendship between us. His words almost sound like a relieved thank you, gratitude for finally being heard and understood.

For a split second, I actually consider leaning over the table and kissing him, but thankfully dessert arrives, and I’m stopped from making a huge mistake and blurring the lines.

Instead, we switch out the serious conversation for something a little more lighthearted, starting with how Reeve and Murph became friends and what working and living together is like.

“It’s much better than I expected,” he admits. “Without sounding like a complete loser, apart from my sister, I haven’t really had someone I get along with and can depend on the way I can with Murph.”

“I’m glad you have that,” I tell him. “It’s not that easy finding your people, but I think that’s why I love V and V so much.”

“Yeah?”

“I just love the ease in which everybody fits in,” I explain. “It doesn’t really matter where you come from or if you’re stopping by or if you have no fucking clue what you’re doing. It’s kinda like a home away from home.”

“It feels like that for sure,” he agrees. “Murph told me you’ve been there since the beginning, is that right?”

I pretend not to get hung up on the fact that he and Murph have spoken about me, pushing down the desire to ask him what exactly was said between the two of them.

“I was actually working at my friend’s garage at the time, and I’d seen the space go through the stages of being for sale and then get fitted out, and one day I saw a sign that they were hiring. I walked in to check it out and, metaphorically speaking, I never walked back out.”

He tilts his head, looking at me pensively. “You’re a mechanic?”

“No,” I answer with a chuckle. “I’m a quick learner and pretty good with my hands. And I just jump from job to job, hoping something sticks.”

“That actually sounds fun,” he says, almost surprised. “At least you’re never really doing anything you hate and can cross off things that don’t work out without really investing yourself.”

“Something like that. For now, it pays the bills, and I am happy and almost always having fun.”

“So, what’s your favorite job?” Reeve queries. “What’s something that’s come close to being perfect?”

Acknowledging how I’ve shared, and continue to share, things with Reeve I haven’t told another person, I pick up my cell, unlock it, and tap on the Instagram icon.

Nervously, I hand the phone to Reeve and show him one of my best kept secrets.

I watch as his eyes widen as he both stares at the screen and continues to flick his finger, scrolling through the feed.

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