Page 29 of Hidden Memories

“I’m okay,” Kat says, braver than the way her nails dig into the chair. “Just surprised by how it feels, that’s all.”

Her face softens into focus, but I can see it. The tension. The fight against discomfort.

My head has been turned this entire time and finally, when Kat’s nervous system accepts the bite of the gun, her head tilts, too. Our gazes connect.

This is what she’d look like next to me in bed.

I’ve slept with women but I’ve never spent the night with one. I’d love to see Kat in the morning. Hair mussed. Black mascara smudged around her eyes, making them even bluer than they are now. Bite marks everywhere.

She’s not that relaxed right now, though. She’s mustering courage, her eyes have that glossy shine, and something about it makes me want to take the pain from her. Absorb it.

I reach my hand out, a silent offer. She takes it.

Our fingers brush, then settle against each other in the space between our chairs. It’s barely a touch compared to what we’ve done before, but it’s everything.

She dances her fingertips against mine, seeking comfort. I give it freely. No teasing. No games. Just us.

“How can you do this so many times?” she asks, voice laced with curiosity and distraction.

I squeeze her hand. “I love tattoos. They remind methat pain is sometimes required to get to something beautiful.”

She exhales slowly. Smiles. “I like the things you say.”

My chest tightens. “I like the things you say, too.”

She shifts slightly and breathes a little deeper.

Then, so soft I barely hear it over the hum of the machines, she whispers, “I like you.”

A punch to the gut couldn’t have hit me harder.

My grip tightens on her hand, my pulse fucking thundering.

“I like you more.”

An enormous gravity bears down, locking us in. It’s undeniable.

She tugs my fingertips deeper into her grasp and squeezes tight. “I’m honored to be part of honoring your mom.”

That hits me harder than I expected.

I swallow the knot in my throat. “I think we were meant to meet, Kat.” My voice drops lower like I’m afraid to say it too loud. “I’d been searching for an artist, and then you got placed under my tree. Best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

Her lips part slightly. The pink hue on her cheeks deepens.

Her voice is barely more than a breath. “I’ve been searching for someone like you, too.”

And that? That undoes me.

That night I don’t hold back any longer. I kiss that girl and make her mine.

Chapter Seven

PRESENT

My arms are crossed.I rub the side of my rib cage on the same spot I always do. It’s a habit I started years ago, a motion that seems to ground me when I’m worried or thinking.

Theo and I stand in line at Café Luna. I breathe in the awakening scent of ground coffee and cinnamon buns while I stare at the menu board. I thank God the small-town prices inland aren’t like the ones near the coast.

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