Page 30 of Verses Of Us

He turned, a deep frown shadowing his face. She skidded to a halt at his side, her hands gripping his neck, bringing his lips to hers once more. They kissed hesitantly, as if the finality of it weighed on them.

“My number,” Alexis said.

Ciarán nodded, then reached into the backseat and found a pen. Alexis held his hand, then wrote her phone number on the inside of his forearm.

“Do I need to write my name, or will you remember whose number it is?” she teased.

“I’ll remember.” He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb. “I’ll call you.”

She nodded, pressing the side of her face into his palm. “You better.”

With one last kiss, Ciarán took a deep breath, smiled, then got into the car. She watched it drive away, feeling wedged between hope and unshakable sadness.

NOT AVAILABLE

Alexis

Sparksofheatandcold ignited all over her skin as she shut the door behind her, releasing a long breath. As if walking through a fog, she headed into the kitchen and found her mom sitting at the table with a steaming cup of tea in herBest Mom Evermug.

“Hey, you,” Louise said in greeting.

Alexis kissed her mom on the cheek, then rummaged through the cabinet, wishing she hadn’t skipped breakfast.

“Did you girls have fun?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“What movie did you watch?”

Alexis froze, a strawberry Pop Tart shoved in her mouth. “Um… we didn’t.” She began chewing. “We watched TV and talked.” Alexis kept her eyes on the floor, knowing she’d crumble if she met her mother’s assessing gaze.

“You know I wasn’t born yesterday, right?”

“What do you mean?” The dry toaster pastry made Alexis cough, and she hurried to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

“I remember how it is. I was young once.”

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“I saw you. Outside. With him.”

Alexis froze mid-sip. “I know what you’re thinking, but I was at Julie’s.”

Louise cocked her head. “Sure, you were.”

“No, seriously. Call her mom and ask.”

Both of her mom’s eyebrows shot up, wrinkling her forehead. “And what? Ciarán just happened to show up this morning?”

Alexis chuckled. “Actually, that’s exactly what happened.” She sat next to her mom, picking at the Pop Tart, deciding to come clean. “I met him last night.” Louise rolled her eyes before running her hands through her dark hair. “I’m sorry, Mom. I know I shouldn’t have lied. But, if it makes you feel better, I did still end up back at Julie’s. And I slept there.”

Louise tapped the sides of her cup, tucking her lips, considering her daughter’s story. “No, it doesn’t make me feel better. Knowing you were out with him, doing…” Louise shut her eyes. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing. Stop worrying.”

“I am worried, Lexi. This isn’t like you. You don’t lie to me. Since when do you spend the night with older guys?”

“I didn’t spend the night,” Alexis insisted, as if it made a difference. “We hung out and…” Her cheeks burned and her legs stiffened. “That’s it.”

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