Page 63 of Science Project

Unlike Dad and all of his buddies, who shoved their hands up my skirt without questioning their goddamn morals, Akio was respectful enough to ask if placing his hand on my knee—on top of my sweats—was okay with me.

My heart swelled at how simple and … thoughtful it was.

“It’s perfect,” I whispered, glancing at his lips.

All I wanted to do was reach over and kiss his pretty mouth. So many feelings were rushing through me, and I felt like nothing—nothing—could ruin this moment. Until … suddenly, thunder rolled overhead, and a sheet of rain fell from the sky.

Akio went to stand. “I’ll get us an umbrel?—”

I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Maybe this was normal. And maybe, one day, I could be normal too.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

NICOLE

“Stay with me,” I whispered.

My hands tightened around his collar as I pulled him closer to me. I never wanted to let go. I never wanted our kiss to be over, these feelings to fade, my life to end. With Akio, I felt more alive than I ever had.

“Please, Akio,” I begged, and while he might’ve thought that I wanted him to stay with me for the night … I wanted more than that. I wanted him to stay with me until the day Dad killed me, the day I’d get to see Hannah again. A crushing pain came over my chest, and another tear fell from my eye. “Stay with me.”

“I’ll stay,” he said against my mouth.

“Promise me.”

Promise you’ll stay even when … you find out what my own father does to me.

Promise you’ll stay when I come crying to you with black eyes and broken ribs.

Promise you’ll find it in yourself to love me because nobody ever has.

All the promises I wanted him to make rushed through my head, but I couldn’t speak.

Not even one of them.

“I promise, Nicole,” Akio said, tucking some hair behind my ear and pulling away slightly to look me in the eye. “I’m not going anywhere. But if we stay out here, you’re going to catch a cold.” He took my hands and stood. “Come on.”

Once he pulled me up, I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him as tightly as I could, my forehead on his chest and my fists clenching his shirt, like if I didn’t, then he would disappear into thin air.

Rain poured down on us, but he stayed with me until I felt … okay.

I would never feel good, never feel better. But I felt okay, and that was something.

At least I still could feel.

“Come on,” he said, tugging me to his car. “You’re going to get sick.”

While nobody else was at the Overlook tonight, we had both parked near the far edge of the round roadway toward the more private areas of this side of town. Akio opened the door for me, and I slid onto the leather backseat with my wet clothes.

“Sorry about?—”

He slipped in beside me and shut the door behind him. “It’s okay.”

“But you don’t even know what I was going to apologize for.”

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