Page 66 of Science Project

“Like, thirty minutes.”

“Akio, why didn’t you wake me?” I asked. “This has to be uncomfortable for you.”

Again, his lips curled into a small smile. “You were sleeping.”

“So?”

“It’s not every day I wake up with a pretty girl lying on top of me,” he said, nervously gazing toward the windshield and scratching his neck. “Besides, you looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake you.”

Pretty? Peaceful?

Those were two words that I rarely ever felt.

Gently, I cupped his chin and turned his head toward me. A smile made its way onto my face, and I pressed my toes against the opposite door to give myself a push toward him until my lips met his.

Truthfully, I never woke up with a guy that I actually liked, a guy who thought I was pretty and didn’t hate me for ruining his life. But today, I had … and my heart was so, so happy that I could think of nothing else … but to kiss him. For as long as I could.

When I pulled away, our lips were still touching. The sweet taste of him, the way his hands rested on my hips, how gentle he had always been with me …

I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

“I think I love you,” I whispered.

As soon as the words left my mouth, both of us tensed.

What the fuck was that, Nicole?! I think I love you?!

“Wh-what?” Akio asked.

“I …” My mouth was parched. “I said that … that I’d love to get … breakfast with you!”

We both knew goddamn well that hadn’t come out of my mouth.

I sat up in the seat, grabbed my pants that were still a bit damp from last night, and yanked them onto my body. My bangs were flat on my head and a bit frizzy from the rain. I ran my fingers through them, trying to distract myself.

Why did I say that?! And aloud?!

With his cheeks bright red, Akio sat up and tugged on his damp shirt. “Y-yeah, we can g-get some breakfast before school.” He averted his gaze and climbed into the front seat, grabbing his keys with a shaky hand. “Where do you want to go?”

Once I climbed up there with him, I looked out the window. “Anywhere.”

My knees were bouncing uncontrollably, and I tried to force them to stop with my hands, but they only shook with them. My mind was going about a million miles a second, and I still couldn’t get over myself.

What is wrong with me?!

If I ruined my friendship with Akio forever, then everything would go back to the only life that I knew—living in hell, with the only escape being death, whether it was from Dad’s hands or my own. We sat in complete silence all the way to Dunkin’ until we reached the speaker post.

“What do you want?” Akio said, his hand tight on the steering wheel.

“Just a, uh … a sandwich is fine.”

After he ordered, he pulled up to the window.

“It’s twelve dollars and eighty-seven cents.”

When we both reached for the center console—me for my purse and him for his wallet—our hands collided. We paused for a few moments, neither of us moving for the money, and then I yanked my purse into my lap to find my wallet.

“Here.”

---