Page 70 of The First Time
"Just glad you'll learn your lesson."
"I did."
"Let me guess— you want something greasy."
I admit nothing.
He slides his arm around my waist to lead me out the door. "There are food carts down the street."
"Won't you get recognized?"
"It's just suits this time of day. They barely look up from their cell phones." He checks the door is locked then leads me to the elevator.
I press my back against the mirrored wall. My reflection confirms that I look tired. Sick even. I smooth my fit and flare dress and fix my ponytail but that only helps so much.
Kit leans against the wall, next to me. His eyes meet mine through the reflection. His hand brushes against mine.
That simple touch sets my body on fire. I'm acutely aware that we are alone in this elevator. There may only be eight seconds left in the ride, but that's eight seconds we could spend pressed together.
Kissing.
Touching.
Fucking.
The elevator ding pulls me back to reality. Only reality is Kit staring at me through our reflection, his gorgeous dark eyes filled with something I can't place.
Kit nods to the door. "This way."
This time, he leads without touching me. A few steps and we're outside. It's bright today. It's bright everyday but it's worse downtown. The sun is bouncing off the concrete.
I dig through my purse for my sunglasses. That's better. It's still bright. And loud. But I don't feel like I'm being assaulted with light.
We walk a few blocks in silence. He doesn't mention anything about our kiss.
Maybe that's for the best.
Finally, he breaks the silence. "You go to your audition?"
I shake my head. "I slept too late."
"Can't let you take me to my car unless you went to your audition."
"I'll go to another one."
His eyes meet mine. He holds up two fingers. "I'm collecting interest."
"Fair. I'll do two auditions." My eyes go to the ground. "I've been thinking more about acting, how I could pursue it in a practical way."
"Lots of people do."
I nod. Yeah. They do.
"You're stubborn enough you could make anything work."
"I'll take that as a compliment. But let's talk about this later. I'm tired."
He nods.
