Page 212 of Red Zone
Her lips curve into the faintest smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I say back, letting the quiet stretch between us for a moment before adding, “Didn’t think I’d find you out here.”
She gives a small shrug, her eyes dropping back to the water. “Needed a break from the chaos. You know how these things get.”
I huff a quiet laugh. “Yeah. I do.”
I hesitate, then pull out the chair next to hers and sit.
For the first time in weeks, it feels like we’re just us again.
She glances at me after a beat, her smile softening. “Congratulations, Carter. Chicago’s lucky to have you.”
Her voice is so gentle, so sure, it makes my chest ache.
“Thanks,” I murmur. Then, after a pause, I turn toward her, studying her profile in the golden light.
“You never told me,” I say carefully. “Did you end up applying to grad school out there?”
She bites her lip, like she’s not sure how much to give me. But then she nods.
“Yeah,” she admits softly. “I did.”
Something warm unfurls in my chest, even as I try to keep my expression steady.
“Yeah?” I echo, my voice quiet now.
She finally looks at me then, her green eyes brighter than I remember.
“Yeah,” she says again, firmer this time.
I let a faint smirk tug at the corner of my mouth, my chest still tight as hell.
I watch her eyes linger on the water, the faintest smile on her lips, and something in me just…slips.
I lean my elbow on the back of my chair, turning toward her fully.
“You know,” I say casually, like I’m just thinking out loud. “With both of us potentially ending up in Chicago, seems like a pretty good excuse to save on rent.”
Her head snaps toward me, her eyes going wide.
Then—just as quick—she lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head.
“You’re ridiculous,” she mutters, but there’s the faintest pink creeping into her cheeks.
I grin at her, trying to keep it light, even though my heart’s hammering.
“Just saying,” I shrug, playful but a little too honest. “Think of the money we’d save. It’d be practical.”
She rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t tell me no.
“Hey, Princess?”
Her eyes snap up to mine, startled at first. Then they soften, her lips parting like she already knows something’s shifted.
I hold her gaze, letting the teasing slip away, letting her see exactly how much I mean it when I say, “I’m not just saying that to mess with you. This draft was big for me…but it doesn’t mean shit if you’re not in it somehow.”
Her lips part, but she still doesn’t say anything.
