Page 49 of Up In Flames
“I’ll have to get up early then and leave before I wear out my welcome.”
Impossible.
“I could be persuaded to keep you around a bit longer.”
Forever.
“I didn’t bring my pajamas.”
“Pajamas are overrated.”
“Will, are you suggesting I run around your apartment naked?”
“I’ll close the curtains first.”
“Okay, you’ve convinced me to stay. Besides, I bet you make an amazing breakfast.”
“You only want me for my food.”
“There’s a joke about sausage in there that I’m not going to touch.”
“You could touch this sausage instead.” I wriggled my hips, even as I grimaced at my awful joke. “Sorry. That was terrible.”
Oren tipped his head back and laughed. “It was worse than the joke I was going to say.”
“Why didn’t you say it?”
“I didn’t want to be lame.”
“I like being lame with you.” Leaning in, I kissed him again, buzzing with the happiness I got from being lucky enough to be allowed to do so.
CHAPTER 23
Oren
“Someone’s glowing.” Hal sidled up next to me at the counter in the kitchen slash lunchroom at the office. I was eyeball deep in case studies for a project Simon was working on, and I desperately needed a hit of caffeine to make it through the afternoon.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The corner of my mouth twitched, and Hal snorted a laugh.
“Okay, keep your secrets. It’s fine. I’m happy for you, though. I wanted you to know that.” He held his coffee cup out, and I filled it when I was done filling mine.
Will wasn’t my secret, but I was his. I’d have told the universe if it was okay with him. But he wasn’t ready yet. Yet. I hoped that one day he would be ready. I didn’t want to rush him. I knew what it was like to lose people. Would I be this open if I still had Byron and Rita around? The question plagued me sometimes.
It wasn’t like they were bad people. But the three of us had formed this kind of insular unit at law school. We slept, ate, and breathed school. Me more so than them. They’d always had an easier time with school than I had. They’d been the ones to get me through. The bigger part of me knew that they’d have loved me no matter what, but there was always that one little kernelof doubt. The knowledge that I’d never get to come out to them. That they’d never get to meet Will. That he’d been there when?—
A hand touched my shoulder, and I jerked, sloshing hot coffee all over my hand. I hissed and gave it a shake.
“Shit.” Hal cursed and directed me to the sink, sticking my hand under cool water. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I pulled my hand out of the water and took a breath. It didn’t hurt. It had been the shock of it more than the temperature of the coffee that made me react.
“Are you?” Hal grabbed paper towels and handed some to me to dry my hands. He used a few more squares to clean the coffee mess I’d made. “Because one minute you were glowing, and then it was like all the lights went out.”
“I was thinking about the accident.” My confession eased some of the tightness in my chest. The accident wasn’t a secret, and my therapist encouraged me to talk about it with people who were important to me. When she’d first suggested that, I’d laughed at her for about three seconds before I burst into ugly tears because all the important people I’d known died in that car.
Of course, I was mistaken then. I’d had Liam. He’d come to stay with me for a few weeks after the accident. He’d have stayed longer, but I made him go home to his new wife. The ink was barely dry on the marriage license when everything went down. But his wife was a gem of a woman and understood that I needed a friend.
Hal steered us over to a table in the corner then retrieved our coffees. I was sure he didn’t have time for this, and I said as much. Hal merely rolled his eyes.
