Page 64 of Becoming Us
Even after that incredibly intense session with Samuel, I still had to get through a full day of summer courses. The one silver lining was that Ezra had to work late for an event, which meant I could stay with Atty afterward.
As soon as I stepped out of the classroom, those beautifully intense blue eyes locked on mine.
A grin tugged at my lips. “Hey. What are you doing here?” He usually waited closer to the entrance or by the parking lot.
“Got here early. Thought I’d surprise you,” he said.
I stepped into him, and his fingers hooked under my chin, pulling me in for a quick kiss. Only then did I realize how emotionally drained I was. All I wanted was to curl up close to him and never let go.
Surrendering to the impulse, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly—just for a second. “It’s a nice surprise.”
“Long day?” His arm dropped over my shoulders, and he kissed my temple.
I hummed in response.
“Hey, Att!” Mathew called from somewhere behind us.
Annoyance sparked under my skin. Whatever. Atty was wrapped around me right now.
“Hey…” Atty’s voice dimmed.
I stepped back to look at his face. His lips were pressed in a thin line. He was trying to smile, but everything about him was tense. What the hell?
“Did you come to get Noah? You guys are so sweet,” Mathew said, that oblivious grin still plastered on his face. This guy couldn’t read the fucking room to save his life.
“Yeah. How’ve you been?” Atty asked.
“Good,” Mathew replied.
I shifted closer again and slid my hand into his, lacing our fingers together. Atty’s grip tightened. Okay. He wanted out.
“Hey, I need to stop by the store before it closes. Have to grab something,” I said, giving his hand a tug.
“Sure,” Atty replied. Then, to Mathew, “See you around.”
Mathew gave us a lazy wave and strolled off while I steered Atty the other way.
“What store is it?” he asked.
I smiled, tightening my grip on his hand. I checked that Mathew was out of earshot before saying, “I don’t actually have anywhere to be. You just looked uncomfortable.”
A sad little smile pulled at his lips. “I forgot how good you were at that.”
“At what?”
“Reading me.”
He was quieter than usual the entire ride to his place. I tried to spark conversation but only got little hums in return. When we reached his apartment, I wasn’t even sure if I was supposed to follow him in, but he gave a small nod toward the door, silently asking me to come along.
Something was bothering him. And strangely, it wasn’t about me this time. That alone caught me off guard. Atty never talked much about what went on inside his head. He was the kind of guy you could count on, but when it came to his own life? Total lockbox.
I used to appreciate that. It meant I didn’t have to share either. But right now, the weight he was carrying was palpable. He was holding something in, and I knew how hard that could be.
Atty wandered into the kitchen, walking in circles. Avoiding.
Once again, I was confronted with my incredibly bad boyfriend behavior—not just because he didn’t feel like he could talk to me, but because I had never asked him to.
So how did I do it? How could I help?
