Page 30 of Last Call Lindy Hop
The heat of a blush crossed my cheeks. “Was I that obvious?”
“Maybe not to everybody, but I’d like to think that I’ve started being able to read you a bit.”
“Sorry…”
“For what? You told me that you have issues around a lot of people. Home must always feel like a sanctuary.”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“Anyway, I’ll let you call Kenzie. And don’t worry, I picked a quieter restaurant in the hopes you’d join, so hopefully it’s not overwhelming.”
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Of course.” There was a smile in his voice. “I want you to feel comfortable.”
“Still, I appreciate it.”
“That’s just what friends do. I’ll text you the deets.”
“Ok.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
The line went silent, and I held my phone against my chest. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
The flutters in my middle turned into a dull gnawing. Would Eli still want to be my friend without the buffer of dance between us?
∞∞∞
Kenzie embraced Amber as soon as we reached the table. “How are you? How’s your grandpa?”
“I’m ok,” Amber replied as we sat. “Grandpa is going into a home for now. Whether or not he’ll be able to get out after physical therapy is yet to be seen.”
“At least he made it,” Kenzie said. “How’s the rest of the fam holding up?”
Amber nodded. “Mom’s staying with grandma for now, getting her settled for the long-haul with grandpa in care. And I’ll be going out again in a few weeks, when I can get some time from work.”
“Makes sense,” Kenzie noted.
I jumped as something touched my arm, then realized that Eli had rested his hand on me.
“You doing ok?” he asked softly.
I swallowed, then nodded. His hand was so warm against my skin—his touch gentle.
The butterflies were back.
“Yeah,” I heard myself say. “I’m good.”
He smiled. “Good.”
We stared at each other for a minute, then I yelped in surprise as arms flung themselves around me from behind.
“Thank you too,” Amber said in my ear. “Kenzie was worried about you the whole drive to the airport. Thanks for letting her take me.”
I squirmed around to face her. “You needed her more than I did right then.”
