Page 47 of Electric Blue Love
“What do you say we go see what they’re up to in there?” I asked and patted him on the shoulder. I didn’t wait for his answer because Bianca looked up at that moment and our eyes met and instantly I felt better.
As Leika and Jeff said their goodbyes, Bianca shuffled at my side like she wasn’t sure if she should leave or hang around. I’d already decided for her, so I hooked my arm around her as Leika took Bianca’s number and the two of them made plans to stay in touch.
“I should probably get home,” she said after the door shut behind the couple.
“Let me lock up and I’ll see you home.”
“Oh no, you don’t need to do that.”
I grabbed my keys and smiled at her earnest expression. “I know.”
I couldn’t stop myself from linking hands with her. What I really wanted to do was take her back to my bedroom and kiss her senseless until morning, but Bianca wasn’t one of my random hookups. I needed more time with her away from beds and dark corners.
When we slid into the cab, I instructed the driver to her neighborhood and rested my arm behind Bianca’s shoulders.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked as I rubbed my thumb against the soft exposed skin of her arm.
“No plans. I thought I’d go to Chelsea Market.” She gave me a wry smile. “I go every time I’m in town. It’s one of my favorite places in New York.”
“With your family?”
“No, my parents are working, and the twins will probably spend most the day sleeping.”
“Anything else you want to do tomorrow?”
She turned her head in surprise. “Just walk around New York and soak it all in.”
“You say that like you won’t be back in a couple months.”
Her face fell, and I saw it then that she hadn’t decided yet. She was still seriously considering going to grad school. Did that mean she was still considering Todd, too?
Clearing my throat, I pushed back my unease. “So, let’s do it then. I’ll pick you up at nine and we’ll do Chelsea Market, walk around, whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, let’s do it up right with a proper New York outing before you head back to the country.”
She nodded with excitement. “Okay, let’s do it.”
The cab stopped, and I opened the door and helped Bianca out.
“Give me five,” I said to the driver and followed my little 8B up the sidewalk.
“Thanks for tonight,” she said as she fidgeted with the small purse clutched in her hands. “Seeing you with your friends peeled back another layer to the mystery that is Court Adams.”
“A mystery, huh?” I shook my head. “There’s nothing mysterious about me. I’m an open book. You just haven’t asked me any questions.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment. “Okay, fair enough. Tomorrow – a proper New York outing and the life story of Court Adams.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped from my lips. Or the tightening in my chest because I knew if she asked me anything I’d tell her whatever she wanted to know, and I wasn’t sure I was really ready to drop all that heavy shit on her. I dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head.
“Sweet dreams, Bianca.”
“Favorite movie?”
“Commando,” he said instantly. “You?”
“Mean Girls.”
