Page 65 of Rematch
I didn’t have to think about my father or my job or my complicated relationships. The only thing on my mind was the warmth in my belly and the smile on my face.
Oh, and the handsome boy -man- skating beside me, staring at me as if I was the brightest star in the sky.
For once, I was alright with that. Because maybe, just maybe, the road we were paving was better than the one we’d left behind.
Chapter 26
Max
“Did you have fun?” I asked Audrey as we walked back across the street towards the lounge’s parking lot. I slung my arm over her shoulder, bringing her closer to me.
To my surprise, Audrey’s arms looped around my abdomen. Resting her chin against my ribcage, she grinned up at me. “Yeah,” she replied. The yellow glow of the streetlights reflected in her amber irises like tiny stars, lighting up her expression. “But, the night’s not quite over yet.”
I raised a brow. “Oh, really? What are you trying to get into?”
“You know, we always walked by the ice cream shop for a sweet treat on our way home.”
“It is two o’ clock in the morning. What ice cream shop is open at this time of night?”
Her smile dimmed as she thought over the question. “I don’t know,” she murmured. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something else, but quickly closed as she thought better of it.
She didn’t need to speak for me to understand what she was getting at. I knew from the mention of ice cream alone that she wanted to steal a few more moments together.
“I’ve got some ice cream at my place. It might be a little freezer burnt, but its still edible. You wanna hang out there for a bit?”
The light in her smile returned. “Yeah, sure!”
We climbed into my car and took the drive over to my apartment complex. It was closer to Central Los Angeles, but still close enough for me to get back to my old neighborhood at the drop of a dime. After all, most of my life still resided there.
In my peripheral, I noticed Audrey’s brows raise at the sight of the tall buildings, glowing with golden lights peering through the windows.
I held her hand as I towed her through the parking lot and toward the revolving front door. The doorman tipped his hat at us as we passed.
Audrey looked around in awe at the elegant decor and furniture around the lobby.
We hopped onto the elevator and rode it up to the top floor. Audrey followed me down the carpeted halls to my apartment.
I quickly unlocked the door and let her walk in first. “Sorry if it’s a little messy,” I apologized as I followed behind her and flicked on the lights.
She gasped as the space lit up, revealing the carpeted floors, large sectional couch, and huge flat-screen television. But, it wasn’t the furniture she was interested in. It was the walls.
“You painted the flowers,” she mused, racing towards the small mural of peonies. Her fingers hovered over the paint, tracing over the petals of one of the many flowers cascading around the wall. The garden resembled the one in her own bedroom that Rashad painted for her, one of the first gifts he and Benny had given her. One of the signs that let Audrey know she was finally home.
“Just like you talked about.”
Her gaze darted to me. “But you thought it’d be too girly.”
I shrugged. “I changed my mind.”
A smile tugged at her lips as she turned her attention back to the various arrays of flowers.
“You should check out the outdoor patio.”
“Don’t tell me it has a view of the downtown skyline.”
I nodded at the double doors, covered by a curtain. “Go and find out.”
Beaming, she turned on her heel and hurried over. She pushed the curtains aside and flung the doors open. The wind blew inside, blowing her curls backwards. “Wow,” it carried her voice.
