Page 80 of Dead Set on You
“I think my bucket list—the one you already know about—might be tied to why I’m here,” I say, needing to get through this part before I start thinking about all the items on there and chickening out. “There are things on there I never got to do …” Like all of them except five or so. “And maybe that’s thewhyI’m here. I had planned to get to it, immediately after the …” Promotion. “OhLaLove stuff.”
I’ve revealed more than I intended, and I feel the sudden urge to take it back and hide.
“What’s first?” The earnestness in his tone matches the warmth in his gaze—heat that somehow travels the space between us and sets up camp in my cheeks and chest.
“Um.” I yank my thoughts back to the bucket list. “Try caviar. Take professional dance lessons. Swim in the Pacific.” I’m going through the easier items on the list, but the more I run through it, the less of it I realize I can do in this form. Like, almost none.
Panic severs upward, making me feel hot and cold. I clench my hands into fists and swallow.
“Hey—” Rafael’s beside me. In front of me. His eyes scan me. “Whatever is going on in that head of yours, don’t listen to it.”
I nod, unable to talk.
“We’ll tackle the list together. We’ll get creative, whatever it takes to make it happen,” he says, like he has front-row tickets to my deepest thoughts. I imagine Rafael doing things from the list. The number of water-related items he wouldn’t attempt with a ten-foot pole.
“You might be afraid of half of the things on there,” I say, some of the sharpness dulling at the thought of Rafael doing item #86:Jet Skiing.
“All the more reason for you towantto do them,” he says, grinning in a way that makes me want to believe we can make this work.
“There will be water, and there will be dancing,” I warn.
Rafael swallows, then pastes a courageous smile on his face. “As long as they’re not happening at the same time, I might survive.”
“And if you don’t, I’m keeping things warm on this side,” I say, patting the seat beside mine.
Despite the levity in my voice, he sobers a little. “You’re not staying on that side, because someone is going to pray so hard you’re going to wake up before they sayamen, and if that doesn’t work, I think you have skydiving on your list—maybe that’ll pop your spirit immediately back into your body.” He slaps his hands together and mimics an explosion. “Boom!”
I grin, some of his enthusiasm rubbing off on me despite one last thing I didn’t yet ask. Because most things come at a price. “Okay … so what’s this going to cost me?”
He leans forward, hands splayed against the table, his face suddenly so serious my breath catches.
His intensity paralyzes me, especially when it settles on my lips. “A kiss.”
A breath puffs out of me as I die a little more. “A kiss?”
Rafael’s dark eyes meet mine. “Yes.” Heat burns through the synapses that ensure I’m breathing. “In the rain, of course.”
I open my mouth to say something. Anything. He wants to kiss, in the rain. He’s gone mad.
“In case you need someone to help you with the bucket list after we figure this out.” There’s a dare in his eyes.
And it clicks. Number 38.Kiss in the rain.
I can’t tell if he’s joking or serious, but I know I’m dangerously close to passing out.
He’s toying with me.
Evie vs. Rafael.
I force a laugh that sounds like I’m choking. “I don’t think I’ll need help with that,” I say, playing along. “But it’s nice of you to offer, Raffy Taffy. I’m sure there’s a fan club on standby.”
His grin doesn’t slip, but something in his eyes shifts. Like maybe it isn’t a joke. Like maybe I’m missing something. “Well, then, I’m happy to help you with the Spanish lessons,” he says.
I swallow, hating that I don’t know if I turned down the promise of a future kiss.
CHAPTER TWENTYELEVEN DAYS AFTER
We don’t immediately get to the bucket list, because a shaman is coming to my apartment.
