Page 32 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

He lowers the paper and stares at me until I’m squirming. Why is he looking at me so weirdly? The version of me that likes to overthink starts doing just that, until I’m regretting not getting him a funny t-shirt with his cat’s face on it instead.

“Listen—”

“I love this,” he states.

My regret vanishes. “Really?”

He lets go of the paper and leans over to give me a tight hug. I snuggle into him even though the console between us makes it hard and wrap my arms around his midsection. He rests his chin on the top of my head and we stay like that for a while without talking. We’ve been finding ways to touch more often—hug, lean against each other, any form of contact. I never think twice about it because it feels natural.

I feel his heartbeat against my chest and gnaw on the inside of my cheek at how it’s racing. He moves back slightly, his warm breath caressing my parted lips. The tips of our noses brush, causing a little rack of shivers down my spine. I hear the faintest shift in his breathing and close my eyes as

his face draws nearer.

The ghost touch of his hesitant lips over mine has my entire body heating. It lasts less than two seconds, but the impact is made. My lips tingle and my heart races and my skin pebbles. Swallowing and pulling back, I smile at him and pick up the notebook again.

He buckles and puts the car into drive before signaling to turn back onto the street. Wetting his lips, he says, “We’re more than a perfect team, Little Bird.”

Staring down at the notebook, I find myself taking a quiet breath. Neither of us speaks except to say goodnight.

Chapter Thirteen

Corbin / Present

The chair setup for me is right next to Kinley. I can feel her body heat as we watch the scene between Olivia and Aaron, who plays her fiancé, play out in front of us. From the corner of my eye, I notice the slightest part of Kinley’s lips as she stares unblinkingly at Olivia and Aaron embracing in the middle of the room.

Her hands twitch on her lap as she watches Olivia wrap her arms around Aaron’s neck. His hands rest on her waist, his forehead on hers, as he brushes her nose in a peck of his lips.

“What are we doing, Beck?”

Olivia tightens her hold on him. “Going back to what it was like before.”

His response is delayed as he watches her, her eyes closed and her body melting into his in needed comfort. Then, his arms hook around her waist and hugs her to him. He sighs and rests his cheek on the top of her head, clear indecision featured on his pinched expression.

“Go back to what exactly?”

“When we were happy,” she answers. It’s so quiet that I almost miss it, but Kinley mouths the words so clearly that I can’t help but study her instead of the couple in front of us.

I lean back in my chair and study Kinley’s slumped posture, the same way she always sits when she can’t stop watching something—a movie, a play, a scene. It makes me smile to myself knowing I can still see the old version of her inside the woman she’s become.

When she turns my way and sees me staring, her cheeks blossom a light shade of pink. I just wink at her and turn back to Olivia and Aaron, pretending like I wasn’t caught.

It’s Aaron who caresses Olivia’s cheek and says, “I’m not sure it’s possible to go back that far, Beck. I know you’ve tried, but it’s never been me as much as I wanted it to be.”

Olivia withdraws, eyes widening.

Aaron smiles sadly. “I’ll love you unconditionally like I promised I would when you gave us a chance, but we both know you want to take it back.”

“Ian—” She steps back. “What…?”

His head tilts. “When the right person comes along, you don’t have to work so hard to be happy. That’s all you do though. Work. Happiness is just supposed to happen when you’re with the person that’s meant to be yours. It may not always be easy, but it's supposed to be more than this. I see it in your eyes, Rebecca. It’s not me you want.”

Olivia stares at the floor.

Aaron tips her chin up. The smile on his face is genuine as he brushes her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “This is on me too. I wanted to pretend we were meant to be something more. I know you and your heart. You wanted to give me that happiness, but it’s not mine to have.”

Olivia tries speaking but can’t. A choked sob escapes her lips that Aaron tries comforting away by holding her close to him. She buries her face in his chest as he brushes his fingers through her hair.

“It’s okay, Beck. I forgive you.”

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