Page 51 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

I begin walking toward the double doors, tightening the jacket around me now that the mid-summer sun has set. Not so surprisingly, Corbin follows close behind me until we stop outside the hotel.

“You can’t just go out on your own.”

I turn. “Excuse me?”

He sighs. “Don’t be like that. You know it isn’t smart to walk around by yourself in a city like this. Plus, you don’t know where you’re going, do you?”

“And you do?”

“I’ve lived around here longer.”

Like I don’t know that. I scoff and start walking in a random direction, noting the semi-crowded sidewalk. People ignore me for the most part, some give me a weird look, and others bump into me without caring.

A hand grabs my wrist, which I’m about to shove away when Corbin’s scratchy voice breaks through my caution. “Stop, Little Bird.”

I whip my arm away.

He jabs behind him. “My car is parked over there. Just let me take you where you need to go, okay? It’ll be painless.”

“To you,” I mutter.

For some reason, he chuckles. “Yeah, maybe. Still, I’m not letting you wander around on your own. I

t’s supposed to rain too.”

My eyes go up to the slightly cloudy sky. Not wanting to take a risk, I reluctantly follow him back to the hotel. He says something to the doorman and slaps his arm with a smile before pulling out his keys and guiding me to a sleek back car parked off to the side.

“Looks expensive,” I note as he opens the passenger door for me. Sliding in, I examine the inside dash that’s covered in screens and buttons that I’m afraid to touch. He closes the door and jogs around the front.

My fingers run across the black plastic in front of me and drag down to the glove compartment. Unlatching it while he starts the car and turns out onto the street, I dig through the random papers, napkins, and sunglasses before making a face.

“Looking for something?” he muses.

The truth just sort of comes out. “I thought there’d be something interesting in here. I don’t know. Condoms, a thousand dollars, something.”

His laugh has me eying him. “You think I’d just keep a thousand dollars in my car for anyone to steal?”

I don’t answer.

“What’s in your glove compartment?” he questions, slowing as we hit lines of traffic.

I think about it, not really knowing a solid answer. I’m pretty sure the only thing in mine is the car insurance papers and maybe chapstick that’s long since melted. Once upon a time, I kept a familiar burgundy notebook in there to read through or write in if I had an idea when I was out. Now it’s in a box in my office closet with the other notebooks I’ve filled with story outlines and one-liners that I’ve used along the years. I refuse to take it out and trace the gold lettering I’ve spent a lot of time staring at since Corbin gave it to me for our first and only Christmas.

“Nothing important, I guess,” he concludes when I say nothing.

For some reason, I smile at the memory of the vehicle I rode around in with him. “You used to have such random stuff in your Jeep. The cup holders had coins filling them so our drinks never fit right, your glove compartment had fast food menus and napkins, and the little console on the side held your thirty million sunglasses.”

He grins at me. “You always judged me for how many shades I had. I never teased you about your shoe collection. Or the ridiculous amount of pillows you always kept on your tiny ass bed. How did you even fit?”

Gavin would get annoyed with me about that too. It was rare as we got older that he’d hang out with me in my room, but sometimes we’d put on Netflix on my laptop and junk out. It never stopped him from buying me new pillows if he found ones that reminded him of me.

“I miss that Jeep,” he tells me, looking into the sideview before moving to a different lane. “I considered getting a new one but didn’t think it’d work well for what I need here.”

Looking at the screen in the middle of the dash, I note all the different options. “Seems like you can do way more with this thing.”

“It works.”

I roll my eyes. “My car doesn’t even have heated seats. You should be more grateful for what you have.”

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