Page 40 of L.O.V.E

I stood at her left, an arm’s length away, giving her space. Or giving me space. I wasn’t sure. “What would that be?”

“No flirting.”

“Fine.”

“No smiling either,” she said, staring across the street.

“Seriously. Why?”

“You have dimples.” Her lips curled. “Dimples make me stupid.”

“See. I feel like that was a flirt.”

The signal changed and Natalie stepped off the curb. “No. Not a flirt. A fact.”

“Okay. Christ. Can we start over?”

“Sure.”

“Listen. I was talking with my Dad yesterday. He mentioned an incident in high school—”

She threw up a hand, cutting me off. “That’s very personal.”

“I need to know, friend to friend, was Victoria involved?”

“Cole. You’ll have to ask your fiancée. Will she tell you the truth? I don’t know, but that’s between you and her. It’s not my business.”

“You’re going to therapy because of her.”

A huff. “Yes.”

“Would it help you to know that Victoria’s been in therapy as well?”

“Help me? No. Surprise me? Yes.” She did a little hop to avoid a crack in the sidewalk.

“How horrible was she exactly?”

“Oh, my God.” Bringing her hands to her cheeks, she shook her head. “Can we not with this conversation? Please?”

I smiled, hoping to break the tension.

Lips pursed, she shook a pointed finger at my face. “I said no smiling.”

“I can’t help it. You’re kind of funny when you’re mad.”

“Don’t make me angry, Cole Adams. You won’t like me when I’m angry.”

“Okay, Bruce Banner. This is me backing off.”

Natalie stopped in front of a hipster boutique, shoulders slumped, handbag dangling from delicate fingers. Worried eyes met mine, a trace of sadness leaking through. “What do you really want, Cole?”

“Truth?”

“Yes.” She nodded, her gaze floating over my shoulder, then settling back on me. “Let’s just get it out in the open so we can move on.”

I moved closer to block her from the biting winter wind and shoved my hands in my pockets because, fuck me, I ached to touch what wasn’t mine. “We’re attracted to each other, no sense denying it.”

“I won’t deny it.”

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