Page 25 of Till Death Do Us Part

A heavy breath escaped my mouth. “I didn’t like how I felt when you were unconscious in the hospital.”

She lifted her sunglasses and studied my face. “You were worried about me.”

It didn’t sound like a question or a statement. It was one of those in-between phrases that could have been either or. I only nodded.

“Oh.” The response was automatic and soft, but she held on to my hand tighter.

We left the admission alone, and she shopped for the next hour, placing a huge order for flowers and buying fresh produce. She took out a bag of dehydrated apricots and started chewing on them after her bag had started to bulge.

“Time for lunch,” I said.

She yanked at a piece of the flesh with her teeth and nodded. “You hungry too?”

“I can eat.”

“I know of this amazing Mexican restaurant not far from here. They offer fabulous vegetarian options.”

We dodged foot traffic until we came to the parking lot. Roma sighed when she saw Celso standing next to her car.

“I frigging love that car.”

“It’s a matchbox on wheels, Dino.”

“It’s not. It’s fun and flirty. It fits me.”

“Red your favorite color?” The car was siren red with tinted windows, which gave it a sexier feel, but it still seemed like it could blow over with a strong enough gust of wind. This was Chicago. The fucking Windy City.

“Not necessarily. I just thought it looked hot on this car.”

Celso nodded at me and handed over the keys. As he walked away, he made circus noises with his mouth, like when the clowns start to get out of the car. Roma glared at his back, until she shook her head and slid in the passenger seat, still eating her apricots.

The small bobble dinosaur in a boat on the dash started to tremble when I took the driver’s seat. It started to sing when Roma pushed the button.

“If you’re happy and you know it clap your…oh.”

The arms of the dinosaur were too short to reach the oars. She started laughing, probably at the look on my face.

“I even miss my dinosaur, Felice. It was a gift from Lo when I bought Felicia.”

“Felicia?”

She started laughing even harder. “My car. Men are not the only ones who name things.”

I sighed, turning the key over. I fucking regretted letting Cassio take mine. I felt like I was going to burst through the interior like the Hulk. My feet might even go through the floorboards.

“Wait!” She held up her hands in a frantic stop motion.

I hit the brakes and her head bumped the seat some.

“Sensitive brakes?” She grinned. “Seriously. What’s it going to take to get you to agree to give me driving lessons?”

We stared at each other for a beat before the look on her face changed. It became calculated and determined. She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over some, apricot drifting in the air between us. Her car smelled more like the perfume she was wearing the other day, though. Mandarin and vanilla.

She was fucking sweet.

Her eyes met mine before they closed, and she kissed me. Her mouth was like candied apricot. When she pulled away, she seemed dazed, but I’d never had more clarity in my life.

Game over. I’m done.

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