Page 83 of Dear Pink

Do I chase after her? She hasn’t left my thoughts since I last saw her standing with a bag of takeout. I can’t grasp what happened between us. Why did she lie about her plans? She hurt my feelings by ghosting me. Maybe I hurt hers first? The diner. What happened at the diner? Is this Elise-related? We need to talk.

The front door closes, and I run toward the foyer. No way I’ll let her walk out of my life for the third time without an explanation. I deserve closure at the very least. I move fast to catch her.

“Go get her, tiger,” Gina yells from the kitchen.

“You got this!” Gloria yells too.

Great. I have a captive audience.

Hannah reaches for the handle of her car when I yell, “Please, stop.”

She turns around, her expression blank. I can never guess what’s inside her head.

“Gabe.” She drops her arms and leans against the car. Her face appears sad with dark circles under her eyes.

I place my hands on either side of her shoulders. I don’t mean to trap her, but I’m afraid she’ll make another escape.

“We need to talk. I don’t understand why you keep blowing me off. Did I say something offensive at the diner? Are you still upset over Elise? I thought we worked through that issue.” She doesn’t respond so I continue. “My relationship with Elise is over. It has been over for a while, Hannah. I thought we were having fun. We like one another, right?”

She stares at me, biting her lower lip in the sexy way that drives me crazy.Shedrives me crazy. I should hate it, but I’m desperate to hold her, no matter the cost. Obviously, I suck at dating, but I’m not a fan of head games either. I prefer honesty. My mind reels, and my brain can’t catch up with my heart. Still, she gazes into my eyes. Her soft smile gives me hope, so I continue to ramble.

“Please, don’t leave,” I say. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude earlier. You surprised me in the living room, hanging out with my sisters. I didn’t expect to see you.” She blinks at me and I wonder why she’s really here. “You didn't answer my texts yesterday. Andre said you ghosted me. Did you?”

Hannah cocks her head but says nothing. I swear Lolly gives me clearer signals than Pink.

“We have fun together, don’t we?” I step closer to her. I smell her light lavender scent. I long to touch her soft bare skin. I tuck a stray pink strand of hair behind her delicate ear instead. “You, here now, means something. Do you want to be with me?”

She raises an eyebrow as if making a decision, but I have no clue what it is. She’s impossible to read.

“Pink, can we go somewhere quiet and talk? Let’s figure stuff out together. I wanna be with you tonight.”

She smirks.

Shit. She assumes I mean sex.

“I don’t mean sex,” I blurt. “That came out wrong. I wanna hang out with you. Talk.”

Her brows lift, and she licks her lips. “No sex?”

She grabs my hand, and her touch brings relief. I haven’t completely lost her.

“How about this,” she says. “Let’s go to your house and watch a movie?”

“A movie?”

“Yeah, let's have a low-key evening.”

“You okay with skipping the family dinner?” I ask, interested in the answer. Maybe she likesthemand not me.

“Yes, unless you’d rather stay.”

“We can make do with takeout.”

She chuckles and points to the house. “Your family is in the window watching us.”

I turn to find faces hiding behind the sheer drapes. “I bet they think we can’t see them.”

“Wanna give them a show?” she asks.

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