Page 73 of Breakaway Hearts

“What?” she breathes.

I need to kiss her, I realize. I need to feel her lips against mine.

Not as a public display. Not building toward sex. Not building toward anything.

Just… a kiss.

I cup her jaw, sliding my fingers through her hair. She tilts her face up toward mine a bit more, as if the same force that’s pulling me toward her is drawing her to me too. Then I lower my head and—

Bzzzz.

The sound of her phone vibrating in her purse seems shockingly loud in the quiet space. Both of us jump, and her eyes flit down to her bag as I clear my throat and step back. She brushes her hair back quickly, then digs around in her purse to pull out her phone.

“Hey, Mom,” she answers. She glances at me and begins to walk toward the fountain in the center of the garden. “What’s up?”

I watch her go, my mind racing almost as fast as my pulse. Whatwasthat? Why did I do it? Being sexually attracted to Callie is one thing, because it’s something I’ve felt for a while. Maybe for as long as I’ve known her. But this?

This felt different.

It’s probably fueled by the fact that we’re doing these lessons, not to mention spending a shit ton of time together. Pretending to be a couple in public probably isn’t helping either.

But the thing is, I don’t regret a second of what’s happened between us. I feel lighter than I have since Sienna broke up with me. But getting Sienna back is the goal of this whole thing, and it’s not like me to deviate from a game plan.

Callie talks with her mom for a moment longer, gesticulating like she always does on the phone and laughing a couple of times. I love their relationship, honestly, and I only wish I could’ve seen what Callie was like with her dad as well. It’s a part of her that I’ll never get to see, a part that doesn’t exist anymore.

She hangs up the phone and walks back to me after a minute, a smile still illuminating her face.

“Hey,” she says, tucking her phone back in her bag. “Sorry about that. My mom asked me to come by for dinner, and when she heard I was with you, she told me to bring you along. You okay with that? I can always text and tell her you’re busy.”

“What? And pass up on one of Lisa’s famous dinners?” I shake my head and check my watch. “You’re crazy, Firefly. Of course I’m coming. We still have a few hours before dinner hour, though. Wanna explore the rest of the exhibit?”

“Uh, yeah. Now you’re being the crazy one. What kind of question is that?”

She cocks her hip, giving me a look that makes me laugh. The tension that was gathering before her mom called has dissipated, and as I lead her into a new wing of the exhibit, I try to shake it off.

It was just a moment, I tell myself. A moment where I got lost in the atmosphere of this place and in her infectious joy.

But now we’re back on solid ground.

Chapter25

Callie

I’m still in a state of semi-shock from the experience of the exhibit as we climb into the car later.

After the sculpture garden, we went into a more traditional gallery, where the art was stunning and the lighting dramatic. The shadows somehow played into the way the artists painted, and I explained all of this at length to Reese as he listened attentively and patiently.

I still can’t believe he bought all the tickets for the exhibit today.

He did all of that forme. To cheer me up. To make me feel special and appreciated.

My heart feels warm but also half-strangled. Even if today was beautiful, it was also confusing. Do friends do that for each other? Maybe rich friends, but Reese has never done something like that before. It was all so… unexpected.

Especially in the garden, when he leaned in, trailing his fingertips over my cheek and leaving heated marks along my throat and collarbone. If it weren’t for my mom calling, I’m sure he would’ve kissed me.

Fuck, I wanted him to kiss me.

I told him no lessons today, but I don’t think I meant it. Although I’m not even sure that kiss would’ve turned into a lesson.

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