Page 69 of Alive At Night

This weekend would absolutely destroy me.

I softened my voice. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

As much as I wanted—and had been trying—to ignore whatever this was between us, it was really fucking hard. And the fact of the matter was that we were two adults who had to work and exist around each other. Eventually, we might have to talk about it. Ignoring Juni might not be an option for much longer, even though I hated to admit it.

Juni nodded without taking her eyes off the passing landscape, and I took that to mean that the conversation was over and closed. For now.

“We should stop for something to eat,” I said, changing the subject. “You skipped lunch again today.”

“I was too anxious to eat.”

“About the weekend?”

She nodded, and I noticed how her shoulders were slumped. Guilt instantly sank into my gut, heavy as a rock. I was being an asshole, doing exactly what Gemma had told me not to do. Juniper was undoubtedly worried about meeting her sister, and here I was, probing her with uncomfortable topics.

I watched as Juni fiddled with her phone, popping the case on and off in the corner. I reached out and grabbed that fidgeting hand, forcing it to still. Her fingers slowly relaxed, letting mine thread between hers. I squeezed, ignoring the heat of her skin. And how soft it was. She stared down at our hands for a moment.

“You can turn your book back on if you want,” I said.

“Oh, no.” A nervous giggle cut through the tension in the car. “No, that’s okay.”

“I was only teasing you yesterday,” I said, holding her hand even tighter, not wanting her to slip away. “I don’t really mind if you want to listen to it.”

“I don’t want you to ruin all the best moments.”

“Me?” I pretended to be affronted. “I would never.”

Juni flashed me a look that told how much she believed me: not one bit.

I couldn’t help but laugh. She was right; I probably would end up ruining something.

“Tell me about it, then,” I insisted. “Are you enjoying it?”

“I am,” she said, and I watched as a light switched on in her eyes. In her whole face, actually. “It’s the third book in a series, and I think this one might be my favorite. But I’ll probably say that about the next one, too.”

“How many books are there in the series?”

“I think there’s going to be five, but only four books have been released.”

“What’s this one about?” I nodded toward her phone.

Juni smiled brightly.

And then she told me all about it.

* * *

It was latewhen we finally made it to Manhattan.

Our hotel was a stunning high-rise with room rates that were likely more than Juniper could reasonably afford. And even though it would cause an argument, I made a mental note to pay her back for our stay later.

After Juni checked us in, I followed her to the elevator, where we shared a quiet ride up to the sixteenth floor. She was more than tired; I could tell from how she dragged her feet as she pushed open the door to our room. A full day of work and hours of stop-and-go traffic had made my eyelids droop, too. We’d been forced to take at least four detours due to construction.

Sometimes detours were nice. A surprise diversion. New sights that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Old sights but in a new light.

These weren’t those kinds of detours.

Juniper’s obvious fatigue made me frown with worry when she stopped short just after entering the room. Her purse dropped to the floor with a loud thunk.

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