Page 45 of Broken Chords
She nods, her gaze going abstract. “Yeah. I think I will. I’m not ready to go yet, though.”
“Me either.”
Her arms wrap around my torso, and I lay back down, holding her to me again. If this goes on much longer, I’ll be gearing up for round two, which I don’t object to on principle. But I’d rather wait till later when I don’t have the specter of practicing hanging over my head. That can be my reward for ripping myself from her bed to get work done.
“So I got something interesting in the mail today.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nod, releasing her, and she scoots over to lie on her side, propping her head on her hand like I was doing a second ago, our positions now reversed. I both miss having her against me and am grateful for the slight distance to keep my dick from getting hard again. Though the way the sheets slip down, revealing her soft pink nipples, the only way to prevent that may be to get dressed and leave.
“Remember Gabby? Lauren’s roommate before you? I think you said you met her once, right?”
Something flashes in her eyes, and she drops her gaze to her hand on the bed between us, sucking her lower lip into her mouth as she nods. “Yeah. We’ve met. I remember her. What about her?” Her blue eyes are more distant than usual when they meet mine again.
Weird. Maybe it’s because they met before Charlie came to Marycliff. And I know she doesn’t like thinking or talking about her life before when she was working with her parents. So I push on, glossing over that.
“I got an invitation to her wedding. It’s the first week of Christmas break.”
Charlie’s eyes widen and her nostrils flare as she sucks in a breath, but then her controlled face slips on. “Oh?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “What’s that face?”
“What face?” She gives me a look of such guileless innocence that it’s hard to believe she’s hiding something.
I shake my head slowly, reaching a hand up to cup her cheek. “You looked … I dunno. Surprised, maybe? Then it was like you shut down all emotion in your face. Did you not like Gabby when you met her?” That seems unlikely. Gabby’s sweet and friendly. I can’t imagine someone disliking her on the basis of one meeting. But maybe she was having a bad day. It happens.
Charlie shakes her head, dislodging my hand. “No. I like Gabby fine. I obviously don’t know her the same way you or Lauren do, but she was always nice to me, and she seems good for Jonathan.” She presses her lips together and rolls them between her teeth like she’s stopping herself from saying anything else. Or regretting what she’s already said.
I prop myself on my elbow, my eyes skating over her. But she’s back to not giving anything away. She does this sometimes. Usually when someone prods at her life before Marycliff. I’ve discovered that she opens up easier if I come at the topic sideways. She’ll let little details of her life slip out before she realizes it and changes the subject. So I don’t push. Pushing straight on gets me nowhere. As evidenced by this conversation.
“Okay. Like I said, I got an invitation to their wedding.”
“Are you planning on going?”
I reach for her hand, threading our fingers together. “I’d like to. And I’d like you to come with me.” Her eyes widen again, but this time she’s smiling instead of locking down her face. “It’s in California. We can either drive down together, or I can watch out for deals on airfare. The hotel’s on the expensive side, but if we stay together and split the cost of the room, I think I can manage it. Would you be interested?”
Her smile grows even wider, and she leans in to kiss me. “I’d love to go with you.”
