I try my best not to touch him in any way. Key word istry, but if my pinky doesn’t brush against him, then my thumb does. His warmth is a secret keyholder to my heart.
We quickly bask in silence. Except I’m not sure you can call this silence. It’s like I’m in my room with nature sounds playing in the background.
The ground is cool beneath me and all I can hear is the sound of Dean’s steady breathing and water splashing against each other in soft tones. It’s euphoric. In some odd way, this is my heaven.
“Earlier, you said you were anxious.” Dean says the word like he thought about it multiple times before letting it out. “Is it because you were alone?”
My fingers falter and push the pink outside of the line. Taking a deep breath, I trade the pink marker for a green one. “Partly,” nobody likes being alone. “But it’s something else.”
“Whatis it?”
I stop colouring and look at Dean. Unimpressed. “This isn’t your way of getting closer to me, is it?”
“If it is?” He solemnly asks.
I cap the marker and stare at him.You shut me out the last time I asked questions.
Then ask me the right ones, he stares back.
“Okay,” I reply while exchanging the green for a blue. “But this only works if you tell me a bit about yourself too.”
His brows pull together like he’s not sure what that means.
Has no one tried getting to know Dean Vuk before?
“This is me using you.” I clarify. “You ask me a question then I get to ask you a question, deal?”
Dean looks out towards the water.
I tilt my head to get in his way, forcing him to look at me.
“Fine,” he grumbles. “What didn’t you?—”
“Iget to ask you a question first.”
“You just did,” he says.
Is that… asmile?
Or well, an almost smile. But whatever, it’s the same to me.
“Touché,” I shake my head in disbelief even though he’s right. “Go on, then.”
Dean doesn’t remove his hand from my thigh. Not that it’s a problem—it isn’t—I’m actually finding a lot of comfort in it right now.
“What’s bothering you?”
Straight to the point, I see.
To get better balance, I abandon the no-touch rule.
He’s big. Everywhere. His muscles.Him.
How does he get through average human doors?
“I had a fight with my sister.” I start to say, swallowing the unusuallump in my throat. “Whenever I have a fight with her or my other sister, I get anxious. They’re the type to like space after an argument and I’m… not. It makes me feel like I’m a burden to them. That’s all.”
Dean stills. “You’re not a problem, Nova.”
