Page 89 of Pieces of Ash

“Doo-doo?” I ask, pulling back the hand that was about to take his.

“Oh! It doesn’t mean—” He puts his hands on his hips, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Doudouin French means…” He shrugs, swallowing his giggles. “…like, ‘sweetie’ or ‘honey.’”

“Really?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Just so you know,” I say, taking his hand and pulling the door shut behind us, “I’m checking that with Noelle the next time she comes to visit.”

“Don’t trust me?” he asks.

“I’m getting there,” I answer honestly, “but calling me poop won’t help your cause.”

“I promise it means ‘honey.’ You made me think of it when you said you’re not sugar. Sugar, sweet, honey,doudou. It’s nice. Really.”

I can tell from the tone of his voice—from the humor and warmth in it—that he’s telling me the truth, but I sort of love teasing him too.

We lace our fingers together as Bruno runs ahead and thunder crashes in the distance. Julian looks up, pointing at a group of dark gray clouds up ahead and to the east. “It’s coming.”

“We’ll make it,” I say, speeding up and pulling him with me.

“We won’t,” he says.

“Want to make a bet?” I ask, laughing at his dubious expression.

“Absolutely. What do I get when I win?”

I stop running to turn and look up at him. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’ll reverse our arrangement?”

“Just for kissing,” I say.

“Deal,” he says. “And what do you get ifyouwin?”

“Same thing,” I say solemnly.

He chortles with laughter just as a fat raindrop plops onto my head.

“You lose,” he says, pulling me into his arms and dropping his lips to mine without permission.

Raindrops dot my arms as I reach up and lock my hands around his neck. More rain pelts my hair. Drops fall on my upturned face as his lips move hungrily over mine. And then suddenly, unexpectedly, his hands land on my bottom, cupping it, and he lifts me. His legs, rooted firmly to the ground, split mine, and I straddle his hips, instinctively locking my ankles around his back as he holds me.

I slide my hands to his jaw and cup his face as his tongue sweeps into my mouth to tangle with mine. He skims his lips along my jaw, licking the rainwater from my skin. I open my eyes and find that his long eyelashes have caught tiny droplets of water that glisten and shine like the glass dust that sometimes sparkles on the backs of his hands.

I’m crazy about you.

The words bolt through my head like that runaway train I was thinking about before.

He is so beautiful. I feel it everywhere—in every frantic beat of my heart—and I stare at him until he realizes I’ve frozen in his arms. When he looks at me, when his eyes meet mine, I’m so overwhelmed with emotion, I can’t speak. I loop my arms around his neck and rest my forehead against his. Then I close my eyes and breathe deeply, memorizing this perfect moment.

JULIAN

I like her—so damn much—it scares me.

The way she looked at me in the kitchen…the way she’s looking at me now…I can sense the depth and intensity of her feelings, and my heart answers them. If I wasn’t enjoying every second with her, I’d realize how enormously fucked I was. This girl iswayunder my skin, and I’m starting to wonder if this will be a passing fling, or if she’s there to stay. Some people breeze in and out of your life without leaving a mark. With Ashley? I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a mark. Nah. There’s going to be a big fucking gash.

I’m not an idiot.