Page 5 of The Year of Us: April
He made an x motion over his chest. “Cross my heart.”
“There’s a Chili’s near my apartment and I always see the most unhinged shit there. The food is decent, the drinks aren’t bad, but it’s the absolutely wild clientele that keeps me going back.”
“You’re lying.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? I like to watch.”
The direction Reese had been leading me in took us to the water. I smelled the ocean before I heard it, and I heard it before I saw it. Stretching out before me was an endless expanseof blue, dotted with distant boats and a few people braving the waves.
Reese and I sat down in a comfortable silence to finish our burritos. When I was done, I crushed my wrapper into a ball and held on to it to throw it away later.
“Tell me something that I don’t know about you, Reese,” I said.
“There’s a lot to choose from. Is there a specific topic you’re curious about?”
I slid my gaze over to his. “I’m curious about you. I don’t care what you share. I just want to know something about you that I can’t learn in bed.”
He was quiet for a minute as he contemplated, then, with the hint of a smile, he told me.
“I hate the beach.”
A laugh erupted out of me, sharp and surprised. “So you brought me to the beach?”
He shrugged and balled up his wrapper like I’d done to mine. “I hate the beach, but you might not. Besides, don’t most people want to, like, dip their toes into both oceans or whatever.”
“I’m not most people.”
The look Reese gave me sent a thrill through me.
“No. I suppose you’re not.”
I let the moment hang between us for a few beats. Let it swell until it threatened to become too heavy. Then I smiled at him.
“Did you want to take your shoes off and go for a walk in the sand?”
Reese curled his lip in disgust. “I promise I’m fine. But you can go right ahead if you want. I’ll wait here.”
“So much for romance.” I pretended to sigh. “So, what’s the next stop on the tour?”
“The tour?”
“Well, you took me to your favorite breakfast place. You brought me to the beach, which you don’t even like. So now it’s your turn to take me some place you do like, and when we’re done, you can take me to another place you hate, but think I should experience at least once.”
“That’s generally not how tours work.”
“Our tour. Our rules. Right?” I got to my feet and waited for Reese’s response.
He shook his head, but smiled, and stood.
“Right.” He motioned a hand in the direction he wanted me to go. “Our rules.”
CHAPTER 5
Reese
The day passedin a blur of mouths and hands and lazy hours spent sprawled across Cory’s unmade hotel bed. The thread count exceeded anything I’d ever owned and the never-ending hot water in the shower was a luxury I didn’t think I would ever tire of.
I’d taken the night off work because Cory’s ask from the month before was a threat that hadn’t managed to go away.