She couldn’t help but giggle at his antics.
Together, they made their way to the elevators.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Alik started once the doors closed and they were alone, except for the sleeping little brother.
“Sure.” She looked over at him with curiosity dancing in her eyes.
“When is your birthday?”
She smiled. “It just past.”
“On what day?”
“March twenty-sixth.”
“And how many candles were on your cake?”
“I didn’t have candles or a cake.”
“Oh. Sorry about that. Well, if you were to have had candles on a cake, how many?”
“Seventeen.”
“You’re seventeen?”
“Yes. Why? How old are you?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“What?”
“Well, you’re just a little older than me.”
“How much older?”
“Just a little.”
“Alik!”
“Farrow!”
“How old are you? If you won’t tell me, I’m sure your mom or your sister would.”
“Yeah, all you women would back each other up.”
“So?”
“I’m fifteen.” Alik cringed.
“Oh, okay.”
“Okay?”
“When’s your birthday?” Farrow asked.
“November seventeenth.”
“So we’re about a year and eight months apart.”
“Looks like it.”
“That’s not too bad.”
“It isn’t?”
“Do you think I’m too old?”
“Too old for what?”
“Too old for you.”
“For me?”
“Ugh, never mind, Alik Winter!”
“Wait a minute Farrow Schone.” The elevator doors had opened on the hospital’s ground floor. Farrow took advantage of the escape route and nearly ran down the corridor just to get away from her embarrassment.
Alik hurried to catch up; keeping one hand on Danny’s back so as not to jostle him too much.
“Would you slow down? I’ve got my baby brother asleep on my shoulder so I can’t exactly go for a run right now.”
Farrow slowed her pace but still wouldn’t look up. She was sure her cheeks were crimson red.
“Would you please stop?” Alik called from behind her.
Farrow finally stopped walking and leaned her back against the peach colored walls of the hospital hallway. The almost yummy smells of the cafeteria hung in the air.
Alik finally caught up with the girl who stood with her arms crossed over her simple white T-shirt. The blue jeans she wore hugged her tight gymnast’s figure perfectly. If Alik weren’t so worried about what was going on in that pretty head of hers, he would have enjoyed walking behind her the entire way just so he could watch the way her body moved in those snug blue jeans.
“Why would you be worried about being too old for me?”
“Are you really this clueless or are you trying to embarrass me further before you call me ‘old lady’ and walk away laughing?”
“First, I will never walk away from you or anyone else I care about. Second, I honestly am not trying to embarrass you. And last, yes, apparently I am painfully clueless.” Alik’s voice softened as he said the last part, but it was his sky blue eyes looking down at her with genuine confusion that squeezed Farrow’s heart.
“You care about me?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Like a sister?”
“Um, no. Definitely not like a sister.” Alik cringed at the thought of watching Meg’s butt move in her blue jeans.
“Well, then? In what way?”
“Listen, Farrow. From the first time I carried you into Paulie’s house on the island and laid you down on the gurney, I thought you were drop-dead beautiful. Then on the plane back to the States, we seemed to get along really well. I mean, once you got over trying to kill me and my family,” Alik grinned mischievously. “At the ranch we spent every day together, training, hanging out, just…together. Of course, Evan was with us a lot of the time. But I’ve never cared for you as a sister. You’re beautiful and sweet. You can kick some serious ass and you can keep up with me.”
“Oh Alik, let’s be honest. I can absolutely surpass you in many ways!” Farrow’s eyes turned into sparkly slits as her face lit up into a wide smile.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. You don’t let me get away with anything! You challenge me, you spar with me, you’re not afraid to call me out when I do or say something…clueless. I just assumed you weren’t interested because I’m younger than you.”