After closing up the shop, we head to the spot I parked his car.
We’ve been driving for a while now. I glance at Nor from the corner of my eye. Nor has been quiet since we left. Her gaze is focused on the passing scenery outside of the car window. It’s not very impressive so I know her thoughts are a million miles away, lost in her own head. I glance at the bones sticking out around her collar and I feel a scowl forming on my face. I quickly tamp it down.
The only things she is surviving on are guilt, stubbornness and air. Even after telling me what happened, I still see guilt in her eyes whenever she looks at me. I have to look for a way to show her we were both at fault. If anything, I am to blame. I should have avoided crossing her father. I should have kept my dick in my pants until my time in prison was up. I never should have fucked her without protection. But, I won’t regret Cora and Joce. Just like I won’t regret beating the crap out of Stephen. The thought of that worthless piece of shit harming Nor, any of her sisters, or her mom, makes me want to track him down and finish him off.
I park the truck in a spot outside the cafe and watch her side profile. I reach over the console and cover her hand with mine, squeezing it gently. Her head snaps up to face me, searching my face.
I pull my hand back and sign, “Are you okay?”
She blinks, the emptiness in her gaze fading. She nods, her lips stretching into a quivering smile. “I’m getting there,” she signs back. “Are we going in or are we spending the rest of the night out here, chatting?”
Ah, there she is. The girl I remember before shit went to hell.
I laugh and it feels damn good. This time when she smiles, it’s genuine and her eyes light up.
I open the door on my side, round the car and open hers, then guide her toward the entrance of Spinners Cafe with my hand pressed on her lower back. We step inside the softly lit interior and I look around. The wooden floor beneath my feet vibrates to the sound of the music coming from the jukebox at the far end of the room. One couple seated in a booth facing the door are heavily making out. The man dips his head and says something to his partner. She throws her head back and laughs.
Shit. That was us when we were teens.
Nor and Cole. Once named the couple that would go down in history as unbreakable.
But we broke up.
Memories of my time spent in here with Nor bombard my head. Nor touches my arm and looks at me curiously. I jerk my chin toward an empty both. Two steps into our destination, I feel her stiffen against my palm. She spins around to look at me, her eyes too big for her beautiful face, which seems to have paled within the last few seconds.
I can’t tell what caused this sudden change in her. I glance around at the same time I feel the beats of a song vibrate through the floor and seep into my body.
“Which song?” I ask.
She smiles shyly, her cheeks turning pink. “This girl’s in love with you.”
“Our song.” I smirk, remembering it from the first time I saw her play it on the piano in her living room.
Nor eyes me warily while biting her lip as if she doesn’t know where to go from here. I reach for her hand and I feel her tense.
Her eyes couldn’t get wider even if she tried. Her gaze dips to the place where my fingers are wrapped around her skin, then back to my face. She seems to read the intent in my eyes and for one split second her gaze softens, a smile touching her lips. Then she shakes her head once as though to clear it of some sort of haze. She tugs her hand from mine. Mine wraps tighter.
“Dance with me,” I mouth the words to her.
She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. There’s a war raging in her eyes as she quickly looks at the table we were aiming for and back at me. So I make the decision for her.
Taking a step forward, I slide my free arm around her waist and cover the remaining distance between us. She plants her hands on my chest, pushes me away a little, and then curls her fingers on my chest.
Air rushes out through her parted lips. She stumbles on her heels as we continue dancing. I hoist her up, pressing her body to mine, taking more of her weight into my body. Her hand relaxes around my shirt and she circles her arms around my neck. Her finger tips graze my skin and I fucking shiver, unable to suppress it.
I’ve missed that touch.
I tighten my arms around her waist and hold her close. So close that no air passes between us. She tucks her head into my chest. I can’t resist, I drop mine into her hair and inhale deeply.
Her scent is a comfort. Familiar. How have I survived so long without her in my arms? Without this familiar scent.