Lincoln grins. “On purpose?”
“No.” His dark chuckle vibrates all the way down to my bones. I squeeze the edge of the picnic table, cheeks aching from smiling so much. “As if.”
That trip was such a big deal to me at the time. It’s still such a big deal. I saved up for months so I could go, and even then I had to really force myself onto the train. My heart raced so fast, and my palms were all sweaty, and I thought for sure I was gonna be sick.
I did it, though. I went.
Just like I spent the whole day out today.
“Thank you,” I blurt, gazing into warm gray eyes. They crinkle as Lincoln smiles at me. “Thank you so much for this. For bringing me with you today. It means everything to me.”
There’s a pause before my roommate answers, and in that time, it’s like the air changes between us. Becomes charged, crackling with electricity.
The wind feels warmer. Lincoln’s still staring, pinning me with his eyes, doing that frowny-smile thing.
His tongue darts out, wetting his bottom lip before he speaks. “You’re welcome, Jenny. You know I’d do anything for you.”
Whew. I swipe his half drunk beer bottle and take a long swig, too frazzled to meet his eyes anymore, and Lincoln laughs so loud that people glance over. The bottle thunks against the picnic table, foam fizzing up the inside of the glass.
“You can finish that.”
I shake my head, staring blindly at the nearest ride. My thoughts are already muddled enough.
“Okay.” Lincoln raps on the cracked wood. “Home?”
Home.
Yeah.
The thing is… I’m already home whenever I’m around him.