“Vacation in San Diego.” She smiled. “Nice.”
“Would you like to be my tour guide?” I blurted. She tilted her head as she watched me.
“What makes you think I know the area?” she asked, her lips twitching. I shrugged trying to tamper down the nervous energy. Shit, I couldn’t tell her she’d told me she had been born and raised in the area in the letters we’d shared.
“You’re a teacher here,” I noted, carefully side-stepping my mistake, hoping she would fall for it. I had no idea why I didn’t just come out and tell her it was me. “That alone means you have to know the area better than me.”
“Hmm. True.” She smiled easily as she sat back. Something came over me, and my hand covered hers. “Umm.” She blushed again, and fuck, I wanted to kiss the apples of her cheeks. “I guess I could. Tomorrow is a half day at school. Where would you like to go?”
“Umm…” I swallowed. Shit, I was getting in over my head. I hated lying, but I had I already gone too far with this mix-up?
Would she forgive me?
Then there was the vain side of me. I wanted her to know me. The man.
Not the wounded Seal who had lashed out like an asshole through his first letter. The one who had been too chicken shit to tell her how fucking beautiful she was when she sent a picture of herself. The asshole who had been too scared to let her get close until it was too late, because Joy Espinoza was already too close. She was buried deep under my skin and beneath the muscle. She was in my fucking soul. Her hand moved, and I laced my fingers with hers.
“You know what?”
“Hmm?” I asked in a complete trance as I let myself drown in the pools of her dark sparkling eyes.
“I just realized I don’t know your name,” she brought up. I opened and shut my mouth. This was the moment I told her.
“I’m Li-Linus,” I corrected.
“Li- Linus?”
“Just Linus.” I cleared my throat. Jesus, this was getting worse by the minute.
First, I hadn’t told her who I was right off the bat, and now I was making up a fake name! What the hell was my problem?!
“Just Linus,” she repeated, and suddenly, I never hated the sound of any other name more. I wanted to hear her say my name, damn it. “Well, just Linus, you know I’m Joy.”
“High school teacher Joy.” Woman of my dreams.
“Yeah,” she laughed softly. “What do you think about the San Diego Zoo? The Wild Animal Park is always a great place to discover, or if you wanna go to the beach—"
“Fuck,” I cursed and watched as her smile dropped. “I can’t do this,” I confessed and watched her try to keep the mood light as she picked at her falafel.
“Do what? The zoo? I mean I get it; it’s sad to see them all caged up in a way, but—"
“Keep lying.” I felt like an asshole. Not only was I cutting her off, but I was completely risking everything.
“Lying?” she repeated, her body still as she looked at me.
“My name’s not Linus, Joy.”
“Oh…. Okay, what is…” Her voice drifted to nothing as a heavy silence fell between us. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my palms, and when I dropped my hands and our gazes connected, I knew.
I knew she knew.
“Linc?” she whispered with wide eyes. Suddenly, Joy stood, and I jumped up, not as quick as I would have wanted but fast enough not to let her get too far.
“Wait! I know! Shit! Please don’t go.” I grabbed her hand and didn’t let go when she halfheartedly tried to pull it back.
“Is this a joke?” she asked as she looked around, almost as if she was expecting someone to jump out from the shadows.
“No. I just—"