“All I wanted was to be tied to her forever.”
Her eyes turn down. “And now
?”
“I want that with someone. One day.”
“With her?”
“Fuck no.” The light turns green. I focus on the road. Two lanes all full of cars. Bright blue sky. Brown lawns and beige store fronts. “Someone else. Someone I can trust.”
“Are you ready to trust someone?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re honest with me.”
“I try.”
Her fingers brush my wrist. “That means a lot.”
“Same for you. I mean me. I mean—”
“I know.” She traces the lines of the ink on my forearm. “I think I trust you more than I trust anyone.”
“Yeah?” Traffic stops me. I turn to her. Stare into those blue-green eyes. She’s back to the Leighton everyone knows—dark makeup, fierce hair, tight dress, I’m friendly until you fuck with me smile.
But there’s something in her eyes.
A promise of more.
Or maybe a plea for it.
Or maybe I’m imaging shit.
I don’t know how any of this works anymore.
A car honks behind us.
“Oh. Ryan.” Leighton motions to the road.
Traffic is zooming. I hit the gas. Focus on driving the dozen blocks to school.
I pull up to a side street.
She lifts her bag into her lap. “Is it a fancy party?”
“Dean’s wearing a suit.”
“You have one?”
Somebody behind us honks. We’re parked in the loading zone. We’re the assholes fucking with the flow of traffic.
But I can’t bring myself to drive away.
I shake my head.
“You want my help picking one out?”