Page 62 of Yours, Forever

"If we never had met in Las Vegas, I would have never thought to come to a place like the one you call home to find you."

I nodded. "If you didn't look the way you do all the time, and if I didn't clean up well like this, keeping our heads straight wouldn't be so hard."

Though his eyes remained sad, his lips curled into a small smile. "That's one thing you're wrong about. You look good all the time, too, Eva. I know we can be friends... what if we could be more?"

I pursed my lips, but it didn't fully hide my smile. "We can't. I will not risk my heart like that. I don't even know you all that well. You know there are things you keep away from me. This is a contract. I can't have you kiss me."

He studied me, a long, steady gaze fixed on me. Like he tried to make sense of me, or himself against me, I didn't know.

"All right." He nodded once. "I won't kiss you, then."

"And I won't kiss you. We'll keep pretending when people are around. We don't have to catch feelings just because we're flirting for show."

"We'll keep it light. Casual like we agreed in the beginning."

"When your friends come next week, we'll have fun. Going back to Laguna Island tomorrow will help."

"We'll go right back to our normal."

"So normal."

He offered me his hand. I took it.

"Deal."

Chapter 19

Max

I looked out thewindow of rEvalution, restless energy crackling through my limbs. My friends would arrive any minute now, and I couldn't wait. Their visit came at the right time. Spending days with this group of people always nourished me and, at this moment in particular, they would provide the perfect distraction.

Catching feelings, she had said. We had shaken hands and agreed we'd go back to normal. That we wouldn't kiss.

Why on earth would I point out she was going to let me kiss her, rather than press my lips to hers? Would it have been different if my mouth hadn't run away from me, and I had kissed her instead?

Probably not. Her rejection had been swift; no hesitation when telling me that she didn't see us in each other's lives and she wouldn't risk her heart.

"Meg, do you mind freshening up the pastries?" Eva said behind the counter to one of the new hires. "I'll finish this prep in a sec."

"Sure! How many calzones rotos do we have left in the back?"

"A ridiculous amount. Max ordered those— he overdid it, of course."

"I heard that and I resent it!" I infused humor into my words. "You'll see how they all go through your baked goods and thank me for it."

Humor was a way to keep to the deal and let things be normal… for her. For me, normal was impossible. No way I could pretend I hadn't felt all that I had felt that night in New York, or the hope and fuckingawethat enervated my heart when she had almost let me kiss her.

"Nothing yet?" Eva appeared by my side.

"No." I tapped two of my fingers against my thigh, my hands in my pocket. "I don't know what's taking them so long."

"Did you text them?"

"Yes. Haven't answered."

She rubbed my back. "They'll be here soon, you'll see."

No way could I feel her soothing hand on my back like that, and avoid the lasso that wanted to whip from between my lungs, take her wrist, and have her fingers glued to me.