Page 16 of Fragile hearts

He shrugs. “I want to, my treat.” I open my mouth to interject, but he continues.

“I know you can pay. I don’t doubt that for a second, but I want to—so I can thank you for the present you got me.” He raises a brow when I open my mouth. I sag in defeat.

“Okay, but next time I’ll pay.” Carson’s eyes widen at my mention of next time.

“Fine.”

“Great.”

I turn to meet Peter’s eyes. “How much was it?”

I don’t have that much cash. I’ll have to pay the rest with my card. The last time I had to get my car fixed, it caused a dent in my bank account. I’m hoping this time it’s a less expensive fix. I grab my wallet out of my pocket, but Carson’s stops me, his fingers on my wrist. “Don’t worry about it. it’s on the house.”

“But—”

“No but, It’s all taken care of, okay?” He taps my wrist, daring me to oppose.

“Okay,” I agree.

“Good.” He steps back, opening the driver’s door of my car, holding it open for me. I sit behind the wheel. “I’ll pick you up at six,” he says, then closes the car door, giving me no space to answer. I wave at Carson’s parents, thanking them for their help, then drive away with Carson following me close behind.

Chapter Five

Alexis

“Where did you get the headbobber?” Carson asks while taking a sip of his milkshake.

The what now?

“The what?”

We got our food a few minutes ago. I’m having some fries and a hamburger with a bottle of water, while Carson has the same thing, but instead of water he has a large milkshake.

“The fireman one,” he clarifies. “The toy you gave me?”

I burst out laughing. “You call that a headbobber?”

“Well, what do you call it then?” I think of an answer but come up with nothing. Carson smirks, the corners of his lips curling upward. “That’s what I thought.”

I shake my head. A headbobber. I’m keeping that word in mind. “The toy store near the fire station.”

He hums, leaning back into his side of the booth.

We eat in silence, but it’s a nice kind of silence—a moment where words don’t need to be spoken.

“Can I ask you something?” I question.

“Sure.”

“Why did you bring me my suitcases in the middle of the night?” I had been dwelling on that question for the past few days, but could never come up with a logical answer.

He laughs loudly, throwing his head back.

“Have you been thinking about that the whole time?”

I shrug. “I was just curious, thought I deserved to know since you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I did not almost give you a heart attack.”