Accidentally Amy(61)

Chapter 20

Izzy
Blake’s expression was unreadable - dark - as his brown eyes seemed to be looking for something in her face. His gaze stayed on hers when he said, “I was at your apartment.”
“You were?” Izzy couldn’t look away from his intense eye contact, which was exactly at her level as he crouched beside her. “Why?”
His forehead got a little crinkle, just between his eyebrows. “Didn’t you get my texts?”
He’d been sending messages? “Josh has had my phone since last night.”
“Ah.” He did that flex/unflex thing with his jaw, looking terribly serious. His voice was low and a little gruff when he said, “I thought you were ignoring me.”
“Why are you all wet?” she asked, watching a drop of water roll down the side of his face.
“I dropped your car off at your place,” he said. “Walked home when you weren’t there.”
“Why did you contact all those HR people on my behalf, Blake?” She hadn’t meant to just blurt it out, but the question was eating away at her. “It had to have taken you hours to connect with that many business contacts. Why on earth would you do that for me?”
He looked at her mouth. Swallowed. “Don’t you know?”
“Guilt?” she asked, feeling a shiver shimmy up her spine.
“Try again.”
She drew in a shaky breath and wished she hadn’t opted for the t-shirt dress, because her legs were getting goosebumps. The ability of Blake’s face to deliver chills made the comfy-cute garment totally weather-inappropriate. “Charity?”
“Iz.” Blake leaned a little closer, where his lips hovered just above hers, and he murmured, “Don’t you know that I’d do anything to make you happy?”
Izzy felt the world shift as she looked at Blake’s honest face and saw that he meant it. “You should get out of those wet clothes.” She climbed to her feet, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with her. “Give me your keys.”
He watched her, and without a word, pulled his keys out of his pocket and held them out.
“Thank you,” she said, taking them from his fingers, but she felt a little ridiculous when her hands shook as she unlocked the door.
The smell of his apartment when she pushed in the big, wooden door - clean and somehow totally his - felt like a welcome.
“I’m going to change,” he said, still looking solemn.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t.”
His eyes were bright as he said, “Better not.”
“You know,” she commented, remembering what he’d said about sending her messages. “You could let me use your phone to read the texts I missed while I wait.”
He kind of froze when she said that, which made her regret it. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter--”
“No.” He pulled the phone out of his pocket and dragged his big thumb across the screen. “I just, uh, I guess you could say I was a little in my feelings while I waited for you.”
That made her smile. “I cannot believe you just said those words, Phillips.”
“Right?” He made a self-deprecating laugh-cough. “I’m a fucking idiot now.”
“Now?”
He finally looked like he might smile - but he didn’t. He paused, looking at her, running his eyes all over her face, before he held out his phone and said, “Just don’t judge me too harshly until I get a chance to defend myself.”
She took his phone and felt like she’d won something. “Deal.”
He disappeared down the hall, and she walked into the living room and leaned her backside against the couch’s armrest. She found her name in his messages - SBUX AMY - and started reading from the last text she remembered getting from him.
Blake: Can I please call you? That was the text she’d received while in the van with Josh and his friends, just before he’d taken her phone.
The next message was from 8am that morning. Are you awake?
An hour later: Can I buy you breakfast and we can talk? Please?
An hour after that: I get that you don’t want to talk to me and I respect that. But I really wish you’d give me five minutes. Just hear me out, and then you can go back to hating me if you want.
Two hours later: I have pizza, McDonalds, flowers, a six-pack, a gallon of chocolate ice cream, a bottle of wine, and a thousand apologies. If you’ll let me come in, I’ll give you all of it.
Twenty minutes after that: I’m waiting on your porch. Please don’t think I’m a stalker, but I can’t focus on anything but you - us - so I might as well just wait until you get here.
Ten minutes later: There is a squirrel approaching and he looks hungry. I’m scared.
Ten minutes after that: Fuck, here’s the thing, Iz. I like you more than I’ve ever liked anyone, okay? I love the language you use and the weird way you think and the smell of your hair and the way you make me laugh and the way you eat pizza more than any human ever should and I miss you.
One minute later: My apologies for the run-on sentence. Also I KNOW that it’s stupid to miss you when it’s only been a day, but somehow I do.
Two minutes later: I will do whatever it takes to fix this because I think I love you. I know it’s too soon and swear to God I’m not some pathetic clinger, but I just
“Still reading?”
Izzy looked up from the phone and there was Blake, wearing grey sweatpants and a Cubs t-shirt, and the strength of the feelings she had for him was kind of overwhelming. He watched her, looking… nervous, actually, and she felt a little lightheaded.