Holding Her Hand (Reed Brothers Book 15)(9)

“Did you ever get lonely?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Never. Too many people around.”

“Then you went to NYU?”

I nod. “How did you know that?”

She smiles. “I might have asked Logan.”

“I met Logan at NYU. It was refreshing to meet someone who was deaf at such a big school.”

“I bet it was. Why didn’t you go to a deaf college?”

“I got a scholarship at NYU to study art.”

“You said your circle was small,” she reminds me. “If you were at NYU, your circle was huge.”

“No, the school was huge, and so was the student population. But the deaf population was tiny.”

The waitress comes back and I assume she asks what we want, because Lark orders and then the waitress looks at me. I point to what I want on the menu, and she writes it down. She asks Lark something and Lark looks at me. “You want some wine?” she asks me.

I shake my head.

Lark tells her no and she walks away.

“You don’t drink?” Lark asks me.

“Not when I’m on a first date.”

She smiles at me and my heart skips double time. “Is this a date?”

I stare into her eyes. “This is a date.”

She lays a hand on her chest and pretends to be startled. “But I’m a hearing girl!”

“I know, right? Crazy, isn’t it? Just don’t tell my mother.”

A man in a suit approaches the table and speaks to Lark. She looks around, and realizes that the number of people interested in her being here has grown.

“Who was that?” I ask.

She reaches for her purse. “My security guard.”

“I didn’t know you had anyone with you.”

She shrugs. “It’s kind of his job to stay in the shadows. We need to leave, though,” she says.

“Why?”

“Too many people know I’m here.”

Phones are snapping pictures like crazy. The waitress hurries to our table and drops off a couple of bags.

“Mark asked for them to change our order to take-out. Is that okay?”

I get to my feet and pick up the bags.

“Is it okay with you if we take it to my apartment?”

I nod, toss an amount of cash I think will cover the bill onto the table, and follow her to the door. Her security guard speaks into a Bluetooth gadget on his ear, and a car pulls up in front of the restaurant. She nods toward it. “It’s for us.”

We get in, she settles down beside me, and lets out a heavy breath. I can feel it stir the air on my arm. “Is your life always like this?” I ask.

She nods. “Most of the time.” Her face falls. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” This happens when I go out with the Reeds too. They’re like royalty.

The car stops at her apartment building, and we go up in the really fancy elevator to the even fancier hallway. “S-W-A-N-K-Y,” I spell out on my fingers.

“E-M-P-T-Y,” she spells back.

She motions for me to set the bags on the kitchen counter and she takes out plates, then starts to transfer the food over. “I know it’s not as nice as the restaurant,” she says.

“Better,” I say. I smile at her. “Where’s your family?”

“They’re all with their boyfriends and husbands. It’s just me here.” She shrugs and her mouth twists. But then she grins. “But I do have your baseball cap to keep me company.”

I look around. “Where is it?”

“It’s on my bed. I’ll get it for you before you leave.”

She motions for me to bring my plate and walk into the living room. She sits down on the couch and motions for me to sit next to her. She sets her plate on the coffee table and then pulls the table closer to us. I set my plate beside hers.

“We need drinks,” she says. She hops up and goes to get two sodas. “This okay?”

I nod. “Perfect.”

We sit quietly and eat and the food is really good.

She accidentally drops a dollop of sauce on her glove and rubs it away.

“Why don’t you take those off?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “It’s okay.”

I take her hand in mine and reach for her elbow. Her eyes close and I can feel her deep breaths lift the hairs on my neck. I arch my brow in question as I reach to roll down the edge of her glove.

She nods. “I can do it, though.”

I don’t stop. I scrunch it up in my hands until I can pull the fingers and slide it all the way off. Her hand trembles in mine.

“Are you all right?” I ask.

She nods. “I’ve just never…” She stops signing. “Never mind.”

“Never what?” I ask.

“Never…shown…anyone.” She holds her chin tight and stares me down. “Until you.”

I reach for her other glove and do the same to it. She keeps her lower arm turned away from me, but then she tips it and I can see the slashes on that arm.

“Both arms?” I look at her face.

“Yes.”

“Same time?” I watch her eyes. They stare into mine.

“Yes.”