When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(45)
I bounce in my seat. “Okay, I’ll go first.” I grin. “If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
“That’s easy. Chinese buffet.”
“That’s not even a thing. You can’t say Chinese buffet.” I smack his arm.
“Well, that’s my answer.” He pulls back into traffic. “If you could bring one person back from the dead to have one meal with, who would it be?”
“Hitler.” My answer is so out there, I laugh at myself.
“What?” Graham gawks at me. “Anyone, and you would choose Hitler?”
“I’d ask him what made him so hateful. I don’t and can’t comprehend setting out to intentionally hurt someone. I’m curious what makes a person like that,” I answer honestly. “Now, if you could have one superhero power, what would it be?”
“X-ray vision.” His hand slides across the console and squeezes my upper thigh. Instead of removing it, he keeps it there. “I think you can assume why.” His eyes graze my chest before returning to the road.
I learn Graham would rather go on an African safari than a cruise, the color purple makes his head hurt, and he’s afraid of walruses. He never gives his reason, but I’m sure it will come up again at some point. He thinks reading is boring, which is enough reason for me to dive out the passenger door and risk extreme road rash. He tells me his fondest memory from childhood, which, of course, happened on the baseball field when he pitched his first no-hitter.
Graham asks me some silly, but deep questions, like if I think all is fair in love and war, and what I think happens when we die. I can’t control my giggle when he asks what my favorite book is, because let’s face it, there’s no possible way to answer such a question. He rolls his eyes, clearly not understanding a true book lover’s predicament with an inquiry like that one.
As we enter the city, dread washes over me. He notices my foul mood and squeezes my hand, but doesn’t comment. I’m thankful because I’m not sure I can endure another serious conversation. What I want is to get out of this car, kiss him goodbye, and cry into my pillowcase for the remainder of the night. It’s a strange reaction not to want to see someone go but need the space to process everything going on around you.
Richard stands near the curb, awaiting our arrival. How he knows when I’m going to be here is beyond my comprehension. He’s a thorough doorman, that’s for damn sure.
I kiss Graham softly on the lips, but when I try to pull away, he holds me to him with a gentle hand on the back of my head. My elbow digs into the center console. I wish this was a bench seat, ridding us of the unwanted barrier. His tongue dances across my bottom lip, and my jaw loosens, allowing his entrance. When it slides across mine, the sensation travels down to my toes. Wiggling to ease some of the blissful pain between my legs, I separate us with a loud gasp.
“It never gets old,” I whisper.
“How about one more question?” he asks and I nod in answer. “Do you think it’s possible to fall in love with someone multiple times?” His eyes fall to his lap, and for a second, a light blush stains his cheeks, which only makes my heart lift off into outer space.
I rest a knee on the leather seat, leaning over to put mere inches between our faces. My hands cup his cheeks, and I lean in to give him one last, earth shattering kiss. By the time we separate, our breaths are shallow and spastic. “I know it’s possible,” I answer, shutting the door behind me.
“Will you quit sulking?” At the sound of Mark’s stern demand, I roll over on the couch where I’ve been lounging for hours. A pillow hits my face, and I tuck it behind my head before I flick the TV to life and turn it to ESPN.
We watch the latest and greatest in sports. Mark glares at me while I dream of making a newsworthy name for myself. After our great season opener, I hope I’m well on my way.
“You got something to say?” I bark, placing my feet on the floor and resting my elbows on my knees.
“You’ve been moping around the house for the past month. You’re sort of killing the vibe around here.” His eyes never leave the television screen. “Nice catch.” He nods in appreciation of the number one play of the week. “Did you see that shit?” I nod. “Seriously, man, if you miss her so much, then get your ass in your car and drive to the city.”
“She seemed busy when we talked. She has to work tonight. I wouldn’t even get a chance to spend more than ten minutes with her.” I explain my foul mood.
“Big fucking deal. This morning at practice, you pitched like shit, and even Rico has decided to vacate the premises because he can’t handle the killjoy you’re being. We don’t have a game this weekend, so let’s go. Next weekend, we can’t. We’ve got an away game series.”
Kennedy and I haven’t seen each other in four weeks, and at first, it wasn’t all that hard. We both have school, and she has dance. During baseball season, I have some three-day away games. It hasn’t seemed like that big of a deal until today.
We talk on the phone every night, even if it’s just to say goodnight. Sometimes, we stay on the phone until one of us falls asleep. Kennedy is usually the one who ends up snoring in the receiver.
“Look at the giddy ass grin on your face. Pack a bag, and let’s get the hell out of town.” Mark stands.