24. Gale #2
I stared at our clutched hands. “No.”
“I don’t know what this is, Gale. You and me.”
“Neither do I.” My jackhammering heart bruised my chest.
“What do you want?”
“I… don’t know.” Everything, I wanted to say. But I’m a coward, and I don’t know how to ask.
He moved closer, close enough that his hair dripped down my face. Our foreheads brushed, then connected.
“Can I kiss you?”
I wet my lips, suddenly parched, and nodded.
Using his other hand, he tipped my chin, so I would look at him and not the ground. Our noses bumped, then his mouth was there. On mine. His tongue. His taste. His touch.
I melted. Dissolved. Exploded.
Surrendered.
The press of Ozrik’s body against mine was too much and not enough.
Like before, I struggled to keep up. Ozrik’s experience swallowed me whole, but it took less time for me to find the rhythm of us. Everything smoothed out. We were in sync. Joined.
Together.
It was simple, pure, and honest—three things I never would have associated with Ozrik Devereaux a month ago.
The kiss ended naturally. My heart raced as I waited for what came next. We couldn’t stand there all night. The others would wonder what had happened to us.
“We’re going to start rumors if we’re gone too long,” he said against my mouth, again reading my mind.
“I know.”
“I don’t want this night to be over yet, Gale.”
“Me either.” My words were so quiet, a slight breeze would have whisked them away, but the wind had calmed, and he heard them.
“Elliott’s not coming until tomorrow.”
I didn’t follow his meaning for half a beat, then it landed.
Ozrik had his own room.
Beside mine.
Attached to mine.
“Oh.”
“I’m just putting it out there. Absolutely no pressure.”
“But… What about Noah?”
“He’s a sound sleeper. I’ve crashed at his house plenty. Also, for what it’s worth, he’s a decent guy who would never spread anyone’s secrets. If he saw something… private, he wouldn’t say anything.”
I didn’t say yes, but I didn’t say no.
Nothing more was said on the matter, yet it felt like a decision had been made.
We agreed it was time to head back. Tension rippled through the air between us as Ozrik took us into Tulsa proper and to the motel.
At one point, he reached across the console, snagged my hand, and weaved our fingers together.
I glanced at the newly installed dashcam, but the angle was such that Ozrik’s touch would be hidden from view. The umpteen smiles that passed between us on the journey, however, were not.
“Where have you been?” Lex called from the door to the command room once we got out of Ozrik’s car. “Get in here. We’re briefing.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Ozrik mused out loud as we crossed the parking lot.
The room was ridiculously crowded. Nine team members and the three people Charles had left behind. I would have backed out if we weren’t physically shuffled through the door and made to sit. Becca and Hugh recorded while Arty ran an informal Q&A about the night.
In under two minutes, the whole thing devolved into a he-said-she-said scenario with lots of finger-pointing. It was exactly the kind of drama Charles wanted, and I had a feeling he was pulling puppet strings in the background to ensure we delivered.
Ozrik dove into the middle of the argument, and I blended with the paint, successfully going unnoticed. Why didn’t we find a tornado? Who was to blame? What could we have done differently?
Vern was too eager.
Roe misread the radar.
Lex took a wrong turn.
Maggie didn’t relay the right information.
Olivia didn’t listen.
Jazz was blameless, just ask him, but he pointed a finger at me more than once, saying that if I hadn’t been so stubborn about crowding and demanded going alone, we would have left sooner and found action.
Hugh and Lex had to hold Ozrik back when he launched at Jazz.
By the time we were dismissed, it was close to eleven. Vern suggested a bar and drinks, but only Maggie seemed interested in joining him. The two took off, while everyone else dispersed to their assigned rooms.
Ozrik caught my eye as he unlocked his door. His expression didn’t change, but I read between the lines. The invitation stood. Unsure how to respond, I ducked my chin and followed Noah into our room.
I didn’t know Noah from Adam. We didn’t share much conversation as we took turns using the bathroom. He asked what took us so long to get back, and I shrugged, muttering something about a wrong turn.
After that, we didn’t speak.
Noah’s headache must have been ailing him.
He took a few Tylenols and crashed right away.
Not once did he complain that I kept a light on to read.
Dickens didn’t hold my attention. My head was a roaring hurricane.
After I was sure Noah was asleep, I shut the light off and lay in silence, listening to him breathe as the minutes ticked by, and my mind spun.
My heart wouldn’t calm as I went through scenarios of what might happen if I went to Ozrik’s room.
Would we have sex? I had no doubt he wanted to.
That was the point of the invitation, wasn’t it?
Part of me wanted to as well, but part of me was afraid my inexperience would ruin it, and I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye after.
In the back reaches of my brain, I couldn’t help wondering if it would all end in disaster. I blamed my past. It happened once. Why not again? Who was to say Ozrik would act differently?
Once I’d thought myself into a knot and nearly made myself sick, I faced my options. Stay put, ignoring the invitation, which meant possibly remaining a virgin for the rest of my life, or risk it all, step off that imaginary ledge, and trust Ozrik was a decent person.
I pinched my eyes shut and said a short prayer, asking for guidance, answers, or courage. Something to help me decide what to do.
God had never answered me in the past, so I wasn’t surprised when He didn’t answer me now.