CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Corey
‘I made you tea.’ I held out the mug as she walked to the kitchen from the bathroom.
Her eyes glistened as her gaze darted from the mug to me.
‘Hey.’ I placed the mug on the counter and cupped her hands inside mine. ‘It’s all going to be okay.’ Even I couldn’t ignore the forced enthusiasm injected into my words.
‘Okay? Living like this is going to be okay?’ She ran her hands up and down her body.
Living with stolen glances at someone I can’t be with sucked, but the only other option was not seeing her at all. ‘We need to take our mind off it. The last two weeks have been hardcore, it’s time to relax,’ I said.
‘Relax?’ The pitch of Nora’s voice increased, causing her deep man voice to crack.
‘Sleep over. In the living room. We’ll drag a mattress out, build a fort around it, watch TV, you can read your little books about being a man.’
Nora’s nostrils flared like a bull at the way I hooked my fingers in the air while I said the words ‘little books’.
‘You’d be down on your knees thanking me if you returned to your body and retained the knowledge I’ve learned.’
‘You think you can bring me to my knees?’ The right side of my lips lifted.
I had no doubt she could bring me to my knees.
Her cheeks reddened; her pupils enlarged. If her face was anything to go off, those pupils weren’t the only thing that grew a little bigger at the thought. She cleared her throat and turned away from me.
‘I couldn’t care less about you and your knobbly knees.’
‘Hey, my knees aren’t knobbly.’ I tried to picture my knees in vain.
She turned back with a grin of triumph. A little win, that’s all she needed for a bit of a pick-me-up. Pride tingled through me as her cheerfulness continued.
‘Let’s get Italian and watch Star Wars.’
Her suggestion punched my chest with a powerful blow, impacting my ability to breathe and hold my composure. My nose stung as tears built in my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but instead, they rolled down my face.
‘Are you okay?’ Nora looked worried.
Not as worried as I felt, though. My heart raced, and my thoughts whirled. ‘It’s that damn soul of yours again, Nora.’ I tried to laugh it off. ‘It’s too good to be in a body like mine.’
Her cheeks pinkened and she tilted her head. ‘You think I’ve got a good soul?’
I couldn’t believe how long it took me to see it. I wished I could shine a torch on her body and show the world how she glowed. ‘The best soul.’
Her lips twisted into a smile, and it felt like a knife twisting into my heart.
She leaned closer and stared into my eyes. ‘Your soul isn’t so bad either, Corey.’
I gulped and looked away. It didn’t seem fair to hear such beautiful words, not when I’d been so hard on her. My soul was filthy. If I had an aura, it would be a black pit of gloom. Nora might have realised she’d lost sight of herself to her job, but I was still me.
And Nora deserved more than me. Even if she turned out to be the only person to dig a groove into my heart and leave a mark there forever.