I smile at the thought of being in the supermarket and stocking the fruit produce as he comes on. A musician, artist, businessman—whatever he does—with a smile on his face. It’s the same look he gave me, and I know he made it. Even knowing I won’t be there to experience it, I would see it, and that’s good enough for me.
As I realise we are heading towards Central and further away from our usual route, I say, “Where are we going?”
“Getting food,” he answers with a smirk.
I gaze out the window and scan the densely packed block of buildings. The traffic is heavier, but we aren’t rushing, so waitingdoesn’t bother us. We talk more about his family and what they do. His mum is a therapist, and his dad is a doctor. I then laugh as he tells me that his younger sister is a princess, and his brother is becoming Gollum fromThe Lord of the Rings.He is addicted to gaming and plays a lot of FPS—not sure what that means—games, compared to Conner, who enjoys role-playing games.
“Sorry that we didn’t playDungeons and Dragonstoday,” I murmur, realising we spent the entire time in the art class.
“I messaged Aaron and told him I had something more important to do. They don’t care when I flake. They know that it’s for a good reason when I do.” He leans towards me as he says, “And you are most certainly an important reason.”
“Conner,” breathe, heat spreading down my neck.
“What do your parents do?” Conner says.
“Um…my mum stays at home,” I answer. “And my dad is a, uh…police officer.”
He raises his brows in surprise. Then, it’s as if something clicked, and his body slumps. “That’s the reason the police scare you. You’re afraid your dad will find out you’re buying beer while underage.”
“Yes,” I breathe.
“Okay.” He nods a few times. “I’ve uncovered one mystery about Noya.”
I force a tight smile and look away. I’m a lousy liar, and I know it. Looking out the window, hiding my face from view, is what I need to do so that my lie doesn’t crumble.
“Oh…also, before I forget, look in the glove box. There’s something in there for you.”
I open the glove box and reach for a small box with a bow wrapped around it, but Conner dives for it and takes it before I can. “Fuck, not that. Not yet.” He points to the paper inside. “The letter.”
With a shake of his head, he places the black box with a pink bow beside him.
I take the letter out and feel something hard and rectangular inside. Flipping the flap open, I reach inside. A shallow breath escapes my parted lips as I hold the savings card. “Conner, I can’t,” I say, placing the card back in the glove box.
“I went to the back while you were at work. Surprisingly, they don’t close until eight. I guess it’s because the bank is inside the shopping centre. I spoke to the lovely lady again, and—even knowing what she did was illegal—we both wanted to help you out. It’s already connected to your other account. You can transfer money from whichever account you want. You just need to activate the card and set the PIN.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Noya, youknowwhy I would help you out any way possible—within limits.” He wickedly grins as he says, “I wouldn’t kill anyone for you, but I will hurt a certain someone starting with ‘A’ and ending with ‘ndy’ for you.”
“Conner,” I say, but hold the card dearly. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“I’d like to kiss you now,” I admit.
“What?” He snaps his head towards me, then back, and he quickly pushes on the brake as he notices the red light. “Jesus, fuck!” The car behind us honks its horn. Conner winds down his window and calls, “Sorry, man!”
He turns to me as if I were the culprit for us nearly running a red light. But if I am honest, he acted more dramatically than he should have. He could have eased on the brakes, and we wouldn’t have gone over the white line. But I suppose what I said caught him off guard, and the way he went about it was dramatic and…cute.
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
He scratches the side of his face and goes red with blush. “You’re certainly catching me off guard today, that’s for sure.”
“Is that a problem?”
Conner turns towards me with a pensive look as his brows furrow. “If you can give me a reason you want to kiss me—a valid one, and not over a card—I’ll grant your wish.”
“Okay.” I ball my hands into fists and bite my bottom lip before answering, “I really like you, Conner.”