ANYTHING BUT ENEMIES

32. the library (part ii)

A FAMILIAR SOMETHING glints up at me, nestled inside the black cushioning and tugging my mouth open in awe.

"The cat."

When I look back over at Dane, he looks amused.

"You got me the cat?"

The tiny metal broach winks up at me with its jeweled eyes, and I feel my heart starting to chip into a million tiny pieces. "From the antique shop?"

He doesn't dignify the question with a response again, the answer to it becoming painfully obvious.

"Holy shit. I didn't know you were—I don't—When?"

"What are you asking?"

"This is for me?"

"I mean, it's not for me."

My splintering heart is beating like crazy. I run my finger down the metal before decisively saying. "I love it."

I don't look up at him, can't. "It reminds me of Crafty Corner."

"My present reminds you of work?"

"Yeah...well, no. Not work, but the place. If that makes sense."

When I finally do look up at him, some of the amusement seems to have faded, but a small beam of it still twinkles in his eyes. He's waiting for me to continue, interested in my explanation. I dig my fingernails into my hand.

"I started working at Crafty Corner when I was fifteen since work was slow for my mom at the time." Then I add, "She's an artist."

Dane nods, his apparent interest tugging at something in my stomach. "What kind of art does she make?"

"When it's for herself, she usually likes painting landscapes and, like, nature stuff. But for work, she's done just about everything—calendars, local business commissions, website designs."

I shrug, pressing my lips together. "She's always welcomed my creative passions. I know I'm lucky for that. Art's always been her thing, so I guess she wasn't really that surprised when I told her I didn't want to go into one of the typical STEM fields."

"Definitely lucky." Dane says, wry smile flitting over his face as I glance up. "I couldn't stand to see you as a doctor."

"Scared I'd let my knife slip on you in surgery?"

"Or worse—on someone who isn't expecting it," is his reply.

I cut my eyes at him before clearing my throat. "Anyway, my friend Sam—my best friend—I grew up with her, we learned how to ride our bikes together, etcetera—turns out her grandma was looking for another employee to help out around her shop since she was getting older. So I went in, and Roselyn hired me on the spot." I feel a smile tug at my lips. "She said she liked my spunk."

Dane snorts at that from across the table, and I scrunch my nose at him. "What?"

"Nothing, go on."

I cross my arms, leaning back in my chair. "So, yeah. I've been working there from sophomore year to now. And when I missed application deadlines and got rejected by my dream school, Crafty Corner was still there for me. It's just like a big family, you know? It feels..." I tilt my head back onto the headrest, searching for the perfect word. "Safe."

Dane's silent for a moment before asking a question that makes my heart squeeze in surprise. "Do I make you feel safe?"

"What?"

"That was the point of this story, yeah? The cat reminds you of Crafty Corner."

"Yeah, exactly the cat. You, on the other hand, make me feel like I'm walking on a goddamn tightrope without a safety net."