WAKE (Wattpad edition)

28. This.

{Kadee}

Kadee was back in front of Cary's shabby brown duplex before the day had really started, freshly showered and made up to cover how little sleep she'd had the night before. She'd stayed up for hours reading dozens of articles about PTSD, triggers and abuse trauma, curled around her body pillow for comfort as she connected the clinical words on her phone screen to an actual living, breathing person she cared about—a lot.

At her text, Cary came out of the house and down the walk. She drank him in, knowing he couldn't see her looking—he was wearing the dark sweater and dress shirt he'd had on for dinner with his mother, and she could see the shape of the man he would be in the spread of his chest and the size of his hands.

"Morning, handsome," she said when he dropped into her passenger seat. She pursed her lips. "What did you do to your hair?"

It was slicked back from his forehead, the natural waves smoothed against his skull. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Brushed it." He messed it up with his hand, the thicket of bangs she recognized falling back into his eyes. "Better?"

She smiled as she pulled away from the curb. "Much. You don't look like you with it combed down so hard."

"Some people might prefer that," he said drily.

She made a face. "Introduce me to these people so I can set them straight. I like the messy you."

He made a dry noise. "Guess I have a hope in hell."

The streets were quiet, sparkling clean after the night's rain. She was driving with one hand, leaving her right open on the console between them. He didn't say anything, looking out the passenger window, but his hand found hers, cupping it gently. Her lips curled in a slow smile, her eyes on the road.

"Want to go for breakfast?" she asked.

"Do we have time?"

"I don't want to be early," she said lightly.

He turned his head to study the side of her face, his eyebrows drawing together. "I don't know if I can be late. I don't want to make any trouble for Pete."

"We can just do drive-through and park somewhere. I'll get us there on time," she said confidently. "Just—all the people from school will be hanging around the foyer until service starts."

"You could go in separately," he said in an even voice. "You don't have to be seen with me."

She shot him an incredulous look. "I picked you up because I want to go to church together—of course I can be seen with you. I just don't want to see them."

She felt the pad of his thumb touch her knuckles, one by one. "I'm probably not going to help your reputation any."

"Someone I respect told me it's overrated." She crinkled her eyes at him, hoping she could get him to smile back. "I'm not worried. My parents know already—" he looked sharply at her. "And they're fine with it."

"With me." The words were flat with disbelief.

"Yes, with you. With us—spending time together. I'll introduce you today—you'll see." Partly, mostly true...she was sure they would come around.

He let go of her hand to wipe his palm against his knees.

"Relax," she said. "You're nicer than you think you are."

He let his breath out slow, pressing his hand over his stomach. "Kadee, what are we..." he swallowed, the word undoing his face a little as he looked at her. "What do you want from me?"