Christina Lee - Before You Break

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a crush on that dude, too.”

“Ew, no, Avery. This is my job. We aren’t allowed to get messed up with the people we help.” I said. I didn’t have a crush on Daniel, did I? While I marveled at Daniel’s bravery, his resilience, and his determination, it wasn’t in a romantic way.

I didn’t know anything about him except how his voice sounded during the different emotions he’d expressed. How it was rougher when he was on the verge of tears. Had a dignified inflection when he was more optimistic. There was an undeniable familiarity between us. And in some cathartic way, he helped me work through some residual feelings I had about Christopher. Feelings I might continue to have on and off for the rest of my life.

And maybe in my subconscious somewhere, I was healing my brother, too.

“I know. I’m just messing with you,” Avery said, pushing playfully at my shoulder. “It’s just that you get this look in your eyes when you talk about him.”

“I admire him. For hanging in there. Trying to make it through. And on a very basic level, I understand him.” I turned toward my dresser and located the family photo I had placed there. “Because of Christopher.”

“I can understand why you’d have a connection with this guy. And it sounds like you’re helping him,” she said, slipping into her thong sandals.

“My supervisor said that some callers will affect us more than others because our own experiences or emotions might register in some way. The important thing is to keep a level head and use our familiarity to help them.”

“Makes sense.” Avery shrugged. “You should feel proud of yourself. You’re going to make a great psychologist someday.”

“Thanks. I hope so.” I picked my phone off my side table and sat back down on the bed.

“Speaking of Christopher,” Avery said and then cringed, “how did Mom and Dad take the news about Joel?”

“You know, they were pretty cool about it,” I said, scrolling through my messages.

I finally told my parents the night of the dinner, after all of our guests had left the house. And after my amazing kiss with Quinn. I didn’t know why I thought they’d be upset. It was me who had held on to that connection Joel had with Christopher.

“My father actually looked relieved,” I said. “He said he wasn’t sure if Joel was the kind of guy to settle down with. Wonder what made him say that.”

I could tell Avery was biting her tongue, waiting to say something as she gripped the keys in her hand.

“Out with it, asshead,” I said. “There’s something you want to say about Joel. So get it over with already.”

She moved backward toward the door, her face a map of worry. I knew she had plans with Bennett but she wasn’t going anywhere until she told me what was on her mind. “Please tell me you always used protection?”

“Always. I’m no dummy.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “Why?”

Her back rested against the door. “Something else Nate told Bennett.”

I groaned as my stomach went into a tailspin. What the hell was she about to tell me? Did Joel have a venereal disease that he picked up from one of those girls I’d always wondered about?

“He said that Joel was a pretty big flirt when you weren’t around,” she huffed. “The guy hooked up with different chicks while you were together.”

My head fell into my hands. “How could I have been so stupid?”

I wondered if Quinn knew about Joel, too. I must have looked like an idiot. Why hadn’t I listened to my gut? I knew there was something off about our relationship. And now it looked it had never been real.

“Don’t you dare beat yourself up about this! That’s the exact reason why I wasn’t sure whether to tell you.” Avery’s strong voice broke me out of my pity party. She sat down facing me on the bed. “Don’t go blaming yourself about something he’s done. Sure, you were probably too loyal—but he made you believe he was, too.”

“Maybe,” I said, biting my lip. “But I think I ignored some warning signs.”

“We all make mistakes. We’ve just got to learn from them.” She brushed my hair from my forehead. “If this thing with Quinn goes anywhere, I have a feeling you’ll let him know exactly what you want. You won’t stand for this again. We’ve all been naïve at one time or another.”

I lay back against my pillow, resisting the urge to curl into the fetal position. “But what about your whole living-in-the-gray thing with Quinn?”

“That’s different. That’s having fun without any expectations,” she said. “From there, if you decide you want to move into more serious territory, I’d hope you and Quinn agree on a few things. Like what that means for both of you.”

I turned onto my side and hugged my stomach. “After what you just told me about Joel, living in the gray sounds more doable right about now.”

Avery kissed the top of my head before leaving me to my own thoughts.

I wasn’t sure if I could trust my own judgment anymore.

Who was I kidding—I needed to start listening to my gut. Really listening.

I hadn’t seen Ella since our kiss in the park, but since that day spent with her family, I could think of little else. She was in my thoughts every night before bed and at the very moment I awoke each morning.

The business and psychology buildings were on opposite ends of campus so I hadn’t even caught any glimpses of her in between classes. I was hoping she was still into me as much as I was into her.

But even through text conversations these past couple of days, Ella seemed different. More quiet, standoffish even. Like she had stuff on her mind. So I didn’t want to push her.

Except I was going out of my fucking skull. It felt like it was a constant push and pull between us. I was finally feeling free, hopeful, and ready to take the next steps with a beautiful girl. And now she was the one who seemed to be putting on the brakes.

Possibly because I’d been talking out of two sides of my ass. At first, I’d told her that I couldn’t be with anybody. And then I’d gone and kissed her—who was I kidding, practically mauled her—beneath the pine trees at the park.

And damn if that girl didn’t turn me on in ways I never would have imagined. I mean, the way she was kissing me. Those lips, that body, the sexy noises. Fuck.

I was probably confusing the hell out of her, so I didn’t know how to proceed. I figured baby steps were the smart way to go. So I’d finally broken down and asked her to do something. I was nearly desperate to see her. I didn’t know what I’d do if she declined. Show up on her doorstep and beg her to see me or something.

Me: Just leaving practice. Can you meet for pizza at Luigia’s in Eaton Center?

Ella: Um . . . sure. Just finished studying for my psychopharmacology test at the library. I’m a block away, so I’ll walk. See you in a few.

Me: Psycho what? ;-) See you soon.

I was so relieved that she agreed to meet me. We were close enough to campus that we might be seen by friends but maybe at this point it was time to figure out what we were doing.

If she still wanted to do anything with me.

I parked in the restaurant’s back lot, far enough away from any cars that might nick my paint job, and then waited for her at the entrance. She walked up wearing a short denim skirt, some sort of flowy top, and sexy sandals that showed off her painted red toes. She had a brown leather messenger bag slung across her shoulder and she nearly stole my breath away. Her hair hung in delicate waves past her shoulders, unruly locks curling against her neckline, and she looked hot as fuck.

“Hi.” Her voice sounded small and shy.

“Hi,” I said. My hungry gaze wandered on its own accord over the curves of her cheekbones, to her distinct jawline, and down to the exposed skin in the scoop of her blouse.

As red flooded her cheeks, her eyes darted away from mine. I considered pulling her against me for a kiss. But I wasn’t sure what was going on between us, especially since she’d been pulling back. So I’d decided to just follow her lead.

“Where’d you park Fury?” Concentration edged her brow as she looked around the parking lot. “In an open field somewhere, so no one could dent her?”

It took me a second to recall what in the hell Fury was until I remembered that she’d named my cars. Damn, she was cute.

“Not a bad idea, actually,” I said with a laugh. “But no, just around back.”

Her mouth lifted at the corners. “In the farthest space in the lot?”

I angled my head to the side. “Maybe.”

When I opened the door to the pizza joint I couldn’t help placing my fingers on the small of her back as she stepped inside. I could tell she didn’t mind because she shivered against my touch. Plus, the air felt charged the moment our bodies were in close proximity. There was no denying that.

We sank down in the booth and my knees brushed against hers as I tried to stretch out my legs in the squashed space. But she didn’t move away, so I was feeling even more certain that she still felt the same way about me.

“You got enough room, Tall Boy?” she asked, her cheeks glowing with a pretty rose hue.

“Tall Boy?” I smirked. “That’s a new one.”

I thought about how I’d had to bend down to reach her mouth and how seductive she’d looked when I’d arched her head up to connect with mine.

Now she was chewing her lip while studying the menu and I wanted to yank her over the top of the table to sit on my side of the booth. To hold her, feed her, kiss her. Wipe that worry off her face.

But I didn’t want her to think I only wanted something physical. I really enjoyed her company, too. She was funny, smart, and passionate. I’d never felt this for someone in my life—a girl I could truly talk to and feel comfortable with, regardless of our crazy chemistry.

I still felt exposed under her scrutiny, even though she didn’t know about my past and what I’d done. Maybe I’d finally bridge that gap and tell her all of it—my secrets, my wants and needs—everything that was real. Share which parts of me were the fake things I made up to please other people.

The thought still terrified me, so I needed to ease into it slowly. I figured if I kept her talking about herself tonight maybe she wouldn’t ask me too many question. At least not yet.

I wanted to know Ella, to see everything inside of her, to somehow become a part of her life. That terrified the shit out of me, but maybe she was also scared. Maybe we could overcome our fears together.

“So this crazy test you mentioned studying for?” I asked, playing with the salt and pepper shakers. It was a bad habit I had picked up, dining alone more times than I was willing to admit. Ella seemed mesmerized by the clear glass containers twisting in my fingers, leaving a smattering of salt crystals in their wake.

“Just a fancy name for the study of psych meds,” she said, ripping off a piece of bread from the basket loaf and slathering it with butter.

As the server approached, Ella rested her fingers atop my hands and the shakers to still me and then proceeded to place our order for a half-pepperoni, half-mushroom pizza.

“For someone who takes such meticulous care of his car, you sure are messy in other areas,” she said motioning to my salt-and-pepper mess.

“Nervous habit, I guess.” I shrugged. I wouldn’t razz her about how she’d just cleaned up my mess at the table in ten seconds flat with a napkin. “You must be a neat freak.”

“Pretty much.” She shoved the balled-up napkin onto her plate.

“Maybe that’s why you’re so good at it. Your field of study, I mean,” I said. Cleaning up people’s messy lives seemed complicated. Perfect for someone more organized. Someone who had their shit together. “Have you always wanted to be a psychologist?”

I was afraid this line of questioning would’ve been too close of a reminder of her brother again and I didn’t want to upset her. She took her time answering while I sipped my beer.

“Maybe.” She dipped her chin in a way that showed her vulnerability and it was so appealing. “I’ve always been a helper sort of person.”

“I could totally see that,” I said. She had this soothing way about her, but she took charge, too. Like you could’ve gutted yourself right in front of her and she’d have taken the time to clean your wounds and stitch you back together.

“In high school, Avery joked that I must’ve had a sign on my forehead that read the doctor is in.” When she laughed it was like I could see straight inside her soul. Like in that singular moment I knew her better than anyone else, even though I knew how wrong I was. But, damn, I wanted to know her. “Everybody seemed to come to me with their boyfriend troubles or whatever.”