What? Had she heard me arguing with Marcus? Did she know I was searching for her and that�s why she ran?
�I�m sorry. I�m not following you.�
She smiled, swallowing the food that was in her mouth before pushing the half consumed bowl of salad away from her.
�You�ve barely eaten. I thought you were hungry.�
Looking down at my plate, I noticed she was right. I was too caught in her, all the questions I wanted answers to so badly, I�d forgotten my stomach. Her smile met my gaze as I shrugged. She rolled her eyes.
�You eat, I�ll talk. Considering you�re a guy, you�ll probably be done by the time I explain this. Alright?�
�Okay.�
All of a sudden, she�s in a good mood. What the hell just happened?
*
Okay, how to explain this with out sounding like a complete moron or confessing that I know who he is�?
Suspicion playing with the wrinkles in his forehead, he started eating, taking his eyes off of me.
Least you had a good idea with that one, Kara.
Here goes nothing�
�I saw you before you knew I was there. Marcus saw me and stared me down, I guess not recognizing me.�
Nick swallowed hard.
�No, didn�t have a clue. I didn�t have a clue until��
I held my hand up to stop him. I need to finish or I�m not going to get this all out. Why is this so hard to say?
�Eat. I talk.�
Nodding, he went back to work on his food.
�Anyway� you looked caught up in something, something you were� very passionate about.�
He snickered.
�I� I had to be back at the club. I was already running late. Ryan needed his stuff.�
Say it Kara.
�If I had stopped to even just say hi� I wouldn�t have ever made it to Ryan�s show, knowing me.�
He looked like he was about to choke. Maybe this wasn�t such a great idea after all�
�So I hoped to pass without being noticed, but because of that, I wasn�t watching where I was going� and I ran into you. And you know everything that happened after that.�
*
Nooo, I don�t know everything that happened after that.
�Can I interrupt now?�
Running a hand absent-mindedly through her hair, she bit her lip and nodded.
�First, you didn�t run into me. I flung my arm out and happened to knock you over. Second, why wouldn�t you have made it back for Ryan�s show if you�d stopped? I understand being late, but��
Still biting her lip, she studied me.
�You know, if you bit a hole through your lip, I�m gonna have to do something about it.�
Where did that come from?
But it was a good random comment�
The real smile that had kept me up some nights, complete with nose scrunch, lit up Kara�s face.
Leaning her left elbow on the table, she rested her chin in her hand, that smile still lighting up her face.
My heart skipped a beat.
I want to wake up to that lying beside me every morning.
�And what, pray tell, are you going to do about it Dr. Carter?�
I�ll kiss you until you can�t breathe.
�Oh� I�ll find something. And you�re avoiding my questions again.�
*
One small flirty comment and I�m suddenly at ease. All the panic rushed out of my head, but refused to leave my right leg alone as it continued to bounce on its own accord under the table.
�I�m sorry. I�m horrible at these interrogation things. I automatically force subject changes until I have the opportunity to run away.�
He frowned at me.
�You want to run away� from me?�
Hell no.
It�d probably be the smart thing to do, but� hell no.
�No, not from you, just this conversation.�
�Why?�
�Because no matter what I say, it won�t make sense. To you. To me. It�ll work in my head, but the moment I actually vocalize it, it won�t make any sense.�
He nodded thoughtfully.
�Try me.�
*
I let you off the last time. Not now. Least not when I can get a tiny hint to where your head is right now.
Kara stared at me, still chewing on her bottom lip.
�What would you have said if I�d given you a chance to recognize me?�
I would have screamed.
�I� I don�t know.�
She sighed.
�All you would have had to do is ask me to stay, go with you, whatever� and I would have. Thus, never making it back to Ryan�s show.�
Un� huh.
Her voice grew quiet.
�By not giving myself the chance to stop, to acknowledge you, I still made it to Ryan�s show. Late, but still made it so he had overpriced prep clothes to wear.�
Clothes� yeah, I�m supposed to get some of those.
�So you�d have just up and left your friends for me?�
She laughed.
�I�ve done it before, and I hadn�t even met you then. Knowing me, I strongly believe a missing person report would be going out right about now, or my phone would be ringing off the hook if I�d stuck around earlier.�
This is good.
This is very good.
She wants to spend time with me. To be with me.
Cool.
�When did you realize it was me you�d pummeled to the asphalt?�
You turned around and your eyes sparkled.
When electrical sparks shot through my spine when I brushed your hand. The chills that overtook me when you walked away.
�Well, if my brain had been working, probably when you started talking, but since I was not� completely there��
Three
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