Read Destiny (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 1) for Free Online

pulled the sleeves of his jacket together and couldn’t help but notice the subtle musky fragrance of it. I looked at him, standing there in just a long sleeved shirt, and wondered what could have possessed him to give up his wonderfully warm jacket for my sake. Could this possibly mean he actually did like me? His face was impossible to read.
    When we got to the truck, Tom opened the front passenger door, and Claire climbed in, leaving me to get in the back with Sam. He opened the door for me, and I took his jacket off and handed it back to him. Then he went around to the other side, and got in. When he turned and smiled at me, I felt the blood rush to my face. I hoped it was too dark for him to notice.
    Tom flicked on the radio as he drove off and the music was so loud there was no need to try to make conversation. That gave me time to think about Sam—he’d given me his jacket … and opened the door for me … and there was the smile he gave me. Was there something there after all?
    Then, as we drove along I began to panic, fearing that when we got to my place, Tom would get out of the truck and stand there kissing Claire. And there we’d be—watching. I thought I might as well just lie down and die on the back seat, right now, as I’d surely die of embarrassment when it happened.
    But maybe I do have a guardian angel, because when Tom pulled up at the front of my building he simply turned off the radio and said, ‘You girls don’t mind if we just keep going do you? I’ve got a few things I need to do tonight, so we won’t come up or anything.’
    I was saved. I wouldn’t have to die of embarrassment after all. ‘Oh, no, of course not,’ I said, opening the door before Claire had a chance to complain. ‘Thank you for a wonderful day. I really enjoyed it—even though I’m sorry your team didn’t win.’
    Claire pouted, but she jumped out anyway, saying she’d had a great time too.
    I looked over at Sam, and I suppose the relief must have given me a bit of a high because I winked at him and said, ‘See, Tom was right. I don’t bite.’
    ~~***~~
    I woke early the next morning. Claire was back at work today, and I didn’t start my new job until Wednesday, so I had two full days with nothing planned. Debs had her own life, which included volunteering at a museum every Monday. It was great for me, because not only did I not want to be a burden, but I also wanted time to just hang out and discover myself. I needed to work out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
    I decided to start my day with a run, and figured maybe I’d do some exploring afterward. I walked briskly up the hill to what I was beginning to consider ‘my gardens’ and then did a slow lap around the perimeter. As I approached the tree where I’d seen Sam that other time, I began searching for him. Even though I knew I was looking for him, I couldn’t believe it when he was there. He stood in exactly the same place, leaning against the tree with one leg bent so that his foot rested against the trunk. He seemed to be watching me, just as he’d done the previous time. I slowed, and decided that this time I wouldn’t just wave.
    ‘We’ve got to stop meeting like this,’ I joked as I came to a stop in front of him. My voice sounded breathless, and I suspected it wasn’t from the small amount of running I’d done.
    ‘Hi, Lili,’ was all he said.
    I felt very conscious of my empty hands, so I crossed my arms and hugged them into my body. He remained still, his position unchanged.
    ‘I, uh … had a great time at the game yesterday,’ I said, expecting him to agree. When he didn’t say anything I continued, ‘So, do you come here often?’
    He tilted his head slightly, and looked down at the ground, and for a moment I thought maybe he wasn’t going to answer me at all. Finally he replied. ‘Yeah, I suppose I do. I live just across the road,’ he said, pointing off to his left. ‘I guess you could say this is sort of like