keep myself out of trouble without Joey here.
"Whoa, who said anything about a date?" I teased.
Her lips parted and she backtracked. "Uh…I thought—"
"Is that a no, then?" I grinned along with my teasing.
"So you're not officially in the program? How many days are on your coin?"
"Don't have a chip or coin or badge or any of that other stuff. I…" I smiled and felt kind of guilty for some reason. "I've never gone to meetings."
"No meetings. No coins." She took a deep breath. "You can still answer my question of how many days sober, can't you?"
"I could," I ventured and smiled. She stared at my mouth for a few long seconds before looking back up to my eyes.
"You are a compulsive question avoider, aren't you?" Again she hit the nail on the head. She smiled to ease the sting.
"Guilty as charged."
"Would saying no flat-out help or hurt your ego with the fact that you're not supposed to be dating yet anyway?"
It was as if she knew I was hiding this big, bad secret inside and wanted to take it easy on me, but still call me on my crap.
"Not really. You see, I'm just here because I promised my friend I'd come."
She nodded, her lips sucking into her mouth in between her teeth. "Who?"
"Who what?"
"Who did you promise you'd come?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, waiting for my answer.
"A friend. She left for a job in Texas. She was my…"
"Girlfriend," she supplied, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop the disappointment from seeping into her words and her face.
Good night , the little insightful, raven-haired minx was going to slay me where I stood. "No. My sponsor, of sorts. She took care of me herself. Her dad's a preacher and they watched out for me. Besides, I asked you out. I wouldn't have done that if I had a girlfriend."
"I guess not," she said. She looked infinitely sad all of a sudden. I went to speak, but she beat me to it, leaning back against the wall. "I wouldn't be a very good date even if you were supposed to be dating." She was not going to let that go, huh? Must be a strict thing around here. "I'm…" She pulled a coin from her pocket. She held it up sadly and smiled. "Mine is a three year coin. And counting." One side of her mouth lifted as she looked at it, almost lovingly. Maybe it was full-blown love for that coin, I didn't know. "You're not supposed to date for at least one year, some say two, but I've had a million and one things going on at once." She finally looked at me again. "Boys were never one of them."
I saw it, the barely-there spark that was left in her. She thought she was used up; she thought she had nothing left to give. It broke that vessel in my chest right there in the back of the NA meeting. I knew then I wanted more than just some flirting. And the tactics were going to have to change. Flirting came back so easily for some reason, but that wasn't what this girl needed. She needed someone to show her that whatever we were before wasn't who we had to be. Whatever sins of our past could stay there and not follow us into the rest of our lives.
But that somebody wasn't me.
I couldn't be somebody's light. I barely lit my own way on most days. So I looked around before looking back at her. She had a knowing smile on her face—her gorgeous little face that pleaded with me to save her and make her whole. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."
She nodded and put her coin back into her pocket. She smiled and turned to grab a pamphlet off the wall.
"My number's on the bottom." I raised a brow at that, my grin slightly returning. Her neck turned pink and she chuckled under her breath. "I mean, the hotline's number. I work here at the center. If you ever need to talk to someone or know someone who needs to talk, the number is on the bottom."
"And you would answer the phone?"
"Sometimes. There are several of us. I'm here almost every day." She pursed her lips a little at that admission. "Anyway. Good luck…uh?"
"Milo. Miles.
"Whoa, who said anything about a date?" I teased.
Her lips parted and she backtracked. "Uh…I thought—"
"Is that a no, then?" I grinned along with my teasing.
"So you're not officially in the program? How many days are on your coin?"
"Don't have a chip or coin or badge or any of that other stuff. I…" I smiled and felt kind of guilty for some reason. "I've never gone to meetings."
"No meetings. No coins." She took a deep breath. "You can still answer my question of how many days sober, can't you?"
"I could," I ventured and smiled. She stared at my mouth for a few long seconds before looking back up to my eyes.
"You are a compulsive question avoider, aren't you?" Again she hit the nail on the head. She smiled to ease the sting.
"Guilty as charged."
"Would saying no flat-out help or hurt your ego with the fact that you're not supposed to be dating yet anyway?"
It was as if she knew I was hiding this big, bad secret inside and wanted to take it easy on me, but still call me on my crap.
"Not really. You see, I'm just here because I promised my friend I'd come."
She nodded, her lips sucking into her mouth in between her teeth. "Who?"
"Who what?"
"Who did you promise you'd come?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, waiting for my answer.
"A friend. She left for a job in Texas. She was my…"
"Girlfriend," she supplied, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop the disappointment from seeping into her words and her face.
Good night , the little insightful, raven-haired minx was going to slay me where I stood. "No. My sponsor, of sorts. She took care of me herself. Her dad's a preacher and they watched out for me. Besides, I asked you out. I wouldn't have done that if I had a girlfriend."
"I guess not," she said. She looked infinitely sad all of a sudden. I went to speak, but she beat me to it, leaning back against the wall. "I wouldn't be a very good date even if you were supposed to be dating." She was not going to let that go, huh? Must be a strict thing around here. "I'm…" She pulled a coin from her pocket. She held it up sadly and smiled. "Mine is a three year coin. And counting." One side of her mouth lifted as she looked at it, almost lovingly. Maybe it was full-blown love for that coin, I didn't know. "You're not supposed to date for at least one year, some say two, but I've had a million and one things going on at once." She finally looked at me again. "Boys were never one of them."
I saw it, the barely-there spark that was left in her. She thought she was used up; she thought she had nothing left to give. It broke that vessel in my chest right there in the back of the NA meeting. I knew then I wanted more than just some flirting. And the tactics were going to have to change. Flirting came back so easily for some reason, but that wasn't what this girl needed. She needed someone to show her that whatever we were before wasn't who we had to be. Whatever sins of our past could stay there and not follow us into the rest of our lives.
But that somebody wasn't me.
I couldn't be somebody's light. I barely lit my own way on most days. So I looked around before looking back at her. She had a knowing smile on her face—her gorgeous little face that pleaded with me to save her and make her whole. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."
She nodded and put her coin back into her pocket. She smiled and turned to grab a pamphlet off the wall.
"My number's on the bottom." I raised a brow at that, my grin slightly returning. Her neck turned pink and she chuckled under her breath. "I mean, the hotline's number. I work here at the center. If you ever need to talk to someone or know someone who needs to talk, the number is on the bottom."
"And you would answer the phone?"
"Sometimes. There are several of us. I'm here almost every day." She pursed her lips a little at that admission. "Anyway. Good luck…uh?"
"Milo. Miles.
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