The entire exchange Josh kept sneaking looks at Audrey. Every time he did, she was looking straight at Kenna, not in his direction. It was as if she was avoiding looking at him altogether.
Which she might be. She’d just revealed something very intimate and personal about herself and he hadn’t exactly handled it well. The more he thought about how he’d responded the more anxious he felt, and that just made the entire situation worse.
As they said their goodbyes, Audrey raved about the food and told Kenna that she’d let Viv know she’d had a great time. He smiled and nodded, but if he were being honest, he hadn’t even tasted the food after she’d dropped the virgin bombshell on him.
When they walked out to the parking lot, he noticed that she’d parked on the opposite side of the picnic area from him which was why he hadn’t seen her car when he rode up.
“Do you need a ride?” she asked when she didn’t see any other vehicle but hers.
“No, I have my bike.” He motioned to the other lot.
“Oh, okay.” She nodded and smiled. “Well, see ya later.” She lifted her hand in an awkward wave before turning on her heel and heading toward her car.
He took a step and caught her wrist, pulling her back toward him. “Audrey, wait.”
When she turned back around her lips were parted as she looked up at him with so much raw vulnerability shining through her golden eyes, he could barely stand it. His mind was racing with the right words to say.
Should he thank her for trusting him enough to share something so personal? No, that somehow sounded weird and sort of creepy.
Should he tell her that he thought it was cool that she was a virgin? No, that sounded patronizing.
Since he didn’t have the right words to say, he fell back to his default. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Tightly. He held her for much longer than he normally did, not wanting to let her go. Then he pressed his lips to her forehead. Just like the embrace, his kiss was not brief, it lingered.
Finally, he let her go, stepped back putting his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t reach out and touch her. She looked a little dazed and both of their breathing was a little more labored than it normally was.
“Goodnight,” he rasped.
“Night.” With that she turned and walked to her car. He waited and watched as she drove out of the parking lot. When her taillights disappeared, he ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath as he had a feeling of déjà vu.
It was the same feeling he’d had the first time he’d seen Audrey and his world had shifted on its axis. He felt like tonight’s dinner had caused a seismic shift in the plates of their relationship, and he had no clue what to do about it.