Damn Sonia to hell and back, because I haveneverbefore noticed how full Ang’s lips are. Or how long his lashes are. Or how maybe he smells like something I’d like to unwrap.
Frig!
“We spent a billion summers together in Scotch’s backyard.”
“Yeah…” Should Iun-invite him on this trip? Not because I don’t want him there, and not because I won’t miss him, but because I’m terrified of another ‘sexy hair’ moment where he turns away and rejects me.
I’m crushing on Angelo Alesi, and a week spent on vacation together might break everything.
“Laine?”
“Hmm? Yeah.”Focus!“Lots of summers at the lake, too.”
He chuckles. “True, we sure have a lot of history. Um…” Hesitantly, he digs a hand into his pocket and draws my eyes down. “So… I was walking down Main Street yesterday, and I came across this new store.” I can literally see his pulse jump against his throat. Angelo’s nervous, and that makes me nervous almost to the point of feeling nauseous. “I don’t know if it’s new, or if I’m just blind, but whatever, I went in, because it kinda made me think of you.”
My heart hammers uncontrollably. “Okay…”
“This chick behind the counter… long hair, longer than yours, and tie-dyed skirts that swirled around her legs, jumped out and scared the fuck outta me, since I was trying to look around super sleuth style.”
Faking a laugh, I try not to obsess about the woman with longer hair. “Alright.”
“Anyway.” Like he can’t bear the suspense any more than I can, he pulls his hand out of his pocket palm side up and shows a chain with a circle pendant on the end. “It’s a clear quartz crystal.”
He doesn’t back away when I bring a shaking hand up to stroke it. “It’s beautiful.”
“Don’t freak out. It’s not a fifty-thousand-dollar diamond or anything. It’s a crystal, and this particular kind is known as a…” His apprehensive eyes meet mine. “Clear quartz is known as a master healer.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“The lady told me how it’s a deep soul cleanser. It helps the wearer sleep better, and it activates and harmonizes all your chakras or some shit.” He chuckles shyly. “That’s actually what she said. It’s legit. She said how it’s a natural gift from the earth, and simply touching it will give you a boost.” He lets the pendant drop, and pinches the clasp between his thick fingers. “The store made me think of you, then this chick, without asking what I wanted, handed me this necklace and told me this was what I was looking for.”
“You’re not joking?”
“Not even a little.” With gentle hands, he makes me turn and drops the chain over my chest. I shakily bring my hair away from my neck so he can work on the clasp. “She said it was important I give this to you.”
“Did she say my name?”
“No.” His breath fans my neck. “She just told me what it does, what the quartz means, and that I’d know who to give it to. She said quartz brings strength, clarity, and healing, and when she said that, I thought of you again.”
Oh my God.
I bring my hand up and touch the pendant, and whether it’s my mind playing with me, or a literal boost from the crystal, tingles race from my fingertips and right into my chest.
When he’s done, he places his hands on my shoulders for a long pause, allowing me time to pull myself together.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Thank you, Ang.” I turn and look up into his eyes. “I love it.”
“Yeah?” He looks down and studies his gift. “It looks good on you. This chick also threw a different one at me; she called it a moonstone crystal, said something about it being the divine feminine crystal and that it works with the moon.” Embarrassed, his eyes meet mine. “She told me to give that to the new mom. Scared the fucking bejeesus outta me that she knew about Jules.”
Laughing, I stroke my new necklace. “Did you give it to her?”
“Yeah, I dropped by last night and tossed the gift bag at her. She was breastfeeding, and I felt like a weird creepy uncle, especially with the feminine crystal gift, so I tossed it and ran.”
“You didn’t really run, did you? I know you better than that.”
Chuckling, he rolls his bottom lip between his teeth. “No. I watched my shoes until she was done, then I held the baby for a couple hours while Alex helped Jules shower and eat something warm. Avery’s sweet as a button.”