Never Let Go Read Free Page B

going for a drive?”
    “I wanted to find some place to eat,” I explain. “Do you have any suggestions?”
    Andrew nods. “Hell, yeah! Come on. I’ll show you.” He walks around the car and gets in. I blink, then try to force down the smile that wants to form on my lips. He never actually asked .
    “You’ll want to back up, first,” Andrew teases when I turn the engine on.
    “Thanks for the tip,” I deadpan.
    “Then you’ll want to go down that street—” he continues, “—and take a left at the second light.”
    “Got it,” I say. I drive down the street, following his directions. When he reaches for the radio, I stop him. “Don’t bother,” I say. “It doesn’t work.”
    “Bummer,” he frowns. “You can tell a lot about a person by the music she listens to.”
    “Really?” I arch an eyebrow. “Says who?”
    “Says me. And, um, any sane person living on this earth.”
    “I don’t think so,” I shake my head. “What if I’m one of those girls who only listen to top forty pop?”
    “Then I say you like to follow the crowd and don’t want to stick out.”
    “But what if I’m a party animal at the same time?”
    Andrew looks and me evenly. “Come on. I can tell you’re not that.”
    “Fair enough,” I laugh. “All right, so what if I listen to only eclectic stuff out of Iceland?”
    Andrew starts guffawing loudly. His laugh is warm and powerful. I don’t know what he’s laughing at, but I can’t help but join him. “What? What’s so funny?”
    “You said ‘eclectic’!” he chortles. “I’ve never heard anyone use that word in real life before.”
    “Is it so strange?”
    “It is from where I come from. Take a right here. Anyway, if you listen to eclectic stuff from Iceland? I’d say you’re rebellious and want to stand out. But in a subdued, careful kind of way.”
    “That’s totally a contradiction,” I tease. “Besides, what if I just like the way it sounds? There doesn’t have to be anything deeper.”
    Andrew surprises me by placing his hand over mine on the steering wheel. Our eyes meet. “Trust me,” he says. “There’s always something deeper.”
    A loud honk rips me out of the moment. I look up in time to see that I’ve drifted into the oncoming lane. I swerve hard to the right.
    “Better focus on the road,” Andrew chuckles.
    “Yes,” I agree, breathless. My heart is thundering in my chest.
    The problem is, I can’t tell whether it’s from Andrew’s touch or from the close call with the other car.
     
    ***
     
    The drive to the breakfast place doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Still, the second half seems to drag on for hours. Neither of us says anything after the near miss. I blame myself for letting the awkwardness creep in.
    Thankfully, Andrew snaps out of the funk as soon as I park the car. “Here we are,” he says. “Safe and sound. Good job.”
    “Did you expect anything less?” I quip.
    “For a minute there, I might have.” He laughs. “This place serves the best breakfast burritos in town.”
    “Wait.” I scrunch up my nose, incredulous. “You brought me to a Mexican place for breakfast ?”
    “What? You’ve never tried it before? It’s the breakfast of champions, Paige!” He leans in close. “And, I hear, one of the best remedies for a nasty hangover.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Just a rumor,” he shrugs, stepping out of the car. “Something about the hot sauce.”
    “Good thing neither of us is nursing one today,” I respond.
    “Just a heads up for the future,” Andrew winks. He opens the door to the café and leads me in.
    I couldn’t tell from the street, but inside, the place is packed.
    “Who are all these people?” I ask.
    “All the townies.” Andrew peers over the crowd and spots a table. He takes my hand and leads me through. The motion is so natural, I don’t even realize he’s holding me until we’re halfway there.
    I like how it feels.
    “So Paige,” Andrew says, sitting across from me.