Shadows Read Free

don't understand what happened. Static, maybe? He shakes
his head and a piece of hair falls on to his forehead. I want to
put it back into place. I want to run my fingers through his hair
and feel his breath on my neck. Thinking better of it I laugh at
myself for being so ridiculous. People don’t just randomly run
their hands through a stranger’s hair. This isn't one of my
books.
    "What's so funny?"
    "Oh, nothing, I was just…um…it was nothing." I
grab my baskets and place them by the door. It will take two trips
to get everything back into the car. I grab a basket and start to
open the door when I realize I forgot my purse. Looking up, I see
it on top of the machine right next to him. He looks at my purse
and raise his eyebrows.
    "Do you need your luggage?"
    "It's not luggage. It's my purse."
    "Purse? This thing is huge. You could fit a
body in here."
    "I might be trying with yours, if you don't
hand it over."
    "Oh, are you going to take me home with
you?"
    "Is that how you pick up a girl at a laundry
mat?" I laugh and my cheeks flush.
    "No, if I wanted to pick up a girl at a
laundry mat, I'd start with asking her name."
    "Oh."
    "Your name is 'Oh'?"
    I look at him confused. He shakes his head at
me. I roll my eyes, realizing what he meant. "No, my name is
Evelyn. My friends call me Eve."
    He hands me my purse and shakes my hand. My
skin burns hot. I see him look at me in shock. It's not just me. He
definitely feels it too. I swear I hear him mumble the word 'odd',
but I'm not sure. Dropping my hand he heads towards the door. He
grabs my other basket and opens the door motioning for me. He
follows me and places the baskets in my trunk.
    "You didn't have to do that."
    "Yes, I did. It was the gentlemanly thing to
do."
    "So you're a gentleman now?"
    "I never said I wasn't." Reaching for my hand
he places a soft kiss on the back of it. "I'm so glad I was able to
talk to you, Eve." He lets go of my hand and my heart is racing.
Leaving me completely speechless, I watch him jog across the street
to the laundromat.
    I want to ask to see him again, but all I can
muster is one small question. "Why were you glad?" I hold my breath
and wait for a response. I'm chewing on my bottom lip.
    To my surprise he stops when he opens the
door. "Because, beautiful, I would never have seen your smile." He
shakes his head. I don't know if it is directed towards him or me,
but that lock of hair has fallen perfectly on his forehead. My
cheeks reddening, I give him a soft smile. The door closes and I
take a deep breath. What the hell was that? I can’t believe that
just happened. Sliding into my car I turn the ignition.
    "Shit." I let out a deep sigh. I didn't even
catch his name. I wonder what he smells like. I wonder what he
tastes likes. I definitely need to stop thinking about him.
Distracting myself with music, I turn the radio up on the way
home.
    Carrying both baskets into the apartment, I
throw the mail on the counter. I think I might be the only one
home. The benefits of having roommates that work during the day are
amazing. I can lounge around braless and wear yoga pants all day
without being judged. I log back into work program and finish
inputting the last few account transactions for today. I grab a
blanket and crash on the couch. Exhaustion overcomes me and it
doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.
    Hearing our apartment door open and slam shut,
I jolt awake. Kayla is normally in good mood, so something is
definitely bothering her.
    "Did you have a bad day?"
    She throws her keys on the counter and grabs a
soda from the fridge. "You have no idea. I wore my favorite yellow
pumps today. I was thinking a warm spring vibe would totally help
me focus at work. Well, I was totally wrong. Not only did I get a
lecture about teamwork from Sharon, but my pumps got sopping wet.
Too many puddles. Ugh. I hate snow. Like I really hate it!" I can't
help but chuckle to myself. Kayla never pays attention at work.
It's why she's always rushing at the