Free Come Alive by Jessica Hawkins Page B

posture straight and his movements concentrated
as he worked.
    “I
guess you didn’t really have that problem in Dallas.”
    I
shook my head. “Not at my house, no.”
    “Did
you like growing up there?”
    “It
was all right.” I shrugged and took a large bite before sucking chocolate cookie
off my fingers.
    “How’s
that ice cream, Olivia?”
    I
tried not to squirm at the way he said my name. “Delicious.”
    “I
like watching you eat it.”
    I
arched an eyebrow at him.
    “I
mean because you look like you’re enjoying it.”
    I
nodded and licked my lips.
    “I
would buy you an ice cream every day just to watch you eat it.”
    I
captured a deep breath. His low and manly voice made enjoying my ice cream sandwich
sound sinful. And then I imagined dripping vanilla ice cream onto his abs and
cleaning it off with a long, drawn out lick.
    “Besides,
you could use the nourishment.”
    I
jolted back to reality. “What do you mean by that?”
    “You’re
too skinny.”
    “Oh,
David,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Would you drop it?”
    His
voice deepened into a chastisement. “I meant what I said about your health. I
don’t know why you’re not eating, but it stops now.”
    “Of
course I eat,” I replied cheerily. “If I didn’t, I’d be dead.”
    His
eyebrows met in the middle as he studied me, seemingly not amused. “What does
he say about this? And your friends?”
    “They
know that I’m an adult with the ability to gauge my level of hunger.” I crossed
one arm over my stomach, and our steps slowed to a stop as we approached my
office.
    He
turned so we were facing. “I overheard Gretchen say at breakfast yesterday that
you’re depressed.”
    I
blinked up and pressed my lips together. I imagined punching Gretchen in the
arm. “I suppose maybe they think so.”
    “Why?”
    “Why
do they think that or why am I depressed?”
    “Are
you depressed?”
    I
wrapped my arm tighter and refrained from pinching myself. “They think I am
because of . . . Davena . She’s the woman who – ”
    “I
know who she is. You didn’t seem very pleased with Lucy’s toast.”
    “It
was silly of me. Melodramatic.” I balled up the wrapper and ran the back of my
hand over my mouth.
    He
leaned closer. “It’s been hard, hasn’t it?”
    I
took a step back and wondered why my heart was suddenly pounding.
    “These
past few months,” he continued, “I’ve been worried about you.”
    “I
have to get back to work.”
    “Olivia
– ”
    “Thanks
for the ice cream.” I spun around before he could say anything else and booked
it up to the fourteenth floor.
    ~
    With
a soft sigh, I flipped some hair over my shoulder. The computer screen blazed
bright, but the entire floor was dark. I could almost feel myself burning out
from another long day.
    With a deadline in the morning, I couldn’t leave
until I’d hammered out the last few paragraphs in front of me. But it had been
impossible to concentrate all day. Butterflies were perched in my chest,
threatening to explode into a million fluttering wings if I let my mind wander.
It was the reason I was the only person left in the office: I couldn’t stop
daydreaming.
    How
was it that Bill left the apartment in a suit every day, yet I barely noticed?
David, in all his charcoal pinstripe glory, was far more distinguished than the
rest of us plebeians who walked the planet. He was perfection in a suit. And
somehow, I had his attention. His heavy brows joined when he watched words fall
from my mouth, as though he might have to reach out and catch one.
    Our short walk was a like a bookmark in the dark
chapter I’d been living ; a moment to come up for air
when I’d been stuck just beneath the surface. It was like a dream that had
never happened, except that it had.
    I bit the inside of my cheek and leaned over to
the bottom drawer of my desk. I rifled through it until I saw the issue of Chicago M. With a short breath, I opened
it and flipped through the pages until I found what