Page 63 of The Perfect Melody

After about ten minutes the bus shelter comes into view. “Thank God.” I hustle inside the wooden structure. Austin joins me a heartbeat later.

The shelter isn’t big, but it’s better than trudging through the pelting rain for another two and a half miles. The front is open to the elements, but luckily the wind is blowing the rain away from us. There’s a decent sized bench along the back of the structure, and the side panels are deep enough that the space inside the shelter is bone dry.

Shivering, I take a seat on the bench and set Austin’s cap, my water bottle, and my rain-splattered glasses down beside me. Leaning forward, I do my best to wring the water out of my hair and sweatshirt.

“Take that off and put my coat on instead.”

I look up at Austin in confusion as he tucks his backpack under the bench and then strips off his waterproof. “What? No. It’s freezing, you need it.”

He pins me with a stern look. “No,you’refreezing because you’re soaking wet. I’ll be chilly at best.” Holding the coat in his left hand, he gestures for me to get moving with his right. “Wet clothes off, coat on.”

Even knowing he’s right and that I’ll feel miles better without the rain-soaked fabric sticking to my body, I can’t resist giving him grief. “You’re that eager to see me shirtless?”

“Do you really believe that’s what I’m thinking about right now?” He replies, unamused.

“If you catch a glimpse of my boobs, they’d better be all you’re thinking about.”

Rolling his eyes hard enough to pull something, he thrusts the hand holding his coat towards me. “Just get changed. Please.”

“There’s the magic word.” Grabbing the hem of my sweatshirt, I yank it over my head, laughing when Austin curses and rushes to turn around when he realises I’ve removed my t-shirt as well.

Unable to resist the urge to fuck with him, I hop to my feet and sidle right up to his back, close enough that I can feel the heat from his body. Lightly, I run my fingers down his bare arm before plucking the coat from his hand. One day I’d love to trace every freckle on his body with my fingertips… Sadly, that day is not today.

Austin’s rigid posture relaxes at the sound of me zipping up his coat, and he turns to face me just as I’m tucking my glasses into the side pocket to keep them safe. His lips twitch in amusement at the sight of me practically drowning in the waterproof jacket.

“Don’t start. You’re literally over a foot taller than me.”

Palms lifted in surrender, he takes a seat close enough that his left knee brushes against my leg. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You were thinking things. Loudly.”

Austin’s voice dips low, “I think about a lot of things when I’m around you.” His eyes widen a fraction as he realises what he’s admitted, and he clears his throat, attempting to cover his embarrassment. “Your teeth aren’t chattering anymore. That’s good.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the jacket.” I sit next to him, leaving a respectful distance between us. A shiver wracks my body, and Austin frowns.

He lifts his left arm to rest along the back of the bench seat. “Come here. Use me to get warm.”

“No, you’ll get covered in water.” Rain still drips from the outside of his waterproof.

“You’re still too cold even with my coat. I’m not having you get sick on my watch.”

“And you won’t get sick sitting there with a wet shirt for however long it takes all that to stop?” I ask, waving to the rain pelting down mere steps away.

“That doesn’t matter.”

I raise my eyebrows, but the stubborn set to Austin’s jaw tells me there’s no talking sense into him. “Ugh, fine.” I get to my feet. “Turn around.”

“Pardon?”

“I need you to face the side wall.”

“Why?” he asks, suspicion creeping into his voice.

“Because your insistence on being a gentleman is going to land you with hypothermia, which I’m not cool with no matter how frustrating you can be, so I’ve come up with a compromise.”

“And that means I have to face the wall because?”

“Because if I’m going to huddle up to you for warmth without soaking your t-shirt, I need to unzip the coat. I figured you’d be more comfortable with me hugging your back than planting myself in your lap.” He also won’t have a full view of my bra that way. Not that I really care about that—I’ve done too many quick changes to be fussy about modesty—but Austin was obviously concerned with giving me privacy to change into his jacket, and I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. Attaching myself to him like a barnacle until the rain stops is going to be awkward enough. The last thing either of us needs is for him to have some kind of existential crisis over accidentally glimpsing my boobs.