Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Soul Magnets

"AND FOR SOME REASON," Zander said, almost too low for me to hear, "I have this involuntary response to ... I mean I know we haven't known each other for long, but it's like I have no control over it."

"What do you mean?"

He opened his eyes and sighed. "I just need to make sure you're okay. Like all the time."

My jaw dropped at the rawness in his voice, the intensity of his deep blue eyes. His words seemed to slow down time, lengthening the moment.

"Anyway," he finally said, looking anywhere but at me and continuing like we were discussing our favorite tv shows or something as lame.

I decided to follow his lead and pretend he hadn't shared something personal, something pivotal, something that I felt was the absolute truth, and that made my heart stutter hearing it. He deserved a better response, but I moved on, scaredy-cat that I was, and pocketed this new information to pull out later and analyze in private.

"Everything's messed up now. Conrad said--"