Breathe Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

crashed my solo date, and now you want me to share my wine with you? Get
your own wine,” I said, pulling the bottle from his reach.
    His laugh echoed down the empty street and filled every
crevice of my body. I could feel it ringing in my ears, its warmth radiating
all the way down to my toes. It was infectious, and I couldn’t hold back the
laugh that struggled to break free. It came out strangled at first, but
eventually we were both laughing. Laughing together, laughing at each other.
Laughing at the ridiculous image of me, covered in cake and frosting, looking
all sorts of pathetic.
    And then, suddenly, he stopped, and I was left alone in my
hiccupping giggles. I looked up to where he sat across from me and found him
looking directly at me, through me. He wasn’t even smiling anymore, just
staring right through to my soul.
    I flagged down the waitress quickly, and asked for another
bottle and another glass. She barely even glanced in Jackson’s direction before
heading back inside.
    We stayed silent for a few minutes, while I nibbled on a
piece of cheese and avoided his gaze. Finally, I heard him clear his throat.
    “Where did you come from?” he asked, leaning back in his seat
and crossing his arms.
    “What?” I asked, slightly confused.
    “You said you’ve been here for seven months. Where did you
come from?”
    I looked at him warily. I was almost afraid to tell him, for
fear that he’d laugh at me again. “Kansas,” I said finally. “I moved here in
January.”
    Jackson nodded, as if he was thinking about something.
    “To bake?” he asked, motioning to the café and bakery next to
us.
    I looked behind me slowly, not really meeting his gaze again.
“You could say that,” I said. I could see him frown from the corner of my eye.
“Where are you from?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t push me any further. I wasn’t
ready.
    “Here,” he said with a shrug. “Well, about an hour north of
here, in the suburbs.”
    “I guess that would make it easy to break into the industry?”
I asked, though I immediately felt stupid for asking. I had absolutely no idea
how easy or difficult it was for him to ‘break into the industry.’
    He didn’t seem to mind. “Yeah, you could say that,” he said,
smiling at me. I felt that heat creep up my neck again, and tried to rub it
away.
    “Do you like it?” I asked cautiously. He hadn’t mentioned his
career to me, but he had to know how difficult it was to ignore that little detail.
    “Of course I do,” he said, and thanked the waitress when she
came back. He poured himself a glass of wine. “Well, most of the time, anyway,”
he amended, half frowning. “I guess you could say that the good outweighs the
bad when it comes to my choice of career. I enjoy acting. I just don’t like
what comes with it.”
    I was the one to frown this time. I imagined that it must get
difficult, always being recognized and stalked and having your picture taken.
It sounded exhausting.
    “At least you found something that you’re good at, and enjoy.
That has to count for something,” I said.
    Jackson smiled again, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away. It
was a sincere smile, one that reached his eyes. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to
do anything else in the world.”
    I thought for a moment. “But, if you had to choose something
else, what would it be?” I asked, honestly curious.
    “I’ve never really thought about it before,” he said.
    “Really?” I said, surprised. “You never had a backup plan,
like being an accountant or going to law school?”
    Jackson made a face at me. “Oh, god no. I could never be
happy sitting in an office all day. I could barely make it through high school,
let alone college.”
    I stared at the wineglass in front of me, wondering if I
should just leave now. My situation was almost too different to even justify
sitting there with him. I had to fight to get through high school, and college
was never even an option. Regardless of how much