“I’m sorry. My name is Ashley. Can I go? Are you happy now?”

“Can I have a hug?” Spencer asked shyly half joking.

“WHAT?!”

“It’s just a hug. I just figured I’ll probably never see you again. I just thought…”

“I don’t hug.” Ashley said thinking of the electricity every time the other girl touched her. She couldn’t deal with the thought of being connected to her for longer than need be. Just being around her was making her lose control. She sidestepped Spencer and stared at her for a moment. “You’re very strange.”

“I’m a writer. What do you expect? My name is Spencer by the way.”

“I know you already told me that,” Ashley said impatiently trying to map out an alternate escape route.

“When?”

“Back at the bookstore.”

“Damn alzheimers,” Spencer joked throwing Ashley the warmest smile she’d seen in a long time. Her stomach jerked at the thought of the blonde touching her and that smile wasn’t helping.

“What do you write?” Ashley asked swallowing the growing lump in her throat and trying desperately to change the subject.

“Mysteries and you, Ash, have become my newest one,” Ashley’s heart jolted at the sound of the nickname.

“You write novels? My sister always wanted to do that,” she was trying desperately to salvage her mind from wandering and tried to focus on anything in the room besides Spencer’s blue eyes.

“You have a sister? What’s her name?”

“Kyla. Do you have any siblings?” Ashley asked feeling her nerves ease a little as the conversation became less focused on her.

“Two actually. Both of them are my brothers. Glen and Clay. They’re good guys,” Spencer answered smiling at the memory of her family.