Page 45 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
“What’s bugging you?” he asked seriously.
I’d never before shown anyone something so personal. And I’d just told him about my parents, my dreams—things I’d never even told Delaney. Nothing about any of that was casual.
“It’s… a lot. Sharing all this with someone,” I said.
He nodded, and his eyes fell to his notebook on my desk. “I get it. I’d probably feel the same way if I ever let anyone read my poems.”
I looked down at our intertwined hands. The way I was now desperate to read his words forced me to ask, “Would you ever let me?”
His expression grew thoughtful, his thumb brushing across the back of my hand. “I think I would.” He looked at me again and swallowed. “Though, you’d definitely know what I think about a lot.”
The words were barely audible when I asked, “What are you thinking now?”
Without hesitating he said, “That I really want to kiss you.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. When it dragged up to meet my eyes again, his eyebrows came together to form a question.
There was only one answer.
I closed the remaining distance between us and pressed my lips to his. He responded instantly, pushing his large hands into my hair. Hepulled me closer in a way that was both gentle and commanding. Just like him.
Every part of me responded. My lips moved with his like they were made to, every other sense on overdrive, aware of everything from the slight scratch of stubble on his chin to the steadiness I felt in his arms. I wrenched him closer, drawing his strong body as close as we could get. It felt like jumping off the tallest rock into Crescent Lake. Like soaring and falling all at once.
Reid moaned against my mouth when I sank my fingertips into his hair. I gave a little tug, and he chuckled like he liked it. It sent a wild shiver through me.
When we broke apart—just an inch—we looked at each other. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his voice deep and gravelly when he said, “You really like poetry, huh?”
I laughed against his lips and pulled back to look at him. “I think…” My heart was beating so hard I could hear its pounding roar in my ears. “I think I really like you,” I whispered.
He snaked a strong arm around my waist again, his lips a breath from mine. “I know I really like you.”
This time the kiss was slower. Sweeter.
Like we meant it.
CHAPTER TWELVEREIDNOW
ONE DAY UNTIL LEGACY BANQUET
@haikuforyou
She is like a breeze
I can feel her but I can’t
hold her close to me
I DON’T SLEEP. ALLnight. Again.
I had the same problem when I was a kid. Right after Mom left. It’s why my dad signed me up for every sport he could think of—to run me ragged until I collapsed into sleep. To help with the way I would have these mental dips that would last for weeks. Sometimes months.
Over time, it worked. Things settled, Dad started seeing Julianne, I got a brother out of the deal, and I forgot that falling asleep used to be the hardest part of the day.
Then everything with Clara imploded, and I moved away to school and it was nothing like I expected. After my injury, the insomnia returned full force. No matter how much I long for just a few hours of oblivion—a break from my endless thoughts—I rarely get it.
I roll onto my back and stare up at my bedroom ceiling. Watch as it slowly shifts from the darkest, dimmest blue to a bright, perky white as the sun rises. It’s going to be a gorgeous day on the mountain. You can always tell by the light.
Clara taught me that.
