Page 43 of Riding the Curve

She was prismatic. A brilliant kaleidoscope of a soul. I wanted to be the one she deemed worthy of protecting her heart forever.

Henley’s pupils were blown wide, the hazel hue almost devoured by pitch black. Her lips parted ever so slightly, drawing my eyes to the plush, pink skin.

“Do you think you would be up for that role?” she breathed.

“Is that what you’d want?” I gulped, hovering just above her lips.

“I think you already know, Em.”

Sweat trickled down my back. We were so close, there was no doubt that she could feel my heart thundering against my rib cage. Her head rose tentatively to meet mine, only the smallest space separating our mouths. She’d met me halfway; now it appeared she was waiting on me to follow through with the rest.

Instead, fear took hold, and suddenly it was like I hit the pause button on my body.

This couldn’t happen. Ryleigh would kill me. I was in such a different spot in my life, and I’d just be holding her back from all the things she should experience.

“Em . . . please,” she whispered against my skin.

“Em?” Ryleigh’s deep voice shouted, echoing from across the field. Our bodies stilled.

Quickly, I rolled away from her, threading my hands through my hair as I sat upright with my elbows resting on my knees. What the hell was I doing?

The faint sweep of her touch feathered against my shoulder, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze.

“Are you alright?” she asked, timidly.

Here I was, about to break her heart because I was too chicken to follow through, and she was concerned about my well-being.

“You know I’ll always be here for you, right?” Glancing up, I saw she’d risen to sit like me. “That I’ll always be your friend?” The word ‘friend’ felt like acid on my tongue. Right now, I felt lower than her prick of an ex.

The sight of her body deflating made me shatter inside.

“Yeah.” She quickly jumped to her feet and started walking in the direction of her brother’s voice. I stumbled to my feet trying to catch up.

Ryleigh was walking toward us in the distance when I reached her side. “Hen, I⁠—”

“Thanks for being a good friend, Em,” she sneered, cutting me off. There was no missing the emphasis she put on the word that I should have never uttered. One chance, and I blew it.

Her gaze was void of the heat from earlier. All that was left was the cold, icy chill of rejection. “You can go home, I’m good now.”

The dismissal stung all the way through to my bones.

Ryleigh caught up to us and hugged his sister tightly. “I took care of Mark. He won’t be bothering you anymore. Good riddance! I despised that kid, anyway.” He winked.

Turning back to the house, with his arm still around her, he looked back toward me where I was still standing frozen in place. “You coming, bro?”

“Uh . . . I’m a little tired. I think I’m just going to head home. Is that alright?”

“You sure?”

I look across to Hen, hoping for any sign she might change her mind. But nothing came. “Yeah, I’m sure. Sorry, man.”

“No worries, we’ll hang out tomorrow.” He smiled over his shoulder, and then I watched them both fade off in the distance.

Feet planted in the grass, I held my breath, waiting a few moments for her to glance back. Take one little peek. Turn and run back toward me. Anything at all.

But she never did.

Not that I deserved it.