Page 75 of Rookie Moves
We’ve never done that before. I guess holding hands kinda breaches the friends-with-benefits barrier and steps into more intimate territory, but I can’t shake away this need to be close to him in a way we haven’t explored yet.
His hands are slightly bigger than mine and almost cover the surface of my thigh. There are calluses on his fingers and palm, and a shiver racks through me as I remember how good his roughened touch feels against my bare skin.
My gaze drifts back to Tyler’s face. He’s focused on the road, his head bobbing slightly to the song playing on the radio, completely unaware of the effect he’s having on me.
Sucking in a breath through my nose, I take Tyler’s hand from my thigh and slide my palm against his, feeling every scrape of his toughened skin against mine. I intertwine our fingers, tracing over his calloused knuckles with my fingertips.
The hitch in his breath is barely audible over the rumble of the engine and I would’ve missed it if I weren’t already staring at him. His gaze drifts over to me, those dark eyes bouncing between mine as his teeth drag over his bottom lip.
A soft smile lights his face, and he gives my hand a squeeze before focusing back onto the road.
And that’s how we remain for the next twenty minutes until he pulls into a parking lot next to a park. There’s a set of swings and a slide and a few other playground things, and it’s completely deserted apart from the couple of birds rummaging for food.
My eyes shift from the empty park to Tyler, mouth twitching in a playful smile.
“Should I be worried that you’re bringing me to an empty park at night? Am I going to become raccoon food or something?”
“No,” he chuckles lightly. “As it’s a nice night, I figured we could just have a picnic. Watch the stars for a bit.”
I stare at him, heart thumping wildly behind my ribs. This sounds very… romantic. Almost like a date.
He didn’t say anything about what tonight was, but I’ve watched enough movies and TV shows to know stargazing falls into the “date” category.
Is that what this is? Did I miss a clue?
Does he feel the same way as me? Like we’re dancing around the elephant in the room that is whatever is going on between us, too scared to be the first one to bring it up, just in case we’re imagining it?
Unaware of the thoughts running like a herd of wild horses in my brain, Tyler reaches behind him to grab a bag from the back seat.
“I’ve brought some snacks,” he adds, opening the bag to show me the contents inside. There are a couple of bags of chips and some premade sandwiches, and I let out a bark of laughter when I spot a packet of foam bananas.
“Tell me you didn’t buy those for me,” I say, pointing to the offending candy.
His eyes sparkle with mischief. “I couldn’t resist. Plus, they are an underrated candy, don’t you think?”
My stomach swoops, and my words come out quieter than I intend when I admit, “They were my favorite when I was a kid.”
Tyler’s expression turns soft. “They were my favorite too.”
A minute passes by where we don’t say anything, simply watch each other, and then eventually he lets out a sigh.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much since we got back. I don’t want you thinking I was avoiding you.”
“I didn’t think that at all,” I say quickly.
“There’s just been a lot going on,” he continues. “Trying to catch up on studying and finishing papers, and I found out the other day that my parents and my brother will be coming to my graduation.”
“Oh,” I say dumbly. I’m not sure why that catches me by surprise.
Before I can ask him how he feels about that, he picks up the bag of snacks and opens his door. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to sit.”
We get out of the car and head for the swings. Tyler places the bag down at the side, and we start in a slow swing, the sound of the chains creaking filling the night air.
Turning my head to face him, I eventually ask, “How do you feel about your parents coming?”
Tyler shrugs, keeping his eyes fixed on something in the distance. “Would I be an asshole if I say I’m pissed off about it?”
I shake my head. “No, not at all.”
