step closer. His eyes were mesmerizing.
“Do you wear blue contacts?” I burst out.
Every single voice in my head groaned.
I turned back to the river, making idiot faces at the water as I tried to figure out how to either turn back time or grab the first bus back to Traverse City.
He laughed again. “No, why?”
Now he stood right next to me so I had to stop with the faces.
I shook my head. “Nothing. You just have — I’ve never seen—” Surely I hit my head in the river and I have brain damage. I’m a freaking idiot.
Just say it. It won’t sound stupid if you just say it.
“You’re eyes are so beauti- blueti- blue,” I stuttered, “I wondered if you wore blue contacts.”
I closed my eyes and yanked on my fishing line. Tha t di d sound stupid.
He moved closer and lowered his voice. “You think my eyes are beautiful?”
“No!” I said quickly. “I said they’re beau - blu e !” Geez, I can’t talk.
“You think my eyes are blue?” he said.
“No, I said—” I turned to look at him, completely flustered and saw he was laughing. Laughing right in my face. Close enough to—
I slugged him in the stomach without even thinking. Just left hand, wham! Like he was one of my cousins, always teasing me.
“Ugh!” he grunted, and laughed some more.
I started to do it again, but he grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried not to laugh as I pulled and twisted my hand.
“You think I have beautiful blue eyes, huh?” He had my left wrist in his right hand, his left arm still casually crossed against his chest, like it didn’t take any effort at all to fend me off.
What isn’t taking him any effort at all is making my stomach feel like I’m on a roller coaste r , sighed Lovesick.
“Say it,” he prompted.
“I’m trying to fish here,” I said as I stopped struggling and tried to concentrate on the river — with one hand.
“Say it and I’ll let you get back to fishing — or whatever it is you’re doing while trying not to catch a fish.”
“What? I’m trying to catch fish!” I looked at him indignantly and tried to pull away again. What does he know? The big tease.
“You are not. You’re pretending to try to catch fish. Emily there is actually trying to catch fish.” I looked past him at Emily, but my eyes came back to his.
I didn’t want to give away that I’d just turned girly-girl about the slimy beasts. I like being in the middle — not girly-girl, not tomboy, just in the middle. And having th e fishing guid e know that I’d just decided that catching something alive with bulging eyes and a gaping mouth and then killing it and eating it was making me wish there was a grocery store around here — well, that was more than I could take. When I signed up for this trip, I had no idea I wouldn’t like the stupid things.
“Fine. Say what?” I asked in exasperation.
He pulled my hand closer and grinned. “Say you think I have beautiful blue eyes.”
“You have blue eyes, now let me go.” I pulled away and he pulled me back.
“That’s not what I said.”
“You are a bully,” I said trying to inject some backbone into my spineless self. But my insides felt like little firecrackers were going off all over.
“You must like it.” His cute little dimples deepened. “Or you’d say it and get your hand back.”
I narrowed my eyes and sucked in my breath. “I-do - no t -like-it-you-have-beautiful-blue-eyes-so-there-let-me-go,” I said with the speed of an auctioneer.
He laughed and pressed his lips to my fingertips before letting go of my hand.
“You are so easy,” he said. Then at my offended look, hurriedly added, “T o teas e .”
I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye meant to say, “It’s a good thing you’re so cute and funny or I’d bust you one.” When he laughed, though, I had no idea if that’s what he got from it.
If we were alone, you’d be in so much trouble no w , said Lovesick.
I think I’m already in
“Do you wear blue contacts?” I burst out.
Every single voice in my head groaned.
I turned back to the river, making idiot faces at the water as I tried to figure out how to either turn back time or grab the first bus back to Traverse City.
He laughed again. “No, why?”
Now he stood right next to me so I had to stop with the faces.
I shook my head. “Nothing. You just have — I’ve never seen—” Surely I hit my head in the river and I have brain damage. I’m a freaking idiot.
Just say it. It won’t sound stupid if you just say it.
“You’re eyes are so beauti- blueti- blue,” I stuttered, “I wondered if you wore blue contacts.”
I closed my eyes and yanked on my fishing line. Tha t di d sound stupid.
He moved closer and lowered his voice. “You think my eyes are beautiful?”
“No!” I said quickly. “I said they’re beau - blu e !” Geez, I can’t talk.
“You think my eyes are blue?” he said.
“No, I said—” I turned to look at him, completely flustered and saw he was laughing. Laughing right in my face. Close enough to—
I slugged him in the stomach without even thinking. Just left hand, wham! Like he was one of my cousins, always teasing me.
“Ugh!” he grunted, and laughed some more.
I started to do it again, but he grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried not to laugh as I pulled and twisted my hand.
“You think I have beautiful blue eyes, huh?” He had my left wrist in his right hand, his left arm still casually crossed against his chest, like it didn’t take any effort at all to fend me off.
What isn’t taking him any effort at all is making my stomach feel like I’m on a roller coaste r , sighed Lovesick.
“Say it,” he prompted.
“I’m trying to fish here,” I said as I stopped struggling and tried to concentrate on the river — with one hand.
“Say it and I’ll let you get back to fishing — or whatever it is you’re doing while trying not to catch a fish.”
“What? I’m trying to catch fish!” I looked at him indignantly and tried to pull away again. What does he know? The big tease.
“You are not. You’re pretending to try to catch fish. Emily there is actually trying to catch fish.” I looked past him at Emily, but my eyes came back to his.
I didn’t want to give away that I’d just turned girly-girl about the slimy beasts. I like being in the middle — not girly-girl, not tomboy, just in the middle. And having th e fishing guid e know that I’d just decided that catching something alive with bulging eyes and a gaping mouth and then killing it and eating it was making me wish there was a grocery store around here — well, that was more than I could take. When I signed up for this trip, I had no idea I wouldn’t like the stupid things.
“Fine. Say what?” I asked in exasperation.
He pulled my hand closer and grinned. “Say you think I have beautiful blue eyes.”
“You have blue eyes, now let me go.” I pulled away and he pulled me back.
“That’s not what I said.”
“You are a bully,” I said trying to inject some backbone into my spineless self. But my insides felt like little firecrackers were going off all over.
“You must like it.” His cute little dimples deepened. “Or you’d say it and get your hand back.”
I narrowed my eyes and sucked in my breath. “I-do - no t -like-it-you-have-beautiful-blue-eyes-so-there-let-me-go,” I said with the speed of an auctioneer.
He laughed and pressed his lips to my fingertips before letting go of my hand.
“You are so easy,” he said. Then at my offended look, hurriedly added, “T o teas e .”
I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye meant to say, “It’s a good thing you’re so cute and funny or I’d bust you one.” When he laughed, though, I had no idea if that’s what he got from it.
If we were alone, you’d be in so much trouble no w , said Lovesick.
I think I’m already in
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