play like crap?” He asks teasingly.
I like that he’s a careful driver. I like the way that my name sounds coming out of his mouth. I like that his words mean one thing but the tone of his voice means another. Ben is flirting with me.
“Ahhhh… I get it. You’re a musical genius. You are…” I look up at the roof of the car searching for the right words—for a compliment that is cute but doesn’t expose my raw beating heart.
“Full of surprises? Incredibly handsome?” Ben offers up as he pulls into the driveway and parks behind my car. The music stops abruptly when he kills the ignition.
M y laughter propels itself around the sudden quiet of the car. I cock my head to one side and narrow my eyes at him in mock seriousness. “At least one of those things is true.”
Drooping yellow light from the streetlamp filters in through the windows. It frames Ben’s face. With his hair back in a ponytail, I can see his features in a new way and my heart jolts unexpectedly.
He’s sitting there watching me. His brown eyes move over my body unchecked. I feel like maybe something really is happening here. And it’s something other than dancing, and casual post-vodka kissing.
It’s the feeling that I had during our first encounter in the coffee shop. It’s brightness. It’s like nothing is actually something , and maybe—just maybe—it’s a beginning.
The way that he’s looking at me is so open and naked that I chicken out and drop my eyes. I stare at my hands crossed over my jeans—thumbs hooked over wrists. My mind starts to careen out of control. Maybe he’s going to kiss me. Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe I’m getting in over my head. Maybe—
As if he can hear my racing thoughts, Ben moves. His hand comes up and he cups my cheek, tipping my chin up until I’m forced to look directly at him. His face is so serious that I think he really is about to kiss me.
I’m wrong.
Ben stays on his side of the center console. His fingers move down the side of my face. He pushes them back until his hand is circling the nape of my neck. He’s holding my gaze with his wide eyes and biting his bottom lip gently.
I ’m petrified of the way that my heart responds. It literally skips a beat. And I marvel that all of this hugeness can fit in one car. In one body. In one hungry look.
“I like you,” he says quietly and it sounds almost like a question. “I like you, Ellie,” he repeats—this time sounding surer.
I let the edges of my mouth creep up. I’m relieved and maybe a little confused.
“ I like you too,” I say back and I think we’re both sort of surprised by my honesty.
E verything good about the world is amplified for about twenty-five more seconds. My heart balloons. It expands or blossoms or whatever. The feeling is unreal. It’s fierce and not just a little scary. Is this what people have been talking about? Is this crazy, earth-bending sensation what Shakespeare and Rosetti and all of my favorites were writing about?
My smile gets wider.
I t’s like creating something from nothing.
Until it all goes to hell.
Because of her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Halting Abruptly
The girl is waiting on the porch.
As soon as we get out of the car, we both see her standing under the dim light, her body haloed against the cool night. I don’t know who she is and I’m about to throw a, “hi, can I help you?” at her when I catch the expression on Ben’s face.
He does n’t need to tell me anything. It’s all there without the words. The grim set of his jaw, frowning forehead, and pinched lips practically shout the
I like that he’s a careful driver. I like the way that my name sounds coming out of his mouth. I like that his words mean one thing but the tone of his voice means another. Ben is flirting with me.
“Ahhhh… I get it. You’re a musical genius. You are…” I look up at the roof of the car searching for the right words—for a compliment that is cute but doesn’t expose my raw beating heart.
“Full of surprises? Incredibly handsome?” Ben offers up as he pulls into the driveway and parks behind my car. The music stops abruptly when he kills the ignition.
M y laughter propels itself around the sudden quiet of the car. I cock my head to one side and narrow my eyes at him in mock seriousness. “At least one of those things is true.”
Drooping yellow light from the streetlamp filters in through the windows. It frames Ben’s face. With his hair back in a ponytail, I can see his features in a new way and my heart jolts unexpectedly.
He’s sitting there watching me. His brown eyes move over my body unchecked. I feel like maybe something really is happening here. And it’s something other than dancing, and casual post-vodka kissing.
It’s the feeling that I had during our first encounter in the coffee shop. It’s brightness. It’s like nothing is actually something , and maybe—just maybe—it’s a beginning.
The way that he’s looking at me is so open and naked that I chicken out and drop my eyes. I stare at my hands crossed over my jeans—thumbs hooked over wrists. My mind starts to careen out of control. Maybe he’s going to kiss me. Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe I’m getting in over my head. Maybe—
As if he can hear my racing thoughts, Ben moves. His hand comes up and he cups my cheek, tipping my chin up until I’m forced to look directly at him. His face is so serious that I think he really is about to kiss me.
I’m wrong.
Ben stays on his side of the center console. His fingers move down the side of my face. He pushes them back until his hand is circling the nape of my neck. He’s holding my gaze with his wide eyes and biting his bottom lip gently.
I ’m petrified of the way that my heart responds. It literally skips a beat. And I marvel that all of this hugeness can fit in one car. In one body. In one hungry look.
“I like you,” he says quietly and it sounds almost like a question. “I like you, Ellie,” he repeats—this time sounding surer.
I let the edges of my mouth creep up. I’m relieved and maybe a little confused.
“ I like you too,” I say back and I think we’re both sort of surprised by my honesty.
E verything good about the world is amplified for about twenty-five more seconds. My heart balloons. It expands or blossoms or whatever. The feeling is unreal. It’s fierce and not just a little scary. Is this what people have been talking about? Is this crazy, earth-bending sensation what Shakespeare and Rosetti and all of my favorites were writing about?
My smile gets wider.
I t’s like creating something from nothing.
Until it all goes to hell.
Because of her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Halting Abruptly
The girl is waiting on the porch.
As soon as we get out of the car, we both see her standing under the dim light, her body haloed against the cool night. I don’t know who she is and I’m about to throw a, “hi, can I help you?” at her when I catch the expression on Ben’s face.
He does n’t need to tell me anything. It’s all there without the words. The grim set of his jaw, frowning forehead, and pinched lips practically shout the