Read Online Even If the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia - Free Book Online Page B

ran.”
    â€œ We ran.”
    â€œTrue, true.” He nods, staring back at whatever we left behind. “I wanted to get out of there.”
    â€œWhy? Was she your girlfriend?”
    Miles pushes away from the wall he is recuperating on, approaching me. He stands a whole seven inches above me—I hadn’t realized how tall he is until now, or how short I was in comparison. He must be at least six feet something, while I am a very respectable five-five. When he looks down to meet my eyes I sense the invitation to close the gap.
    â€œYou first. Tell me why you ran, and I’ll tell you why I ran.”
    He inches closer; I fight the instinct to push him away because that would require more touching, although at the moment, it’s exactly what I wanted.
    â€œNo. No baggage, remember?”
    He steps back. “No baggage.”
    There’s a faint buzz from his phone, and he pulls it out. I touch mine, still in my pocket, and fight old Julie for the urge to turn it back on.
    â€œIt’s Danny and Taj. They got roped into a party. Guess we’re on our own, Lila.”
    Alone with Electric Blue and no buffer. Breathe.
    â€œTheir loss,” I reply.
    â€œYeah.” Miles reaches under his shirt to scratch his stomach—I follow the movement and catch a glimpse of the sparse hairs on his abdomen before he rearranges the strap on his banjo. “Their loss.”
    Miles extends his arm, and as I loop mine around his, my mind keeps roaming back to the flash of skin. The thought of it makes me happy. Oh God. This is why people compose sonnets, isn’t it? An Ode to Miles’s Abs.
    â€œWhere to?” he asks.
    A flood of places pop into my mind. Too many to count. Old houses. Food. Cemeteries. Food. Stores. Food. You JUST ate, belly! I want to see it all but don’t know where to start or where anything is and whether or not they are within walking distance, which I’m assuming will be our major mode of transportation.
    â€œHow far are we from the cemeteries?”
    â€œAh, you want to see Marie Laveau’s grave, right?”
    â€œThat’s the famous one?”
    â€œIt is, but cemeteries are not a good place to be at night, at least not for us.”
    â€œReally? Why?”
    â€œShady shit mostly. Taj got jumped there once, which knowing Taj is not that hard to believe. He has a way of getting into trouble.” He runs his hand over his hair; it changes just a bit as he shapes it. “He was supposed to meet this girl, but he got stood up, then mugged, so overall not a great night for him.”
    â€œOh.” Checking it off the list then.
    â€œYeah, so stick to the daylight when visiting the dead. Much safer for the living.”
    â€œSafe sounds good, I guess.” But I can’t hide the disappointment from my voice.
    â€œYou say safe ,” Miles teases, “but I hear boring . What is it that you really want?”
    I want to go and let the night unfold before us. No thoughts. No plans.
    â€œI don’t care,” I say, tugging him closer, “and I don’t think you should care either.”
    â€œHow’s that?”
    â€œI think we should just walk, pick a way and go. Not overthink it or anything. If I’m going to let go tonight, you are as well, Miles.”
    â€œThat might be a bit hard for me . . . my mind thriveson plans,” Miles replies.
    I unloop my arm from his—regrettably—to face him. “Trust me.”
    I step away from him, bringing my arms to my chest. “Count to five, then stop me.”
    â€œStop you?” Miles tilts his head to the side, intrigued.
    I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and spin.
    â€œOne.” I hear Miles count as the world shifts around me. “Two.”
    This is it, I think. “Three.” I’m shaking off all the worries, emerging anew. “Four.” I extend my hand out. “Five.” Hands on my hips, strong, I lean back into