“Maybe just try a little coffee?”
When we reached the second floor, Tristan sighed. “Wasn’t that fun?”
I squeezed his arm. “Hey, it’s okay. When I was four, my mom decided we should try to set all the animals in the zoo free. I was the youngest kid ever to spend time in the Grayfield jail. Boy, was Dad pissed.”
Tristan laughed. “Sounds like you have quite a family.”
We entered his bedroom and I swung his door shut to keep out the noise. I plopped onto the edge of the bed next to him and smoothed my dress. Tristan pulled off his tie and shook his head. “What a night.”
My cheeks grew warm when I remembered the dance. “Yeah.”
I was so busy remembering, I almost missed his next words. “I want to see you.”
“What?” I gasped, my heart rate skyrocketing.
“I want to know you—what you look like,” he said quietly and held out his hand.
I breathed, “Oh,” and guided his hand to my face. His fingertips rested gently against the skin of my forehead and slowly brushed the line of my hair. I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine. I closed my eyes and felt his fingers feeling their way downwards, tracing the arches of my eyebrows. Softly, they moved over my nose to the bones of my cheeks. I could hardly breathe, but a question nagged at the back of my mind. I whispered, “Why did you date all of those girls?”
“Sometimes, you’re just looking for something that’s right.”
Oh, it was a line. It was so a line. But it was a good line.
For a moment, his hand cupped my cheek. I was sinking into his touch, anticipating his next movement as he discovered...me. In the darkness behind my eyelids, I was intensely aware of every noise, the sound of his steady exhaling. Mostly, as his thumb stroked my lips, I was overwhelmed by the desire to know everything about him. If only I could see him without his sunglasses. If only... His breath was warm on my skin and his hand had settled against my neck. I wanted to look, but—
“ Ahh !”
With my heightened senses, the sound of the doorknob twisting brought me into a panic. I jumped away from Tristan just when the door opened. Chris stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. He was dressed in his pajamas, though he appeared very much awake. He knitted his eyebrows as he looked from me, and I was probably white as a ghost, to Tristan. His voice was suspicious. “What are you guys doing in here?”
Tristan frowned. “Nothing. You should be in bed.”
“Dad always told you to keep the door open.”
“Well, Dad isn’t here now, is he?” he snapped.
The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth formed a hard line.
“Listen, I...” Tristan sighed and explained, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was closed.”
Chris looked down at the carpeting. “It’s okay... Mom’s just... It’s kinda loud.”
“She can get pretty...excited for parties, you know?” Tristan shrugged. “Sometimes grown-ups play loudly.”
His brother’s face brightened. “Do you wanna play a game?”
Tristan’s laugh was bitter. “I don’t know if I’m much competition nowadays.”
“We can play together,” I chimed in quickly. “How does that sound?”
Chris nodded eagerly and ran from the room to find a game. I took a deep breath to calm myself; I was trembling all over. If he hadn’t walked in before, would we have kissed? I tried not to dwell on it. I was here working to get money for college . I wasn’t falling—no. I swallowed hard and looked over at Tristan, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts. There was no reason for my trembling. None.
Chris ran back into the room with a box in his hands. He slid onto his knees at the foot of the bed and proudly set the game on the floor. He smirked challengingly at me and proclaimed, “Battleship.”
“I’m ready if you are, kid.” I pinched Tristan’s knee as I took a seat on the floor. “And I’m counting on you to destroy his ships.”
Tristan smiled and turned toward Chris.
When we reached the second floor, Tristan sighed. “Wasn’t that fun?”
I squeezed his arm. “Hey, it’s okay. When I was four, my mom decided we should try to set all the animals in the zoo free. I was the youngest kid ever to spend time in the Grayfield jail. Boy, was Dad pissed.”
Tristan laughed. “Sounds like you have quite a family.”
We entered his bedroom and I swung his door shut to keep out the noise. I plopped onto the edge of the bed next to him and smoothed my dress. Tristan pulled off his tie and shook his head. “What a night.”
My cheeks grew warm when I remembered the dance. “Yeah.”
I was so busy remembering, I almost missed his next words. “I want to see you.”
“What?” I gasped, my heart rate skyrocketing.
“I want to know you—what you look like,” he said quietly and held out his hand.
I breathed, “Oh,” and guided his hand to my face. His fingertips rested gently against the skin of my forehead and slowly brushed the line of my hair. I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine. I closed my eyes and felt his fingers feeling their way downwards, tracing the arches of my eyebrows. Softly, they moved over my nose to the bones of my cheeks. I could hardly breathe, but a question nagged at the back of my mind. I whispered, “Why did you date all of those girls?”
“Sometimes, you’re just looking for something that’s right.”
Oh, it was a line. It was so a line. But it was a good line.
For a moment, his hand cupped my cheek. I was sinking into his touch, anticipating his next movement as he discovered...me. In the darkness behind my eyelids, I was intensely aware of every noise, the sound of his steady exhaling. Mostly, as his thumb stroked my lips, I was overwhelmed by the desire to know everything about him. If only I could see him without his sunglasses. If only... His breath was warm on my skin and his hand had settled against my neck. I wanted to look, but—
“ Ahh !”
With my heightened senses, the sound of the doorknob twisting brought me into a panic. I jumped away from Tristan just when the door opened. Chris stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. He was dressed in his pajamas, though he appeared very much awake. He knitted his eyebrows as he looked from me, and I was probably white as a ghost, to Tristan. His voice was suspicious. “What are you guys doing in here?”
Tristan frowned. “Nothing. You should be in bed.”
“Dad always told you to keep the door open.”
“Well, Dad isn’t here now, is he?” he snapped.
The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth formed a hard line.
“Listen, I...” Tristan sighed and explained, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was closed.”
Chris looked down at the carpeting. “It’s okay... Mom’s just... It’s kinda loud.”
“She can get pretty...excited for parties, you know?” Tristan shrugged. “Sometimes grown-ups play loudly.”
His brother’s face brightened. “Do you wanna play a game?”
Tristan’s laugh was bitter. “I don’t know if I’m much competition nowadays.”
“We can play together,” I chimed in quickly. “How does that sound?”
Chris nodded eagerly and ran from the room to find a game. I took a deep breath to calm myself; I was trembling all over. If he hadn’t walked in before, would we have kissed? I tried not to dwell on it. I was here working to get money for college . I wasn’t falling—no. I swallowed hard and looked over at Tristan, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts. There was no reason for my trembling. None.
Chris ran back into the room with a box in his hands. He slid onto his knees at the foot of the bed and proudly set the game on the floor. He smirked challengingly at me and proclaimed, “Battleship.”
“I’m ready if you are, kid.” I pinched Tristan’s knee as I took a seat on the floor. “And I’m counting on you to destroy his ships.”
Tristan smiled and turned toward Chris.
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