Her skin prickled, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or from the way his eyes were trapping hers. The splashing of the water rang out like a soundtrack, and everyone was too busy laughing, swimming, and chatting to even see her.
Suddenly it didn’t even seem difficult.
She returned his smile and got to her feet.
“I’ll come in,” she said. His mouth twisted into a wide smile, and her heart pounded. Maybe Zac was right. She wasn’t so different from everyone else.
xxxx
“You heard from your dad yet?” Ruth said in a low voice. There were tight lines around her mouth as she peered down at the lower bunk Hudson was lying on. The small cabin only had one separate bedroom for his aunt and uncle, while he was stuck out with the twins in the matching sets of bunk beds that were part of the living room. And thanks to his ankle, he’d been relegated to a bottom one.
“No.” He shook his head. The onslaught of text messages from both his parents had stopped, and he suspected it would go back to business as usual. Where they got on with their own lives, and he appeared in their spare rooms from time to time.
But right now it didn’t sting as much.
“I talked to him this afternoon. He’s going to call. Let me know when you’ve spoken to him.”
“Sure. Though I’ve got my sound disabled so that lot won’t wake up.” He nodded to the other bunk where Lulu and Theo were crashed out.
“It will take an air siren to make them stir. I’m going to hit the hay. Those kids are exhausting. Sleep well.”
“Will do,” he said, and flicked off the light. There were no curtains, and moonlight flooded in through the window by the bed. He shifted and stared at the night sky. Then he turned back to his phone and brought up the last photo Via had sent him.
She’d taken to adding bunny ears to every photo of him she had on her phone.
The fact she had photos of him at all still blew his mind. But after they’d spent the morning swimming, they’d met up at the trees behind the cabins and spent the afternoon talking. Not about anything much.
But somehow about everything.
Another text message came in.
I had fun today.
Me too, he replied, liking that she never abbreviated anything in her messages.
Never thought I would enjoy this place.
He swallowed as he traced his finger across the screen. He was almost certain she didn’t enjoy canoeing. Or hiking. Did that mean…
His phone buzzed, and it wasn’t Via. It was his dad.
Ruth said he was going to call. Tough. He was sick of the drama between his parents. He declined it, and then his finger slid across the screen and brought up Via’s name. She was the only person he wanted to talk to.
She answered on the second ring. “Hey.”
“I’m not sure why I’m calling,” he murmured, and stared out at the night sky. Stars glittered down on him. So familiar.
“I’m pleased you did.” Her voice was low, as if she was trying not to wake anyone in her own cabin.
“Yeah, me too.” He ran a hand through his short hair, still not sure why he’d called her.
Liar.
It was because when he was with her, things were better.
“Today was…really great.” Her voice was breathy.
“It was,” he said, and smiled as a familiar star flickered out at him. “I’m looking at the sky right now. I can see your star.”
“You have a star for me?”
“Now who’s the weird one?” He winced. Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut?
“It’s not weird,” she said in a slow voice. Down the other end of the phone was a rustle of sheets and the sound of footsteps. “I’m at the window. Which star is mine? Is it Gemini? The twins.”
“Way too obvious. Plus, no offense to Zac, but I don’t think of him when I look at the sky.”
She giggled. “He’s so vain he’d probably be offended, but I’m not.”
He held a finger up to the window even though she wasn’t with him. “It’s Vega.”
“Part of the summer triangle.” She let out a soft sigh. Heat pounded in his chest. That’s why he liked smart girls.
One smart girl.
“It’s easier to see it out here. The sky’s darker than at home. Different.”
“Lots of things are different here,” she said, then paused. “Tomorrow night everyone does this dumb movie night out by the lake.”
“The kids have been talking about it all day.” He’d been planning to ditch it since it involved tap-dancing squirrels who were trying to make it big on Broadway. “Are you going?”
“I usually do, but Zac and some of his friends are doing a bonfire…we could go there—” She broke off and paused again. Twice in a minute. His heart thudded. Was she nervous?
“Or,” he said in a low voice, “we could go somewhere else. I doubt anyone would notice.”
The line went silent, and his spine stiffened.
There was a small chance he’d messed everything up. Like nuclear fallout messed up. Definitely enough to be visible from space.
“A-are you asking me on a date?”
“I guess. Though there won’t be any dinner. Or movies. Or anything at all. Just me.”
There was more silence and a rustling noise. “Sounds like a date. And yes.”
“Really?” His whole body went tight. Did she say yes?
“Definitely,” she replied.
Then they were silent, though he could still hear her breathing from down the other end. He pinched himself. Pain shot through his arm, but he grinned. It was real. She’d said yes. They were going out on a date.
7
This was a mistake. A big, big mistake. Had she really agreed to go on a date? How was it even possible?
But she knew the answer.
Because with him she wasn’t the weird smart girl. Zac’s freaky sister. She was herself. Just a pity she hadn’t had much practice at it.
Could she plead insanity? She dragged off the cute fitted T-shirt Frankie had talked her into buying and replaced it
