“And kissing you,” I said.
“Is that all you think about?”
I pulled completely away, not trusting myself anymore. My sight drifted from that damn low-cut shirt, and then back to her face before I could help it.
“Not hardly.”
“There’s so much I don’t know about you,” she said. She was nervously picking at her nails, avoiding eye contact with me. What went in this girl’s mind? Questions after questions, I assumed; maybe she thought about everything she didn’t know and ways to find out.
“There’s a lot I don’t know about you,” I said, repeating what she had said. That got her attention. Her eyes snapped up, studying me.
“Why do you change the subject when I bring up baseball?”
“Why do you get nervous when someone brings up your family?” I asked, and I immediately regretted it.
“Touché,” she said. She bit her lip and stared forward. Students were trickling into the house, but all I could think about was the girl next to me. She brought her hands to her forearms, rubbing them.
“Are you cold? You aren’t in Texas anymore.”
“I’m seeing that. I’m fine,” she said, smiling at me.
I patted her leg, hoping I wasn’t crossing a line. She eyed me before letting a soft smile escape.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said, nodding to the house.
“Wait,” she said. “It’s just…I never had a lot of friends. I don’t trust anyone, you know?” She was looking down, picking at a strand of hair.
“Me neither,” I said honestly. I was looking forward, nothing in sight; only my thoughts filled my mind. “I was in an accident last year.”
“Were you hurt?” She snapped her head in my direction.
“Not as bad as the guy driving.” Everyone knew. At some point, I thought I could outrun it. Eventually everyone in my life would be new. They wouldn’t know what had happened. Here I was, telling the one person in my life who didn’t know.
“Let’s go inside,” I said, taking the chance to question away from her. Maybe one day.
Twenty-One
The noise of the party couldn’t drown out the loud silence of the boy next to me. His brows were clenched together, forming a line. Even now, he was beautiful. My breath hitched each time I thought something nice about him, but I reminded myself no one could hear my thoughts. My secrets were safe with me. Still, the thought of letting go, fully trusting someone, wasn’t easy for me.
“Are you okay?” I asked. We were stopped near the door, not fully submerged in the party yet. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he looked at me.
“Never better,” he replied, but I could see that wasn’t exactly true. I lifted my hand and placed my pointer finger softly between his brows.
“Loosen up,” I said. This earned me a smile.
Before I could protest, his hand was on my lower back—gently pulling me closer before he pressed his lips to mine.
“Better?” he asked. His face was softer, and his creased eyebrows were a distant memory. However, my face was the color of my hair. I didn’t take my eyes off him because I absolutely loathed attention. I simply stepped back, letting his hand fall, and shrugged.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
“Is that an invitation?” he asked, and my jaw dropped. Small arms snaked around my body. Surprised, I turned, leaving Liam to himself. Gabby was smiling at me with two drinks in her hand. One was stretched out to me.
“You’re here!” she shouted, and I wondered how many of these she’d had. I grabbed it, smiling appreciatively at her.
“So are you. What is this?” Her smile fell as she realized I wasn’t as enthusiastic as she was.
“Margaritas,” she said, giving me a pointed look. “I thought everyone in Texas loved these. That’s what the internet said, and everything there is true.”
I laughed out loud at her. “Nice. Stereotyping. Did you really make this just for me?”
“Well, yeah.” She shrugged.
I held it to her, clinking her cup to mine before taking my first sip. To my surprise, I pulled her in for a hug.
“You’re the nicest person in the world, Gabby.”
“I’m stealing her,” she yelled to Liam behind me.
“Bring her back,” he said. Standing right behind me, he was watching me intently. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he stood around his friends, not listening to them. His pinky wrapped around mine discretely. “Are you okay?”
I nodded before Gabby grabbed my other hand, dragging me in the direction she was going. His face went soft again, smiling at me. Something had shifted tonight. Maybe it was only in me, standing in my own way the whole time, but I felt free.
I held his gaze, kicking myself for coming here. Out of nowhere, I wanted to be alone with him. I wanted all his secrets. I wanted his touch, his taste. I wanted him.
Shit.
“So, what do you think?” Gabby asked. I turned to face her.
“About what?”
“The drink,” she said, and her brow lifted.
Looking between her and the drink in my hand I lifted it, pouring the rest into my mouth. Her eyes went wide as she laughed at me.
“So good,” I said.
“I don’t know who you are, but I love you right now.” She giggled, pulling me into the kitchen. She took me to the far side of the room to a small blender. She took my cup, giving both of us a refill.
“How many is this for you?” I asked, taking my cup from her.
“No idea.” She looked around the room. She was glowing tonight. Her cheeks were flushed, and her dark hair was twisted into a high ponytail. She was beautiful, but she had no clue.
“How are things with Tyler?” I asked.
“Oh my God! He’s the best!” Her
