“Good Lord, Chase. Knock much?” I complain, my heart racing underneath the palm of my hand. “I didn’t think you were back in town.”
He looks me over slowly from tip to toe. I see the amusement drain from his eyes, and when he’s done with his leisurely perusal, his stare is heavy.
“Goddamn Goldi, the hell are you wearing?” His tongue peeks out and sweeps across his bottom lip, drawing my attention to the wetness left behind.
My breath hitches.
In moments like this, where the air is thick with unspoken emotion, I can almost convince myself he feels it, too. Whatever this is. Over the past three years, the vines of our friendship have grown and twisted, wrapping tightly around every single piece of me until I don’t know how to get untangled. It’s big and scary and I don’t know how to handle it, so I pretend things are the same as they’ve always been.
But they’re not.
I move my gaze from his lips, drinking him in. Gone is the gangly preteen with too short hair. In his place is a full-grown teenager that sparks a fire low in my belly. Sculpted muscles ripple under his shirt, his hair mussed from fingers that always find a home in the strands. His hazel eyes are so deep, I’m surprised anyone can find their way back again. I force my eyes away, moving to grab the robe that’s thrown haphazardly on the back of my desk chair.
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head over what I’m wearin’.” I wrap the robe around my body, looking up. His dimples are on full show, a rare occurrence in the world of Chase Adams.
“How you feeling today, Goldi?”
I pout. “A little too big, if I’m honest.”
He cocks his head, eyebrows drawing in. The last thing I want is to talk about my struggle with puberty, so I change the subject. “How was your vacation?”
He shrugs. “Sandy.”
I giggle at his answer. A conversationalist, Chase is not, that’s for dang sure.
“Well, there’s been a whole bunch goin’ on around here. Eli got offered a scholarship for basketball in Ohio, so naturally, Mama has lost her mind cryin’ every day. She’s dead set on tryin’ to convince him to pick a local school, instead.”
I roll my eyes. Eli’s always talked about getting out of our small town and making something of himself. No way he’ll stay local. He’s got big dreams of making it all the way to the NBA and I’ve half a mind to believe he will.
“No shit? Good for him.”
I nod. “Oh, and there’s a new guy that moved into the neighborhood last week. I went over and met him today. Took him some of Mama’s banana bread and everything. I’m sure Becca will be thrilled to have fresh meat to chew up and spit out before school starts,” I laugh.
“Why do you say that?” Chase asks.
“Well, you know how Becca is with boys, and this one’s a looker.” I remember how he was weaving magic with his words the second we met. “I’m also pretty sure he could charm the knickers off a nun.”
Chase’s demeanor shifts, his jaw clenching. “Are you saying this new guy charmed you?”
I smile. “I definitely give him an A for effort, that’s for sure.”
He scoffs. “Is he even your age? What kind of a guy flirts with a girl he just met?”
“I imagine most of them, Chase.” My forehead crinkles as I answer him.
“Well, he sounds like a douche.”
“Okay…” This conversation took a turn I did not see coming. “Anyway, I told him I’d do my neighborly duty, and send you on over to introduce yourself.” I give him the same look I get from Mama when she means business.
“Fuck. That.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“Oh, come on,” I laugh. “You don’t even know him! Just go say hi. I’ll go with you if it’ll make it easier. I know how much you dislike conversatin’ like normal folk.”
“No,” he barks. “In fact, you need to stay away from this guy. I mean, he’s my age, but he’s flirting with you?”
My smile drops. I step closer, anger swirling inside me. I don’t stop until the tips of my toes touch the front of his boots. I poke him in the chest to punctuate my words. “I’m fourteen, Chase, not ten. I’m not such a little girl anymore, whether you wanna admit it or not.”
He doesn’t move an inch, but his fists clench, his eyes traveling down my body. “Believe me, Goldi, I know.” The muscle in his jaw tics and he takes a step back, squeezing his eyes shut and climbing out of my window without another word.
He doesn’t come back.
Every night since, I’ve laid in bed, listening for the slide of the window and the whisper of his voice, but the only sounds are the cicadas chirping and the silence of his avoidance. It’s been a week since I’ve seen him.
It’s also been a week since I’ve seen Lily. I keep expecting her to drop by and regale me with tales of Florida, but she hasn’t given me so much as a phone call—which is why I’m so surprised to see her standing on my porch.
“Well, hi there, stranger.” I lean my shoulder against the doorframe.
“Hey, girl!” She walks straight into me, grabbing me around the waist and squeezing tight. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Probably ‘cause you haven’t seen me in forever.” I pull back, looking in her eyes, but she’s got those giant sunglasses on that make her resemble a bug, and I can’t see anything other than the bright-pink smile she has painted on her face.
“Ugh, I know, and I’m awful for it, but I have so much to tell you! I met this guy. He lives a few towns over in Sweetwater. I totally gave him my V-card and stayed at his house for the past few days.” She brushes by me, ignoring my slack jaw, and walks into
