Page 28 of A Sky Full Of Stars

My eyes narrow as Luke walks toward us. I’m not sure I can trust what he told them. “Ahhh. What did he say?”

Jace bursts out laughing. “Don’t worry, he told us that you were going to be a star ballerina and that took practice. You didn’t have time to mess around.”

My heart fills but I cringe, because while I thought he’d probably spin some story about me joining the circus, that actually sounds better than “I didn’t have time.”

“I’m still—”

“Nope.” Jace cuts me off again. “We get it, but it’s good to have you back.”

For the next few weeks, I spend more time hanging out with my new—or I guess, old—friends than I do dancing. And it feels good. I’ve had the phrase “work-life balance” drilled into me many times over the years, but I’ve never really understood it. To me, dancewasmy life. But now I see the appeal.

The more I see Jace, the more I notice about him, and even with Luke’s usual “don’t date my sister” rule hanging over our heads, we spend more time together than with anyone else. And while I don’t think my heart has stopped racing the entire time I’ve been in his presence, it’s a different feeling than what I get with Thomas. It has a lightness to it. I don’t freak out if he looks at another girl, and I’m not secretly planning our future. But it’s fun and I kind of want to explore it more.

And lucky for me, I get my chance.

Late one Friday afternoon, Jace pulls me away from the group when my brothers are wrapped up in a game of catch, and doesn’t stop walking until we’ve passed the tree line and made it to the shadows.

“That’s better,” he says, taking a deep breath. “I always feel like I have to behave in a different way when I’m around your brothers. Mainly Luke; Ryan’s off in his own world.”

I laugh but it’s packed full of nerves. “You’re not wrong. Ryan wouldn’t care how you behaved unless it directly affected him.”

Jace’s eyes light up. “Good to know. One brother down, one to go.”

I bite back my own smile. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’ve been hoping to get you alone, but I swear Luke has a built-in alert system when it comes to you.” Butterflies fill my chest but I don’t speak. “Do you think you could sneak away for a boat trip tonight?”

I burst out laughing before covering my mouth. “Sorry. God, I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at your question; I was laughing about sneaking out. While I’ve got my own room, Luke sleeps on the couch in the living area just outside my door.”

“Jesus.” Jace chuckles. “He’s like your own personal guard dog.”

“It does seem that way, but I don’t know why. I’m sixteen now, and quite capable of making my own decisions. I’m not precious. It’s odd.”

“I don’t think it’s odd. You’ll always be his baby sister. But there is nothing baby about you anymore. I don’t even think you realize how beautiful you are.” He steps closer, and my heart races to dangerous levels. “I’ve always thought you were cute. You were my first crush when I was ten and you were nine. But now, God, I can’t keep my eyes off you.” He lifts his hand to my face, brushing the loose strands of hair away frommy eyes, and I hold my breath. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time,” he whispers. “But I want it to be right, not while we’re hiding in the forest, getting attacked by bugs.” He swats something away from his face, and I giggle, until a realization hits me… I want to kiss him too.

“What do you say? Do you think you could sneak out the window or something?”

The second he mentions the window, my giddiness dissolves and an image of Thomas flashes through my mind. A tightness fills my chest and I feel like I’m cheating, when I’m absolutely not. “I like you, Jace. A lot.”

“Ah man. I know what’s coming. You—”

“No.” I cut him off this time. “No, you don’t. There’s a guy back home. Nothing has happened. Nothing ever will, but I need you to know that I also have feelings for someone else.”

“Also?” He bites back a smile.

“Yeah.” I can’t help but smile back. “I feel a little something for you,too, but I’m not sure what it is.”

“I’ll take it,” Jace cheers. “Because I kind of have someone back home as well.” My stomach instantly drops. “Wait, no,” he rushes out. “Please don’t frown. I mean that the same way you do. There’s a girl and I’ve liked her for a while, but nothing has happened and I really like you.”

“Okay.” I hesitantly smile. “But I still don’t think I can sneak out.” I grimace.

Jace laughs. “We’ll have to get creative then. Let’s go back before they realize we’re missing. I have an idea.”

Ipace the floor but it doesn’t help, reading doesn’t help, and music and dancing don’t help. Nothing is going to stop this anxious feeling I have. And that’s going to be a problem.

Jace shocked me by openly asking my mom if he could take me out, bypassing Luke altogether. And while it was sweet, it turned what I thought was going to be a small boat trip into a date.

Talk about pressure.

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