Page 35 of The Sky Between Us

“I don’t want to rely on my parents,” I broke the dangerous silence, putting her out of her misery and opening a tiny window into my life. She needed a glimpse to trust me and despite all the bitchiness, I wanted to talk to her. Serious conversations felt easy with her. Heavy topics were surprisingly refreshing after the endless small talk I endured the past three years. She was deep, like the ocean, yet acted shallow, like a puddle.

Tilting her head, her hazel eyes focused on my face, reading me.

“Despite popular opinions, they are not loaded with money,” I went on with a shrug. “I have a soccer scholarship and try to pay for most of my stuff on my own.”

“You drive a nice car,” she pointed out the obvious.

Cars were like status symbols. They have been stuck within our society since high school. Being the cool guy with the shitty car took a toll on me during my teenage years, so as soon as I could afford it, I got myself a second-hand nice ride.

“Very observant,” I chuckled. “It’s pre-owned.”

Her eyes lit up and she nodded her head in understanding.

“Your turn,” I caught my window of opportunity. “Why do you work at a Starbucks?”

“My dad thought I needed to get out more, meet people and do something with my life. I suck at socializing.” She fed me her half-assed bullshit. She didn’t suck at socializing; the party was sole proof of that. She was just guarded.

Humming, I studied her controlled emotions. It must have been exhausting.

“What?” Hazel asked, eyebrows drawn. I blinked and she clarified. “What must be exhausting?”

Shit. Speaking my thoughts out loud was such a stupid thing. I was mentally kicking myself.

“Playing parts,” I muttered and she immediately diverted her attention back to her drink.

“Don’t act like you know me,” she said between two sips. “Just because you liked me drunk, doesn’t mean there’s anything deeper inside of me that you should dig for. Not everyone is interesting.”

And that was exactly why I thought she had more layers than she let on. She wanted me to stop, which meant I was on the right path.

Terry returned with our food, a big delicious burger for me, and a ridiculously small fake lettuce burger for Hazel.

“Enjoy guys, and let me know if you want anything else,” she smiled as she placed the plates in front of us. She wasn’t even gone and Hazel already stole two fries from me.

“So, you want me to stop bugging you with questions, but you are stealing my fires?” I asked jokingly.

Her only reply was an innocent smile as she devoured my fries. “They are delicious, but I feel better eating the sweet potatoes. You can take some too.”

“Very generous,” I chuckled when she put her fries between us. “I would rather have the right to get to know you.”

Hazel placed her hand under her chin and nodded. “Fine, ask me twenty questions.”

Laughing I shook her head. “Twenty? Are you going to count?”

“Possible,” she said, a huge grin stretching across her face. “Go on, your time is running out, you have thirty minutes.”

I matched her grin. “I love a good challenge.”

Hazel took a big bite of her funny looking burger, the crispy lettuce crunching under her teeth. I watched her eat, before turning to my own meal and started firing my basic questions.

“Favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Blue?” I stopped mid-chewing; my face full of mayo. “I was expecting pink.”

“No, it’s blue. I love the sky, the ocean and blue flowers,” she nodded while organizing a few fries on her plate.

“Are there blue flowers?” I questioned her like an idiot, but she didn’t mock me. Her eyes glimmered with newfound happiness as she looked up.

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