Page 6 of Beautiful Thing

Every soft brush of her skin.The fruity scent of her shampoo.The warmth emanating from her body.

She’s the perfect combination of sassy and shy. Sweet in a way that’s borderline angelic. But every now and then, the snarkiest words come flying out of those rosy, heart-shaped lips, always catching me by surprise.

My senses are on overload, and I’m rocking side to side, silently losing my shit. But Layla? She is perfectly composed. Beaming a happy, relaxed, platonic-as-fuck smile up at me.

Holy hell.

I need a distraction. Anything to fix this growing erection before I accidentally poke Layla in the stomach and send her running for the hills.

I clear the knot in my throat and lean in to talk over the music. “Y’know, you really could have given me a heads up about this party.”

She shakes her head. “You didn’t need a heads up. Deep down, you already knew Karli would be throwing you an epic party.”

I open my mouth to argue, but then I realize that she’s right. I did know it. I was just hopeful that I was wrong.

For the past few years, Karli had been away at college, always missing my birthdays, and last year, she was busy basking in the joy of being a newly wed. So, thankfully, I was able to fly under the radar and escape the threat of her surprise parties.

But now that she’s married and settled here in Starlight Falls, of course my little sister is going to go all out and make a big fuss over me.

Layla carries on, her magical, little hands reaching up to rest lightly on my shoulders as we dance. “Besides, if Ihadwarned you, you might have stayed home and missed all the fun.”

My upper lip twitches. “True.”

“And if you’d stayed home, then who would I be dancing with right now?” She shimmies cheekily.

“Psht. So you’re just using me for my superior dancing skills?”

“Maybe I am.” She quirks a dainty shoulder. “That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

“Not sure I like being taken advantage of, Belle.”

She raises a curious eyebrow at me, a questioning smile faintly tilting one corner of her mouth. “Belle…?”

Shit. Can’t believe I let that slip out. My earlobes heat and prickle.

Belle—it’s what I’ve been calling her in my head for years now. I never imagined I’d say it out loud.

Before she can question me further, I spin her around, catching her off guard as I sweep her off her feet. She gasps and then giggles, face alight with mirth.

Her laughter is enchanting. I could listen to it all day. But in recent times, it feels like life has been working overtime to take it away from her. I know she’s fought like hell to earn every drop of happiness in her life these days, and I respect her so much for that.

Layla’s eyes bounce between mine. “Seriously though, you really do need to put yourself out there more.”

“Eh. False.”

She slaps at my shoulder. “Oh, come on. You could meet someone…”

“Do you have any idea how unappealing that sounds?” I nearly shudder at the idea.

Layla shakes her head dismally. “Companionship? A partner to spend your life with?That’sunappealing to you? You’re a great guy. You could make someone really happy, Archer.”

I feel a painful thump inside my chest. I’m not sure what that foreign sensation could be. Because as far as I know, myheart has been dead for years now. The hollow space beneath my ribcage is nothing but a graveyard. Any dumb, hopeful dreams and positive outlooks on love I may have once held were laid to rest a long, long time ago.

“Too bad I don’t want that ‘someone’ all up in my space. I like being alone.” I sound stubborn, even to my own ears.

Layla huffs a little, looking defeated. “Well, fine then. You like being alone. But for the next three to four minutes, can you at least pretend you enjoy dancing with me?”

Her brown eyes twinkle up at me and she looks genuinely hopeful. Dark hair cascading in silky waves around her narrow shoulders. Pale, freckled skin glowing beneath the bar lights. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

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