Page 67 of Break Your Fall

If there’s ever been a time I’ve wanted to swallow back words before I say them, it’s now. Tommy’s face changes as soon as the question leaves my lips, a slight twist in the way he looks at me now, like the question hurts him.

“Do you want me to?” His question is tinged with regret, like he knows what I’m going to say, or what I’m not, and the conflicting answers boomeranging around my head hurt me.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

“Sorry, I—I shouldn’t—” I let the rest just come out as a sigh, let it go. Put on my smile, tuck my hair behind my ear, grab the movie. Can’t go back now. “Let’s watch the movie.”

He catches my arm as I start to pass him and I stop at his side, his hand then sliding down my skin to take mine again.

“Always,” he says through a tight throat, close to my ear, and when I look up this time, my eyes stop at his lips, parted, and right above mine.

Up, Reyna,up.

I force my gaze up to find his lingering on my lips, too, right before he blinks to meet my stare, our eyes back on each other’s where they’re supposed to be.

He puts on a smile and plucks the movie from my hand. “Now let’s watch the movie.”

I blow out a breath as he retreats to the living room, following after him with the box of Oreos.

Tommy starts the movie, and when he’s back on the couch with me, he sits close, his thigh touching mine, and I’m about to snuggle up to him until I freeze. I usually snuggle up to him when we watch scary movies. The cliche scaredy cat, that’s me. But now. . .

He doesn’t let me hesitate long, tugging me closer as he leans back into the cushions before either of us can think too much, but instead of snuggling up to him, I end up wrapped in his arms, my head on his chest.

I breathe him in. He smells like soap and Tommy—the light, comforting, safe smell of home. My eyes close, his arms wrapping further around me as I relax into him.

We stay like this for most of the movie, the Oreos left untouched, and I notice my fingers have tangled in his T-shirt and my heart has started racing.

I startle when he rests his hand over mine with a small laugh, then asks, “Are you that scared?”

I swallow, try to relax my hand, imagine myself playfully slapping his chest and arguing,It’s scary!

“I’m terrified.” The words come out so low, I’m not sure he hears me, but his hand slowly squeezes mine, his heart picking up pace under my ear.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve watched it,” I add after clearing the unsteadiness I could feel in my voice before I even spoke.

“I’m here,” Tommy whispers into my hair. “I’ll be here,” he adds as I close my eyes against the tears pooling behind my lids.

From the television, a terrified Sidney Prescott screams for help.

20

Jesus’s Bell

Reyna

The girl is back. She’s been coming into the ice cream shop for the past few days. She doesn’t order anything; she sits at a corner table and people-watches. I wouldn’t be so concerned if the person she watches the most wasn’tme.

She has pink hair in choppy layers down to her shoulders, the ends grazing the top of her striped black and white shirt every time her head moves. And she wears thin, clear-framed glasses, the bottoms touching her cheek bones.

She seems familiar somehow. And not just because I’ve seen her in and out of the shop.

“What does she want?” Shelby asks as she strides up next to me behind the counter.

“I don’t know,” I say, both of us having stopped our work to stare back at her.

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