Page 52 of Fear of Falling

“I didn’t pick you to play dirty.” I said with a playful pout, but he just shrugged, the corners of his lips curving up.

Turning my attention to the streets rolling past my window, we drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” I frowned, unsure what he was talking about. “Cover your mouth when you laugh,” he elaborated.

Oh.

I thought I’d gotten myself out of the habit, but sometimes I still caught myself doing it—especially if I felt nervous.

And Wyatt definitely makes me feel nervous. Among other things.

Wyatt waited patiently for me to answer, and I struggled to word the explanation.

“My ex—the one I told you about,” I didn’t want to say his name, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Wyatt nod. “He once told me my laugh was too loud. I sort of got in the habit of covering my mouth so it wouldn’t be,” I said with a shrug, trying my hardest to play it off like the words still didn’t hurt me. Like they didn’t still sting, even after all this time.

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. The sneer on my ex’s face as he told me I laughed like a donkey and that I was just as unattractive. He had a way with words that made them hurt more than any physical blows. From that point on, I became so self-conscious about it. When I did find something to laugh about, I took to covering my mouth and pressing my lips together. Until eventually, I just stopped laughing.

Stopped smiling.

It took a long time for me to break the habit, to allow myself to laugh freely, but every once in a while, his voice popped back into my head, making me self-conscious all over again.

Wyatt slowed to a stop at a red light and took the opportunity to turn in his seat so that he faced me. “I hope you know you don’t have to hide anything from me, especially your laugh. Even if you had the world's most annoying laugh, I’d still want to hear it.”

My heart did something funny in my chest as he spoke. His tone was so gentle, so sincere, that I knew he meant every word.

“You don’t have to worry about hiding with me, okay?” Wyatt ducked his head just enough so I could see his features more clearly. Swallowing the lump in my throat I nodded. Seemingly satisfied with my answer, he gave my knee a soft squeeze before turning back to the road.

As we rodethe elevator to my floor, hand in hand, I silently wished time would slow down. I didn’t want the night to end. Seeing him play, hanging out with him and his friends, it wassuch an amazing night. I felt like I was in a dream that I never wanted to wake from.

“I had a great time tonight. Thank you again for inviting me to come see you play,” I said as we reached my door. I knew that the moment I stepped into my apartment, my magical evening was over. So, instead, I tried to drag it out as long as I could.

“Anytime.” Wyatt’s thumb rubbed softly across the top of my knuckles. He hadn’t let go of my hand from the moment we got out of the car. I loved it. Love how my hand fit perfectly in his.

I turned so that my back was to the door, keeping his hand clasped in mine. My eyes slowly moved up his chest to his face, my neck tilting back to meet his gaze.

“Do you want to do something tomorrow?” He asked.

“Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Boone?”

“I am,” he replied without hesitation.

Secretly, I’d hoped he would ask me out, but now that he had, it felt surreal. I hoped it was confirmation that he also felt whatever this was between us. For the first time in a very long time, all I wanted was to jump in feet first and see what happened.

“I would love to.”

“Okay, cool,” he ducked his head as he smiled, and I was certain I saw him blush. I smiled, knowing that I might just make him feel as nervous as he made me. “I’ll pick you up around noon. Does that work?”

“Sounds good,” I replied, already mentally calculating the hours until then.

We stood before my door, staring at each other. My eyes unconsciously dipped to his lips before moving back to his eyes. All I wanted was for him to kiss me. Tofinallyfeel those lips against mine. The same ones I’d dreamt about last night, causing me to wake up gasping for air, thighs slick from the dirty dream.

I barely noticed Wyatt’s hand dropping mine, too busy watching the way his blue eyes seemed to darken. He brought his hand up, fingers gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. The tips of his fingers grazed my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. The way he looked at me made my breath hitch. When my eyes moved back to his lips, my tongue darted out as I absently licked my own, imagining how his lips would feel pressed against my own.

His fingers trailed a path down my cheek. The touch was so soft I found myself leaning my face against his hand, craving more of it. With our eyes locked, Wyatt took a small step forward, and as I moved back, I felt my back press against my apartment door.

Wyatt cupped the side of my face, his thumb tucked under my chin, tilting my face up a little bit more. His eyes left mine as he dipped his head. I didn’t have time to take a breath before I felt the gentle caress of his lips against the crook of my neck.

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