Page 31 of I Blame the Rival

Skylar huffs out a quiet laugh and I use the moment to my advantage. Lunging forward, I lean over and tap his leg. I pivot, about to make my great escape when my toe gets caught on the turf and I go crashing down.

Right on my face.

“Ow.” I grumble the words into the fake grass and roll onto my back.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes.” Skylar steps into my line of sight and I pull a face, “My dignity is completely gone.”

He tilts his head, “Your dignity is still intact, but this did confirm your coordination sucks.”

I sigh, “Guess I won’t be making the lacrosse team anytime soon.”

Leaning my head back against the ground, I let my eyes drift up to the sky. Hundreds of stars shine back at me, their tiny dots a white splash against the dark blanket of the night.

“Wow.”

Skylar clears his throat, “Is it okay if I join you?”

“Of course.”

I move over and Skylar settles himself down beside me. He leaves enough space so that our shoulders aren't touching, but I can still feel the presence of his body. My heart starts to race and I can’t tell if it’s from fear or excitement.

“Tell me a secret.”

He turns to look at me, our faces a couple of feet apart, “What do you want to know?”

I shrug, “Anything.”

Skylar falls silent, his eyes tracing my face. He doesn’t leer like most of the guys I know, he just looks at me. Studies me in a way that makes me feel seen.

Wanted.

The thought has a blush heating my cheeks. I haven’t been with anyone since the incident, and honestly, I haven’t felt the need to. My lips and body have been untouched for two years now and I didn’t think that would ever change.

But now I’m starting to wonder what Skylar’s lips feel like.

“I read your messages every night.” He swallows and drops his gaze, “Since the first day you left me a response, I’ve read them every night.”

My heart stills.

“You kept them all?”

He nods, “I like seeing your handwriting. Makes it feel more real.”

A strand of white hair falls across his forehead, and without thinking, I reach out and brush it back.

We both freeze when my fingers touch his skin and I quickly snatch my hand away. I open my mouth to apologize, but Skylar breaks the silence first.

“Your turn.”

My breathing turns shallow, the possibilities running through my mind. There are so many things I want to tell him that I don’t know where to start.

Skylar tilts his head back to study the stars twinkling above us, giving me the time to think it through. He does it casually, as if my prolonged silence is nothing unusual.

And suddenly I know my answer.

“You make me feel normal.” I whisper, feeling a lump rising in my throat, “Even on my worst days, you make me feel like I’m not another broken anomaly.”

---