Page 76 of I Blame the Rival

Skylar looks at me with the smallest of smiles, both irises sparkling with the afterglow of his mirth. My heart feels full as I stare back, the weight of my new gift digging into the palms of my hands.

“I know it’s late, but would you want to watch a movie with me?”

“Do you want me to stay?”

I bite my lip and nod, watching his gaze flick from my face to the single bed against the wall.

“I’ll stay then.”

Quickly grabbing my laptop from my desk, I steal a couple of extra blankets from my closet before settling down on the bed. Skylar joins me soon afterwards, his frame just small enough so that we both fit on the bed side-by-side.

I pull him down so we’re lying together, using a spare pillow to prop the laptop on my lap. Skylar’s arm sneaks around my stomach as he shifts closer, wrapping himself around me.

“What do you want to watch?” My voice comes out breathless, the sudden proximity making my hands a little shaky.

Every time I’m around Skylar, I feel like I’m home. But the moment our skin connects, it’s like suddenly I’m on the edgeof a cliff, staring at the waves below, wondering if I’m going to make the jump or not.

It’s exhilarating and petrifying all at the same time.

Skylar brushes my ear with his lips, causing a shiver to race through me.

“I’m not sure. I don’t watch a lot of movies.”

“Do you have a favourite?”

“Not really.” His breath is warm and inviting and it takes all my energy to focus on the choices laid out in front of us.

“What about genres? Favourite or least favourite.”

Skylar goes silent for a moment.

“I like everything but action.”

A flush creeps up his cheeks when he catches the look of surprise that crosses my face.

“I know it’s weird.” He swallows, dropping his gaze to the screen in front of us, “I just don’t like blood. Or violence.”

I am such an idiot.

Scolding myself for not putting the pieces together sooner, I quickly bypass the action section and find something that is bound to have a happy ending.

“How doesGrown Upssound?”

Skylar relaxes against me with a nod of approval. Pressing play, I snuggle down and escape into Adam Sandler’s world of comedy.

It doesn’t take long for me to start laughing at the ridiculous antics playing out on screen. Skylar stays silent beside me, but I can tell he’s enjoying it. There’s a lightness to him that I haven’tseen before, and with every laugh I make, it grows and expands into something more.

About halfway through the movie I feel Skylar’s fingers dance across my skin.

There’s nothing expectant about the touch, nothing sexual about the way he mindlessly draws on my arm as the movie plays out in front of us. Despite the way my heart is racing, the innocent touch doesn’t feel like the pressure I’m used to. It doesn’t feel like Skylar is being calculating about his movements to ensure something happens tonight.

Sneaking a glance at him, my feelings are confirmed. Skylar’s eyes are glued to the screen, his head tilted toward mine as his fingers lightly sketch invisible pictures on my skin.

It hits me right then, that this is what a healthy relationship looks like. Being able to hang out with your partner without the burden of guilt or the fear of malicious words.

When I’m with Skylar, there are no expectations sexual or otherwise. He simply accepts me for who I am and doesn’t question the ridiculous schemes I come up with.

I might not be complete, but he makes me feel about as close as I’ll ever be.

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