Page 6 of Cross My Heart

I scoff. “I want him.”

Scarlett rolls her eyes and goes back to watching the movie. No more words are exchanged between us, and my mind is racing a million miles a minute. Why is she being so weird about it? Why is she saying I can’t call dibs?

But then Tyler comes back in and settles next to me, and my mind quiets. I look at him—really look at him. At his dark brown curls, his crystalline blue eyes, his pouty lips. And I realize I don’t really care what Scarlett says. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But one day this boy will be mine.

I just know it.

Chapter 3

NOAH

14 YEARS OLD

The drive to the zoo is less than an hour, yet here is Tyler, asleep with his head on my shoulder as I gaze out the window. Pretty sure he’s drooling too. With anyone else, I’d think it’s gross, but I think he could do just about anything and I’d let it slide. I look at him briefly, his full lips that I would love to kiss one day, and the way his nose slightly tips up at the end. He’s so pretty.

My dad catches me looking, I can see him watching me, and he raises an eyebrow. I smirk and look back out the window, taking in the Atlanta skyline. It doesn’t take very long before we arrive at our destination, and Tyler stirs as soon as we pull into a parking spot. He stretches his arms above his head and accidentally bumps into Scarlett, who is sitting on the other side of him, and she shoves him toward me.

“Watch it, Scar,” I growl at her, and she scoffs. “You too, Ty. She’s a lady.”

“She ain’t no fucking lady.” He rolls his eyes. “She’s a heathen.”

“Hey—” Scarlett protests.

“Language, Tyler Levi Hayes,” my mom scolds, “I’m not afraid to spank you.” But she winks at him playfully, and we know she’s just playing around.

I huff a laugh, loving how comfortable they seem to be with each other after only a year.

“I’m too old for that, Mae.” Tyler rolls his eyes but grins. She’s never spanked anyone a day in her life, and we both know it. But he still taunts her. “I know you won’t.”

My mom turns in her seat and narrows her eyes at him, but when she sees that he’s smiling, she just chuckles and turns back around. She’s a gentle soul—she’s only yelled at me a handful of times. Positive reinforcement and redirection are her motto, and it’s quite obvious she’s been a pre-k teacher most of her life. She has the patience of a saint.

“You’re an asshole,” Scarlett whispers, and I’m pretty sure my mom hears it and pretends not to.

Sometimes I think Ty has a thing for Scarlett, then again, he’s mine and she knows it. I called dibs and she didn’t seem to care. Though I think she’s jealous I don’t spend as much time with her. But she’s gotten better at sharing me. It’s not her fault she’s an only child and no one taught her to share.

We get out of the car and go get our tickets; thankfully, the line is short. Before we know it, we’re walking in and stopping at the exhibits. The first one is of little meerkats, and Tyler seems fascinated by them. I stay close to him, reveling in his scent. Something woodsy.

His brown hair looks lighter as the sun shines on it, and when he turns and looks at me with those crystalline blue eyes, my heart threatens to stop. They’re glowing, thanks to the sun as well, and I’m lost in their blue depths. I can’t look away. It’s like I’m memorizing them. That is until Scarlett bumps into me—hard.

I turn around and give her a death glare, but she completely ignores me as if she didn’t just interrupt my moment with Ty. My parents are completely oblivious, now moving on to the lions. We follow silently, and I grab Tyler’s hand and pull him toward the glass. But it’s a ruse. I only did it to hold his hand. To feel his skin against mine for a few seconds. Pretty sure he’s completely oblivious to it too.

The lionesses are growling and screaming, and the male lion is just pacing everywhere. They seem agitated, and honestly, I would be too if I were locked up like that. I try not to think about it too much, but suddenly I want to leave. So I take his hand again and pull him toward the otters, who are happily swimming in their giant pool. They’re floating on their backs and then jumping on the rocks, diving to the bottom, and coming back up. They’re cute and entertaining. Much better.

“Aren’t these cute?” I ask him.

“So cute,” Scarlett says from my other side. “Awww, look at them!”

Scarlett points at a mom with a baby on top of her belly, and she’s hugging it tightly as she swims backwards. It’s possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “The cutest.”

“Noah,” my dad calls out, and I look back at him. Tyler holds my hand out of nowhere, derailing my thoughts. My dad looks down at it and raises his eyebrow at me again, and I shrug. “Let’s go see the monkeys.”

“Alright,” I tell him, pulling Tyler behind my parents.

But Ty ends up gravitating toward Scarlett, interlacing their fingers together and letting go of me. My heart squeezes tightly as jealousy consumes me, and I look at her. She’s not making eye contact though, instead, she is looking ahead like she’s not confusing the hell out of me.

I go to Scarlett’s side and whisper in her ear, “What the hell are you doing? He’s our friend.”

I called dibs!

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