Page 31 of Dryad, Try Again
To my left, Tanner is deep in thought, gazing up at the barren dogwoods. We’re standing side-by-side; he’s three feet to my left, both too close and a hundred acres away. I look back at the trees and sigh. The sky is a twilight-dark-purple with the sun almost gone, and the crickets chirp an ambient soundtrack around us.
“It’s not like that. They don’t say words.”
“It seemed like you were debating with them,” he says.
I snicker. “I guess I was. I need to get them to bloom. Dean Yaga wants the trees to all look uniform.”
“Hm. Congrats on your gig, by the way. The paycheck sounds sweet.” I turn and quirk an eyebrow at him. He looks sheepish when he says, “Seth told me.”
“Ah. Is that how you found me?”
“He may have mentioned where you were.”
I roll my eyes and nod, and the tension between us grows stronger. My hands ache to hold him. Despite my pulse pounding, my skin is still soft and not-wooden, so that’s a relief.
We stay like that for a few moments more, taking in fresh grassy air, staring up at the trees. Tanner makes me feel so off-center yet comfortable, all at once. I can’t explain the draw I have to him, and that hasn’t changed since we were nine.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he states. His voice is soft but confident, and we’re both still not looking at each other.
“Yeah, I guess I have. I’m…sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
I turn to his gorgeous face, all sharp angles and red hair. “Why?”
“I shouldn’t have kissed you when we were kids. I should have asked for consent.”
I shrug. “We were little,” I retort. “I barely recall—”
“I still want you.”
My eyebrows jump and my breath is gone.What did he just say?“Tanner, I…”
“I had a crush on you then, and I have a crush on you now.” He turns his head slightly, and the heated desire in his eyes is undeniable. He yearns for me, but I’m at war with myself. Do I want to bury myself in his arms, or tell him to leave for his own good?
“Tanner…”
“I think you feel it too. And maybe, if you stop avoiding me, we could see where this goes. Because I want to be with you, Kovi. For the first time in years, I want something other than loneliness. Just like last week when I held your hand.” He gulps, and I can’t even blink. “Are you really going to tell me you don’t want me too?”
My throat goes coarse and my heart hammers inside my chest. The sparks of tension between us have lit an inferno, and whichever move I make could burn us both down.
“Tanner, I’m the one who hurt you,” I whisper. “I can’t—”
“Let’s make a few things clear,” he replies, crossing his arms. “I forgave you. That was years ago. And I don’t care that you’re a monster. And I don’t care if you shift uncontrollably sometimes. None of those are good reasons for us to not at least try to explore this chemistry between us. So what else you got?”
“Tanner…I might hurt you again,” I say in a strained voice.
“Kovi, staying away from you hurts me more.” We finally turn to face each other. His gravity is too strong.
He moves close and puts his hand on my neck, and I move close as well. I need to focus, keep my calm, and stay human. My breathing is shallow, and his fingers burn across my skin. Tanner’s body heat feels so right. “Tanner.”
“Please,” he says in a low pleading tone. “Please let yourself feel this. I know you don’t remember when we kissed as kids,but I want you now. And if you take this chance, then maybe we could build something. I want us to find out, and—”
“Tanner.” My voice rises, and he startles. I step even closer and caress his cheek. “I never forgot. And I never stopped wanting you.”
In the dark of the night, surrounded by trees, I pull his face toward mine and put my lips on his. The kiss is slow at first, but soft, exploring if this is right. He tastes sweeter than he did all those years ago.Oh yes—touching Tanner feels like the right thing to do.
I pull back and see him smile in the dark. The lamp lights on the school perimeter illuminate, and I’m able to see Tanner’s perfect face. His green eyes are filled with joy, and he continues to stroke my cheek. “Perfect timing,” I mutter.
