Page 16 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls
She nods quickly. “I do. A lot. Do you want to watch with me?” Sounds like she wants to add, “Like we used to.”
“Sure.”
She sits down on her bed and I lower myself next to her. Lexi’s eyes are glued to the screen, and a small smile crawls onto my lips. I remember how her mind always seemed to leave the room and go under the water along with the sea creatures.
“Look!” She grabs my wrist as she points to the pod of orcas surrounding a great white shark. “They’re gonna kill it. Wow. Isn’t nature so beautiful?”
“Yeah.” I glance down at where her fingers are wrapped around my wrist. She quickly drops my hand.
We watch as the orcas attack the poor shark. Then the footage shifts to other whales migrating for the winter. We’re also lucky to see a humpback whale give birth. Everything is so fascinating. Lexi looks like she’s in love. She cares about the animals so much, and I know she’ll be an amazing marine biologist.
After the show is over, Lexi turns to me with a smile. “I’m glad you came.” She tucks some curls behind her ear, but they pop back out. I bend forward to push them back behind her ear, but then quickly stop myself and lean away from her.
“So, I uh…” I shift in my seat as I reach for the bag in my back pocket. “I got something for you.”
Her entire body perks up as she watches me clutch the small bag in my hands. “For me?”
I nod. “I saw it in a shop near a beach in Boston a few days ago and had to get it for you. I know you love this sort of stuff, so…” I hold it out to her.
She looks at me for a few seconds before accepting the bag and peering inside. “Is this…?” She sticks her hand inside and pulls out a small blue whale keychain. “It’s so cute! I love it!”
I find myself smiling wider than I have in a long time. “I wasn’t sure if you still like keychains…”
“I do. I do a lot. Thanks.” She stares at it with excitement and admiration. “You know blue whales are my favorite whales.”
“Of course I remember.” I remember everything about her.
She stretches her arms and closes them around me. “Thanks, Brock. But you didn’t have to get me a present. I didn’t get you anything.”
I draw back, shaking my head. “You don’t have to get me anything. I saw it and knew you had to have it.”
“Thanks! It’s my new favorite now.” She reaches for her backpack and adds it to the rest of her keychains. There’s a humpback whale, an orca, a sperm whale, different species of sharks, and many other ocean life.
“Wow. That’s some collection,” I observe.
“Yeah. But this one is awesome.”
“Cool. I’m really glad you like it.”
She gazes at it with admiration again. “Yeah. I mean, it’s a blue whale—what’s not to love?”
“True. So you still want to be a marine biologist, huh?” I ask.
She nods. “Yep. What about you?”
I shrug, my bangs falling into my eyes. “I think I have lots of things to work through before I can even think about the future.”
She nods slowly. “Right. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Maybe.”
We’re quiet.
“Do you still like sharks?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“That’s awesome.”
