Page 9 of The Runaway and the Rugged
Another subtle blush broke out across my cheeks. I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to.
“It’s… it’s not you, Beau. I feel like being in a constant state of worry is my new normal.” An awkward laugh tumbled from my mouth but eventually dwindled into an edgy sigh.
Why did I have to say it like that?
Then quickly peering over at Clarke, I was relieved to see that she was sleeping.
“I’m guessin’ all the worrying you have is because of your fiancé?” he asked, his tone softening in what sounded like genuine concern.
I’ve always worn my emotions on my sleeve. It was a curse. So, it didn’t surprise me that he had put two and two together and implicated Nathaniel as the cause.
I just wish I didn’t feel like I was throwing him under the bus.
“He is… partly to blame, yes,” I underplayed his role as best I could, but even then, with a sharp disbelieving glance in my direction, I knew Beau wasn’t buying it. “But I’ve always been an anxious person, overthinking things when I know I shouldn’t.”
“Sounds to me like you’re human, sunshine.” He threw a wink at me before refocusing back onto the road. “Overthinking is a pretty widespread thing, and I know it may be hard to believe, but I suffer from it from time to time.”
It was hard to believe considering how arrogant and overconfident he came across, but in reality, I had no idea who Beau really was. For all I knew, he could be just like me. Trying to preserve the facade of being a happy, carefree person while on the inside your making every effort to not feel so empty.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one,” I whispered, careful not to disturb Clarke.
“Far from it too,” he added as if to ease my mind some more. Surprisingly, it worked. “Anyway, enough of all this serious talk, what’s your story? You and Lil’ Miss Stubborn over there.”
Thankfully Clarke was sound asleep and didn’t hear the nickname a second time.
“My story? Well, it's definitely not as colorful as Clarke’s.” I chuckled, reminiscing about the days when we were young and surviving adolescence. Where she was worried about learning to perfect her motocross skills, and I was trying to figure out exactly who I was.
And still am…
“I could have guessed that from the moment she called me an asshole,” Beau teased, and while most men would have been offended, he seemed to have taken it as a challenge.
Like he wanted to rile her up even more to see just how far she would go.
“Don’t take it personally. She finds all men assholes.”
“And I’m sure she has her reasons.”
She did. She had several justifications and reasons why she felt the way she did, but my instincts told me that Beau was nothing like the men she was used to.
Instead of continuing on the topic of Clarke and her aversion toward men, I went on to answer his previous question.
“We were both born and raised in the outskirts of New York,” I began. “Our upbringings were a bit different. My parents were both teachers at a high school, so as you can guess my life was pretty structured. And Clarke’s, they owned a freestyle motocross team… So, she had a more adventurous childhood compared to mine.”
He shot me a look. “Does she ride?”
I wanted to laugh.
Does she ride… Clarke lived and breathed performing heart-stopping stunts. It was a thrill that coursed through her veins like oxygen, passed down by her parents who felt the same rush of adrenaline. Everyone who had ever seen her ride knew she was born to do it.
“I think she knew how to ride a dirt bike before she knew how to walk.” I chuckled while shooting a quick glance over at Clarke. She was still slumped over with her arms across her chest and a cute little wrinkle on her forehead.
“And what about you, sunshine? You don’t strike me as a dirt bike riding type of girl.”
“That’s because I’m not.” I laughed. “Clarke tried to teach me when we were younger, but I ended up in a ditch with a broken wrist. So anything with a throttle, I steer clear of.”
Beau erupted in laughter. Startled from his reaction, I took him in with wide, confused eyes.
Nathaniel rarely laughed at things I said and when he did, it always seemed forced. So, I just assumed I lacked a sense of humor around men. But seeing Beau clearly amused by what I said, a warmth had spread throughout my chest, causing a smile to pull at my lips.
