Page 8 of Faking Forever 1
“Okay, so let’s get this straight.” She tucks her hair back, now talking with her hands.
She always did that when she meant business.
“First, you skipped out on your acceptance,thenyou went to surfing camp for two whole months and avoided telling me the entire thing?” her voice becomes taut.
In a way that makes me unable to tell if she’s being facetious.
I drop my cup to my lap, giving her my full attention.
“Look, Pea, I’m sorry. Okay, I really am, but it isn’t the same for me as you. My outlook is a little different now.” I confess.
I began paying close attention to her features.
“Your world seemed so great. I wouldnevertry to ruin that, Paisley. If I would’ve told you, you would’ve come running back here, and I couldn’t have that.”
“And you stay here now for what? I thought youlovedfood and cooking and all that stuff.” she continues in that small, 24
HEY LOVER
shy voice.
“I stay for my pop, mostly. Now that you’re gone, I’ll be honest, not much is holding me here.” I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
I resume eating my yogurt, my spoon followed by hers, digging out a large spoon full for herself.
“Excuse you?” I chuckle some more, scrutinizing her with my eyes.
She takes the big bite in my face, grinning with cheeks full of frozen yogurt now. Both our cups were empty at this point.
“What are you gonna do about it? Huh?” she taunts me, finishing her bite.
“Don’t get cute, squirt. We can go toe to toe.” I warn her, lifting my cap from my head before I unbutton my shirt.
“Dude. I’ll crush you. I may not be sure of a few other things, but I know forsureI can still kick your ass in some killer waves.” she scoffs before delivering her sentence, standing up from the sand.
“Whatever you say, pee-wee.” I follow her actions, standing over her.
“Whatever you say,” she deepens her voice, mocking me as best she can and smiling in amusement.
She truly is a charmer.
The next few seconds were hellish. A usual set of physical things she would do in front of me. Only this time, I was thinking of other things as she did them.
She lifts her shirt above her head, dropping it in the sand.
It was sinister, her body. Perfect shape, amazing legs, and certainly filled out in all the right places. Her thick, dirty blonde hair perfectly falls along her back. I could hear her 25
FAKING FOREVER
voice, ringing beyond my thoughts, chatting about missing surfing and such. As much as I want to listen, my brain is more invested in fantasizing about things I shouldn’t be.
Paisley has always been like a giant spark. Always compassionate and ready for a challenge. Always confident, and never anything less than. I always saw it as her being one of the guys. It was too much for me, and maybe that’s why I never considered looking at her beyond that perspective because of how far out of her league I am. The crush has been marinating for a long time. Right now, she was anything but one of us.
Instead, she’s the complete embodiment of attractiveness. I don’t even think she knows how breathtaking she is.
“Josh, close your mouth. Are you listening to me at all?”
Nope.
