Page 47 of Beautiful Desire
22
Fletcher
“It’s so nice out today,” Georgia murmurs as she secures the flannel shirt around her waist. Sitting beside me on the blanket, she grabs her little black backpack, and a moment later, hands me a granola bar and a bottle of water before taking one of each for herself.
“Yeah, it is,” I agree, ripping open a corner of the wrapper.
At a state park about ten minutes from Georgia’s house, we drove here this morning, and spent the last hour rollerblading along the flat, paved trail until we found this spot to rest a minute ago. It’s a perfect morning, giving a glimpse of spring on the horizon. Birds chirp as they fly around between the lush, green trees. There’s not a single cloud in the sky as the bright sun bathes us in warmth, and the occasional cool breeze floats by, rustling the fallen leaves.
“Apparently, this is the newcool spot,” she emphasizes, using air quotes.
“Says who?” I snort.
Turning her head, Georgia’s lips twist into a playful grin. “Blakely.”
“Oh sure.” I nod. “I like to get the rundown on what’s cool and what’s not from little kids too.”
“Don’t let Blakely hear you call her that,” Georgia quips. “She is apreteen, and that’s a very important distinction at that age.”
“Shit, my bad,” I tease.
She giggles, the sound bright and full of life. “But actually, Grace told me about it when I went to the bakery to have lunch with her this week. I guess Blakely and her friends have been coming up here the past few weekends.”
“Does that mean we’re going to run into a gaggle of girls on our way back?”
“No.” Shaking her head, Georgia says, “I asked Grace if Blakely wanted to come with me this morning, but she has a birthday party today.”
My brows pinch as I huff out a breath. “Oh, so I was your last resort?”
Chuckling, she says, “I wasn’t sure you’d even want to come after how bad you were the first time we went.”
“I wasn’tthatbad by the time we finished.” I scoff.
Reaching over, Georgia playfully shoves me on the arm. “Okay, fine,” she drawls. “I can admit you are a lot less baby giraffe this time.”
Holding my gaze for a moment, I feel it in the center of my chest. The way my heart rate speeds up. The way my lungs squeeze. And then she turns away, glancing at the scenery in front of us.
But me? My focus remains onher.
I’m enamored by her very existence, and more often than not lately, I find myself unable to look away. Especially in moments like this, when she’s not paying attention, and I have the time toreallyadmire her while her guard is down. And it’s always thethings I’ve never noticed about someone before that catch my eye the most about her. Like the dusting of freckles that kiss her cheeks. How her right one has slightly more than her left, and how there’s a light smattering of them across her shoulders too. Or how her irises look like the sweetest pools of honey when the sunlight hits them. And how her smile reaches her eyes when she’s doing something she enjoys.
When Georgia asked me last night if I wanted to come with her this morning, it was an easy yes. This week has been busy as hell, and I know the next few weeks will be much of the same, so doing something like this with her, that’s fun and doesn’t require me to think too hard about anything important, is exactly what I need this weekend.
Thinking about the way my day-to-day life has shifted so much in such a short amount of time has been interesting, and also, a little funny, to watch. Just a few months ago, having fun for me consisted of partying with my old frat buddies and taking weekend trips to Miami or New York, and my idea of enjoying nature was spending the afternoon sailing on my dad’s boat or on the golf course. But here I am now, after a long and tiring week of juggling work and school, completely content spending my Saturday morning rollerblading with Georgia at some little state park in Blossom Beach.
And yeah, I know a huge reason for the shift is because I simply don’t have the means to live the way I want right now, and I’m sure as soon as I’m back home in Charleston and I’m not so goddamn broke, I’ll go back to living the way I was, but at least for now, I can’t deny how peaceful and relaxing, and nice,thisis with her. The silence between us isn’t awkward or uncomfortable as we watch ducks swim around the lake and a man play fetch with his dog.
Sitting up, I rest my elbows on my knees and clear my throat. “Thank you for what you did,” I murmur, and Georgia looks backat me. “For helping me get started on my project,” I clarify. “I didn’t get a chance to say it the other night when we were in your office, and I know the situation with me isn’t ideal for you, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she says softly.
Neither of us looks away, but so much is being said without saying anything at all. My gaze dips down to her mouth, to the barely-there smile that makes my stomach flip, and my lips tingle with the urge to lean in and kiss her, especially when her tongue pokes out and wets hers, like maybe she’s thinking the same thing.Would she let me kiss her out here? Does she want me to?Heart pounding, I bring my gaze back up to Georgia’s eyes, and the evident desire staring back at me warms my blood and steals the breath right out of my lungs.
Fuck it.
Skin tingling with anticipation and need, I lean in, but before I can press my lips to hers, a sudden, red-hot sensation hits me in the wrist. My body jolts back from Georgia as I turn my head and glance down at my wrist. “What the fuck,” I hiss.
“What’s wrong?” There’s concern in Georgia’s tone as she shifts onto her knees.
