Page 171 of Skalterra By Nightmare
“Sometimes,” I admitted. “But not always. It hurts the most when I don’t realize there’s nothing left to pull on anymore, and I accidentally pinch my eyelid.”
“Oh.” He winced. “I’m sorry.”
“You asked me a personal question,” I said, “so now I get to ask you one.”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“That’s not fair.”
“Was it hard being on campus today without Riley?”
His heartbeat quickened against my hand.
“Yeah, but not for the reasons you probably think.”
I waited for him to continue and froze when he rolled towards me, putting his arm around my waist and holding me close.
“It wasn’t because you miss him?” I asked.
“He’ll graduate next year. I have to get used to campus without him no matter what. But you,” his thumb traced a circle on my back, “it kills me that he hasn’t gotten to meet you yet. And that you haven’t met him.”
“He’s not missing out on much,” I promised.
“You’re funny, you’re clever, you don’t care what other people think—”
“That’s not true. I care very deeply.”
“And you do a good job of hiding it.” He smiled, but I was too close to his face to see his whole grin. “Because you are strong, and you remind me of Ethel.”
“If you have a crush on my grandma, you should just say so, but if it works out, I’mnotcalling you Gramps.”
“Wren Warrender,” he teased, “what would you know about crushes?”
“Absolutely nothing.” The corners of my mouth pulled upwards. Gams had said weeks ago that she was fine with Liam and me sharing a hotel room because he was “a good boy”, and I “wasn’t interested in those kinds of things”. Something about the way Liam was looking at me and the way I felt curled up in his arms had me wondering if Gams was wrong about both of us.
Liam shifted forward and pressed his lips against the space between my eyebrows. He kept his mouth there to murmur into my skin. “You should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
A moment of wonderful panic made me lock up, but then I gave in to his embrace, burrowing into the pillows and nestling my head beneath his chin.
“You aren’t the boss of me,” I mumbled back.
“No, I don’t think anyone is.” His lips were in my hair. “Sleep, alright? I promise to keep the nightmares away.”
I sighed against his chest, feeling for the first time all week that maybe everything was okay. Maybe Ferrin had failed, and I’d never see him again. Maybe I would do so well in my interview the next day that the admissions officer offered me admittance on the spot.
And maybe I would become a geophysicist so renowned that I would make Maxwell Brenton, PhD, cry over every day he had let pass without ever trying to get to know his daughter.
It was the best night of sleep I’d had since before graduation. I woke up to early morning light spilling from around the edges of the heavy window curtains, and I stretched, rolling away from the fingers of sunshine that spread across the ceiling.
“Liam?” He’d left his hoodie on the bed, and I rolled out from under the covers to search the bathroom for him. However, he wasn’t in the hotel room anymore.
I was almost done getting ready for my interview, in my pencil skirt and blazer that was much too warm for the day’s forecast, when a beep chimed out from the door, and Liam walked in carrying a tray of pancakes, bacon, and fruit.
“Where’ve you been?” I took the tray out of his hands.
“The lobby breakfast bar.” He’d already dressed for the day, and his hair was still damp from a shower.
“I didn’t even hear you get up.”
