Page 83 of One Little Kiss
“It’s for the scavenger hunt,” Mara adds.
“Uh huh…” That would at least kinda explain Mara’s bizarre level of excitement. “What do we have to do?”
“I don’t know, it’s a secret,” Celia says. “But we’ll be paired up in teams and we have to do all the events in one day to get credit.”
I frown. Something is up. “Is that why you insisted I wear…this?”
Mara had specifically informed me that I had to wear my comfiest casual clothes, which I’d assumed meant she had mud masks in mind or something. But now, knowing I’m seeing Elijah…
I frown down at my faded black leggings and the oversized T-shirt. If I’d known we were doing this with Elijah I would’ve worn my cute yoga pants and a T-shirt that doesn’t look like it could fit three of me.
Crap.
“What’s wrong?” Mara’s eyeing me in the mirror.
I’m being ridiculous, and the concern in both their eyes makes me feel guilty. I haven’t just shoved a wedge between me and Elijah. I’ve made things weird for everyone. But that ends today.
“Nothing.” I shake my head.
Celia’s lips hitch to the side and she turns to face me. “If you don’t want to see Elijah—”
“No. It’s fine.” My smile is forced and huge. “Honestly. It’s fine.”
It’s fine, fine, fine, fine.
I repeat the word on a loop in my brain to keep from obsessing over what I’m going to say to him. How I’m going to take a giant leap off a very high cliff when I tell him that I want to try again. That I want to be his friend…and more.
Oh God. Terror ripples through me, and I find myself clutching the edge of the seat as Mara pulls over in front of the playground.
It’s fine, it’s fine…
I see Elijah standing in the midst of a bunch of our friends and his teammates. Even Dominic’s here with his sister, and a bunch of Heath’s basketball friends. Everyone’s wearing casual tops and workout clothes as they talk and laugh in small clusters.
Some of my terror eases. This really is just a group thing then. Nothing to be afraid of.
Maybe everything really is fine…
The thought evaporates the second I step out of Mara’s car and Elijah’s gaze meets mine.
I nearly freeze in my tracks and it takes everything in me not to dive back into the car and hide like a coward.
Instead I tip my chin up and give him a little smile.
I am not a coward. I am…
I think of Addie and let out a huff of laughter.
I am a freakin’ butterfly.
I’m not going back into my cocoon, dammit. And what’s more…
I’m not gonna let another day pass without telling Elijah exactly what he means to me.
TWENTY-TWO
Elijah
It’s almost tooeasy to set my plan into action.
