Page 19 of When the Stars Fall
I’d already made a mental list of things I would fix. WD40 for the squeaky door hinges. The deck needed to be re-stained, and the paint on the railings was flaking. The Weber grill on the deck was rusted and I suspected he didn’t even keep it covered. I wasn’t a big fan of Derek’s and I didn’t think my parents were either but none of us would ever say a word. We all loved Caroline, and Derek was Lila’s stepdad. So even though he had shifty eyes and I didn’t trust him, I needed to keep my opinions to myself.
“I’m sure. That’s where it needs to go,” Lila said, referring to the place where the flower bed needed to be.
I took off my ball cap, ran my hand through my sweaty hair and put it on backward. Her lips curved into a smile that caught me off guard. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed how pretty my best friend was or how green her eyes were in the sun or how full and kissable her lips looked. But there was something about her smile at this moment that made my chest tight. “What’s the smile for?”
“You,” she said softly, laughing a little, her eyes lowering to her dirty white Chucks. “Thanks for doing this. And thanks for putting up with me. I know…” She lifted her eyes to mine and took a deep breath. “I guess I’ve been kind of bitchy lately.”
I shrugged one shoulder, mesmerized by the way she tugged her lower lip between her straight white teeth. No more braces. No more skinny little girl in a yellow sundress. She was still small and petite, short enough that she had to tip up her chin to look me in the eye. I’d shot up to five-eleven while she was still five foot nothing. But she wasn’t a little kid anymore. Her wavy brown hair was in a messy bun and the strands of hair that had escaped it framed her perfect face. She never wore makeup like the other girls in our class did and I was happy about it. She didn’t need it.
Lila had five freckles on her nose. I knew because I’d counted. “It’s understandable. I’d be much worse.”
“What would you do? If you were me?”
“I’d plant a garden and make sure it was perfect.”
She looked at a spot over my shoulder and blinked back her tears. Lila didn’t cry. Ever. “What else would you do?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what she was asking but I tried to put myself in her shoes, and I gave it a minute’s thought before answering. “Guess I’d just try to be there for her by doing stuff I know she’d like. Stuff that’s important to her so that she knew I loved her.”
Lila reached up with her hand and touched my cheek. “You have dirt on your face,” she said by way of explanation, her eyes locked on mine as she rubbed her thumb across my cheekbone.
She moved closer, just a step but she was close enough that I could smell the scent of her shampoo. Spring rain and honeysuckle. Inhaling deeply, I filled my lungs with the scent of Lila. It made my head swim and the ground tilt underneath me.
I could kiss her. I could steal her first kiss right now. Just dip my head and claim her lips. Would they be soft? Would she taste like the Dr. Pepper she’d been drinking earlier? Would she kiss me back?
I wanted to be her first kiss. I wanted to be her first everything.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Reese said, rounding the side of the house with our other friend, Tyler in tow. Lila jumped back, snatching her hand away as if she’d been doing something illegal then walked away from me.
Normally, I would laugh but I was too busy watching her as she drew a chalk line in the grass for where she wanted the flower bed to go. From here, I had a perfect view of her ass in those little denim cut-offs she always wore.
Tyler gave me a slug on the shoulder, snapping me out of it. “Enjoying the view?”
“Shut up,” I growled, hoping she hadn’t heard him.
“So this is why you told us to come later,” Reese said, wagging his brows. They were a paler shade of red than his hair.
Now I regretted having called in reinforcements as they greeted Lila who acted like they were sent from heaven above.
“Thanks, you guys, I really appreciate it,” she gushed.
Tone it down, Lila. They haven’t even done anything helpful yet.
“Anytime.” Reese rubbed his hands together and looked over at me, ready to be put to work. “What do you need me to do?”
I tossed him a shovel. “Start digging.”
A few minutes later, Brody showed up with a wheelbarrow filled with bags of wood chips and mulch that I suspected he’d stolen from our shed. My dad was anal about his garden and kept an inventory of his tools and supplies but since it was for Caroline, I knew he wouldn’t mind. Right behind him was Ashleigh and Megan. The two blondes were carrying Tupperware containers and bags of junk food. Supposedly, they were Lila’s friends but I didn’t trust them. They weren’t true friends. They hung out with Lila to get closer to me, but if I told her that, she’d just get pissed and call me cocky.
“I made those cupcakes you like,” Ashleigh said, her smile aimed at me. She was wearing a short T-shirt dress that clung to every curve of her body. I couldn’t help but notice her tits because they were big and right there in my face. Every guy in our class ogled them and Reese and Tyler were practically salivating.
“Devil’s food,” Ashleigh said, referring to the cupcakes that she always brought to my baseball games.
Lila glanced over at me, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Figures you’d like devil’s food,” she muttered.
I laughed. Ashleigh looked from me to Lila, not sure what was so funny or if I was laughing at her expense. I wasn’t. I liked it that Lila got jealous. Not that she’d ever admit it.
“Mom’s here,” Jesse bellowed as he ran along the side of the house.
