Page 78 of Revolve
My heart flips. The next question lingers on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back. Instead, I shuffle his favorite songs, letting the first one play, as a swirl of thoughts bubbles.
“Where are we going?” I ask, trying to steady my voice. “I’d prefer to know the location so I can tell Scarlett. You know, just in case.”
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, Romanova. We’ve got a competition to win, remember?”
When he says it like that, the competition doesn’t sound so scary. Neither does the prospect of going for a win. It feels so certain on his tongue.
It isn’t long before the rain patters to a stop and we’re past the infamous Connecticut scenery—dying trees and yellow grass—to pull onto a crunchy gravel back road that leads to a parking lot. There are people carrying their kids, couples hand in hand, and friend groups.
Dylan parks and is already out of the car to open my door. I’m wearing mid-length rain boots, and I’m glad for it when I step on the muddied gravel with patches of grass poking through. Dylan doesn’t seem to mind that his white shoes will get dirty.
We approach the tent, and that’s when I see them. Lanterns.
I freeze, but Dylan places a hand on my lower back and ushers meforward. I barely notice him greet the cashier and pay until he hands me a lantern.
We make it to the field with the crowd, and Dylan pulls the Sharpie from the items we got. He’s focused as he scribbles on the thin lantern paper. When he finally turns it my way, my heart constricts.
Dylan + Firefly
Seeing it written there makes my face flush. The playlist on his phone feels like so much more now. But with that heaviness pressing on my chest, I roll my eyes half-heartedly before taking the lantern from him to write on both sides.
Dylan +FireflySierra
“That’s better.” The countdown clocks loom on each side of the area, so we wait to light our lantern. “Have you been here before?” I ask Dylan.
“Every year with my parents. Ada loved it. But after a while, it felt like going with strangers.” He clears his throat like he’s revealed too much. “You’ve never been?”
“Time was of the essence. I couldn’t spend it on a farm lighting lanterns,” I say. “But my parents would go.”
“Without you?” he asks. “That’s kind of messed up.”
“They weren’t sneaking behind my back. They just knew I was exhausted after practice.”
“I’ll gladly take your firsts then, Romanova.”
I laugh. “I’ve only got a few of those left.”
He cocks his head. “Yeah? When was your first kiss?”
“Freshman year of college. First time at a real party and first time being drunk.” I glance at him. “I know, incredibly late and lame.”
“Not lame,” he says. “I’m pretty sure Kian and I had our first kiss with the same girl. Think we lost our virginity to the same girl too.”
I burst into laughter. “You dated the same girl?”
“Nah, I’ve never been in a relationship.”
“Me neither,” I admit.
He raises his brows. “What about Justin?”
“Uh, no. I suppose we would have, but after the Olympics, I realized he didn’t want me. He just wanted my accomplishment. I gave him every ounce of myself, and he just tossed it aside like it was nothing. LikeIwas nothing.” I pause. “Sorry, that was a lot.”
Dylan holds my gaze. “You could never be nothing, Sierra.”
I try to bite my tongue, stopping myself from asking, “How do you know that?”
“Because I know you.”
