Page 55 of Rebel Heart
“Yeah. Of course, I’m fine. Youcaught me.”
Beau gave me a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
I tried to ignore how much I liked having him hold me, how badly I wanted to stay where I was. But Beau didn’t want what I wanted, so I had no choice but to get up. I shifted my body and scooted off him, settling myself on the ground beside him. “I’m wearing pads and a helmet, you know?”
He remained on his back. “I do. But that doesn’t mean I want you to have to rely on them.”
Beau was so sweet. It was a shame he wasn’t interested in being a boyfriend, because he had so many great qualities.
“Are you okay?” I asked as he sat up and draped his arms over his bent knees.
“I’m good. I’ve taken far worse falls than that.”
I cocked a brow. “Oh yeah? Tell me, did you fall when you were just riding around on your board, or did it happen when you were doing some fancy trick?”
A chuckle escaped. “In all fairness to you, I think a tiny rock got wedged against your wheels, and that’s why the board just stopped.”
“Maybe I should take a break for a little bit. I’d love it if you’d show me some of those crazy things you can do. You know, just to give me something to work toward one day.”
Lips twitching, he stood and held out a hand to me. I placed my hand in his, wanting to cry at the warmth, and Beau helped me to my feet. “Let’s get you somewheresafe to watch from, and I’ll show you whatever you’d like to see.”
So, that’s what we did. For the next thirty minutes or so, Beau showed off his skills on a skateboard. Even though I’d seen him the day of the demo, it was different watching him now. There was no crowd, we had the skatepark to ourselves, and Beau used a good chunk of the park instead of focusing his efforts in just one area like the rest of the team had at the demo.
Beau eventually coaxed me onto the board he’d brought for me, and we spent some time riding around again. I was fortunate enough not to experience another embarrassing fall, too.
When we’d both had enough and I started removing all the pads Beau had brought for me, I said, “Do you think it’d be possible for me to learn how to do any of those tricks you do someday? They seem terrifying and difficult.”
“Some are easier than others, of course. But if you practice them the way I did in the beginning, I think it’ll help with the fear aspect of it.”
“How did you do it?”
He grinned. “On a trampoline with a bare skate deck.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I don’t have either one of those, and I suspect that a trampoline isn’t going to fit inside my apartment.”
“I have one.”
Blinking, my jaw fell open. “Youdo?”
Beau jerked his chin down. “Yeah. Do you want to go try it out?”
“Now?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure. Why not? I told you that I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
I chewed my bottom lip and considered his offer. In theory, it seemed perfectly fine. I’d just be going to his place to jump on a trampoline and do something fun. Plus, I had the rest of the day off from work. But there was no way I could forget what happened the last time I was at his place, the only time I’d ever been there.
I’d spent far too much time weighing my options, so Beau felt compelled to help me decide. “We’re just going to be on the trampoline, Jules. That’s it. When was the last time you even jumped on one?”
“Oh, gosh. I don’t know. I was probably a teenager.”
“So, come on. I promise it’ll be fun.”
I didn’t doubt that would be the case. I let out a long breath and said, “Okay. I’ll go jump on your trampoline.”
Even though Beau had been happy and smiling all day, it wasn’t until I agreed to go back to his place that his entire expression changed. He lit up from the inside out. It was the happiest I think I’d ever seen him.
Since Beau and I had arrived at the park separately from one another, I followed him back to his place.
