Page 2 of Give In To Love
I woke with a start,momentarily confused by my surroundings.
“Feel better?” a voice asked beside me.
I turned my head toward the sound, surprised I’d fallen asleep.
“What time is it? How long was I out?”
“Not long. Maybe thirty minutes.”
I blinked at him and then once more, both of us still lying on our backs, heads turned toward each other. His eyes were blue, I noticed, almost amethyst. I didn’t think I’d ever seen an eye color quite like it, though I didn’t think I’d ever studied someone’s eyes so closely either. Mine were a boring brown, but his reminded me of the orchids I’d seen once on a class trip to Lauritzen Gardens. The petals had been dark on the outside, getting gradually lighter toward the center. His eyes were like that, only in reverse, with the darker blue in the center, fading lighter toward the outer edge.
“What do you see?”
I blinked, my cheeks heating because I’d been caught staring again.
“Nothing.”
“You were staring awfully hard for it to be nothing.”
I pulled my gaze away, turning my head to look up toward the sky. I felt him shift, and then a shadow fell over me, and unable to help myself, I turned toward him once more. He’d stood and had a hand reached out toward me. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
He shrugged. “I dunno. Wherever the wind takes us.”
I hesitated but then placed my hand in his, and he pulled me up so we were standing face-to-face. I was small for my age, so it was no surprise that he was taller, though he didn’t tower over me. Still, I had to tilt my head slightly to look up at him.
He smiled, the corners of his mouth drawing up like the sunrise while a smattering of freckles danced across his sun-kissed cheeks. His eyes darted up, his fingertips following his gaze to thread themselves through my riot of blond curls. I’d always hated them, hated how my hair drew attention to my otherwise plain features when all I’d ever wanted was to simply fade into the background.
“I’ve never seen hair quite like yours.”
I jerked back, pulling away from his touch and turning to locate my shoes and socks. I wasn’t sure what he’d meant by his comment, but I was unnerved. I’d spent the whole of my life trying my best not to be noticed. Not to be a burden. Not to stand out. I was uncomfortable with attention at the best of times, and this, the day after my mom left us, was most definitelynotthe best of times.
I wanted to go home, fling myself onto my bed, and get lost in one of my books. I wanted to be far away from here, from reality, from this guy whose scrutiny made me want to squirm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He stepped in front of me, holding out one of my socks. I snatched it from his hand, continuing to look for its mate. “I like your hair,” he continued. “It reminds me of the sun.”
I paused long enough to turn toward him and roll my eyes before grabbing my shoes from the edge of the creek. They’d once been black but were now a brownish color because the dye had leeched out over time. The left shoe had a hole in the toe, while the other had a cracked sole. They were a half-size too small, but they were all I had.
I sat back down, hastily pulling on my socks and then my shoes, while this…stranger did the same. I mulled over what to say, finally settling on nothing at all before turning down the path that would lead me back toward the road.
“Hey, man. Wait up.”
I kept walking. I didn’t owe this guy anything. I just wanted to go home.
He reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“What?” I shouted, my voice disrupting the cheerful chirp of the birds in the trees. “What is it you want from me?” I wasn’t prone to outbursts, but my life had imploded quite spectacularly, and I figured I was allowed to lose my shit under the circumstances.
“Just…give me an hour. Get lost in the woods with me. Go on an adventure.”
“Why?”
“Because you look like you need to get lost for a little while.”
* * *
We moved deeperinto the forest, sweat trickling down my back as the sultry summer air pressed its heavy weight upon us. He’d removed his shirt ten minutes ago, tucking it into the waistband of his shorts, and I found myself admiring the way the muscles of his back rippled with his movement. I longed to take my shirt off like he had, but where his body was sleek and toned like a panther, I was underweight and clumsy. Besides, my pale skin would likely burn in under thirty minutes, unlike his burnished bronze complexion.
