AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Okay.
That’s definitely a big reason I like looking at her. She has this whole modern-princess thing going on, constantly wearing different pastels with her skirts and crop tops—and man, do I love seeing her in a crop top. The way it shows off her midriff like the perfect tease. I need to stop thinking about her body because I’d rather not need to adjust the semi I can feel growing in my shorts.
I also love watching her because of how nostalgic I feel when she’s around. Her smile and the way her eyes light up when she’s excited. They just remind me so much of my best friend before he was stolen from me.
I filled up the void with Jaxon and my friends, but there was always a piece missing. It’s weird, though, because that void feels a little smaller each time we hang out.
“I think I want to get off now,” she says, and I stop leading her. With my hands on her waist to steady her, she steps off.
We made it all the way to town. The hustle of Central Garden Market sounds around us.
“How are you liking Alliance?” I ask as we round the corner into the market. “You seem pretty comfortable here.”
“Do I?” her voice trails off lightly, not making eye contact.
This isn’t the first time she has left a question without answering much. She talked more last week, but after that, she started becoming more reserved as the week went on. She brings her finger up to adjust her lace choker.
Every single day, she has a new choker, and every single day, I want to reach out and touch it. The image of hooking my finger through it and pulling her into a kiss fills my mind, and blood starts to rush to two specific places.
She stops walking, looking around for a second before her eyes focus on a little stand selling homemade jewelry. Her eyes gleam at the sight of all the necklaces, rings, and bracelets.
I take her hand in mine, ready to take us over, but her eyes dart to me, wide with surprise. She then looks down at my fingers clasped around hers. She purses her lips, tilting her head to the right. We stand there, unmoving, for a few seconds as she continues to stare like she is piecing together a puzzle made up of our hands. With a soft, half-hearted smile, she pulls away from my grasp and walks to the jewelry stand.
I’d be lying if I said disappointment isn’t bubbling through. She hasn’t held or even attempted to touch me the way she did when she cradled my face. She still smiles and lets me touch her, but only for brief moments. I don’t think she hates it when I’m around, or she wouldn’t be here, but now her walls are up, and she’s cautious.
Her hand reaches out, touching an assortment of bracelets made from string rather than metal.
“My sister doesn’t like to wear a lot of jewelry besides piercings.” Sally grabs a light-purple bracelet, tracing her fingers along the material. “We kind of got into an argument.”
I place my hand gently on her back, and this time, she doesn’t pull away. She just leans slightly, applying pressure into my grasp. She even lets out a relaxed breath, shooting a shiver down my spine and causing the hairs on my neck to spike. My eyes focus on a yellow bracelet just like the one she’s holding, but this one has pink knots in it that look like little flowers.
“We don’t argue that much, but when we do, it can get pretty heated. We’re like peas in a pod, but that also means we’re both stubborn.”
She pulls out a little white-and-gold wallet with Minnie Mouse embroidered in some sort of gold glitter fabric, ready to pay for the bracelet.
I fight the urge to stop her from paying. This is a gift for her sister. It would almost be disrespectful for me to be the one to buy it.
“You guys haven’t talked all week?”
“No, well…not really.”
A flicker of sadness runs across her face as she smiles and gives a thank-you to the vendor, and we are off again, but the emotions from before are still present.
“I don’t know. Every time I work up the courage to actually apologize, something gets in the way. Mimi or Leon are in the room, or Jaxon wants to hang out with her, or you want to hang out.”
Jaxon has been hanging out with Sally’s sister and little brother a lot lately. Almost as much as I’ve been talking to Sally. I can’t remember the last time he gave a girl this much attention. He even took Leon under his wing, saying the dude reminds him of himself when he was younger. I don’t really see it, but I won’t stop him.
There’s also a pang of guilt that seeps through me, thinking about taking her away from Ella and their ability to talk. I just want to talk to Sally all the time. It’s weird since I’ve only known her for a week, but I still don’t get why she feels so familiar. I just know her smile fills a part of my heart. Now, there’s a frown, and I have to fight the sudden protective urge.
“We both suck at saying sorry, so we usually just let the fight die out, which it kind of has, but it is not the same, and I miss talking to her about everything under the sun.”
This is the most she’s talked all week.
I shouldn’t insert myself, but I say, “Maybe you can talk to her before the party tonight. Pregame a little and then talk. Alcohol can loosen your nerves.”
“Oh.” She sounds almost disappointed. That wasn’t the effect I was looking for. “I don’t drink.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make sure no one peer pressures you at the party.”
