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Danielle
“You are never going to believe who just showed up.” Excitement threads its way through Lizzie’s voice.
As I swing around, her fingers bite into my shoulders to keep me in place before she hisses, “I didn’t mean you should actually turn and look! He’ll see you!”
A grin simmers around the corners of my lips as I roll my eyes. “If I can’t look, then tell me who has decided to grace my graduation party with their esteemed presence.”
Her attention stays pinned to someone over my shoulder. “Damn, but he’s such a stud.”
“Come on, you’re killing me.” When she fails to respond, I grow impatient. “Who are you talking about?”
“Hmm?” She straightens, her bottle green-colored eyes snapping to mine. “Oh, umm...you didn’t tell me Ty Nelson was in town for the summer.”
Air gets wedged at the back of my throat, making it impossible to breathe.
Ty is three years older than me and just finished his junior year in college. I haven’t seen him since Christmas break when he stopped over to see my older brother, Brett. They’ve been best buds since elementary school and played football together. He’s a talented quarterback who broke all kinds of records at Pine Grove High School and received a full athletic scholarship to State.
I’ll be headed there in the fall. They have an amazing dance program. And no, my decision to attend the prestigious university has nothing to do with the hunky football player I’ve been crushing on for years.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“All right, you can turn and look,” she murmurs. “He’s talking to your brother.”
In an attempt to calm all of the nervous energy rampaging through me, I suck in a steady breath before releasing it into the atmosphere. Then, ever-so-casually, I turn and search the backyard for one face in particular. There must be about sixty people in attendance—f riends of my parents, family from out of town, and kids from school.
It doesn’t take long to find him lounging on the other side of the pool. No matter how large the gathering, Ty sticks out. He’s a little taller than everyone around him, including my brother, who tops out at six-foot. His hair is dark, almost charcoal in hue, and his eyes are a bright, ocean-like cerulean color. The combination is totally dreamy. Kind of like Rob Lowe.
It takes all of my willpower to bite back the lovesick sigh attempting to break free as I catalogue all the little changes half a year has wrought. His hair is a little longer now, brushing against the collar of his shirt. His chest is wider, shoulders broader, and biceps more pronounced, as if he spent the last six months pumping iron. The navy-colored T-shirt he’s wearing molds to his arms like a second skin.
Ty Nelson might have left Pine Grove as a boy, but he’s come back all man.
“When did he turn into such a hottie?” my bestie whispers.
“He’s always been hot.” As soon as the comment escapes from my lips, I wince. I’ve always tried to keep this silly crush to myself. After all, Ty is my brother’s best friend. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he will ever see me as anything more than Brett’s little sister. Over the years, I’ve come to terms with it.
Sort of.
It's as frustrating as it is depressing. The one guy I’ve always been crazy about barely knows I exist.
Lizzie nudges my shoulder with her own before snickering, “You’ve got it bad.”
Yeah...that’s the hard part about crushes. They don’t disappear simply because you realize how lame they are and want to move on. I’ve been in love with the guy since I was fourteen years old. He was my first kiss freshman year in high school. It might have been nothing more than a fleeting caress, but it was the best four seconds of my life.
It had happened at a school dance. The boy who had asked me to winter formal had decided he liked one of my friends more. I found this out when he asked her to dance instead of me. Not wanting to cry in front of everyone, I’d held my head up high and escaped from the gym to one of the nearby bathrooms. It had taken a couple of minutes to blink away the tears and pull myself together again.
When I’d pushed out of the restroom, Ty had been waiting for me in the darkened corridor. The moment our gazes collided, he pushed away from the lockers and closed the distance between us. He’d cupped my cheeks in the palms of his hands before searching my eyes and asking if I was all right. That’s all it took for the emotional dam to break. Thunderclouds had gathered in his eyes as he told me that Billy Wilders was a stupid piece of shit, and I could do better. Deep down, I knew Ty was right. I was more hurt that Billy had embarrassed me in front of my friends than anything else. Just when I’d expected him to pull away, he’d pressed his lips against mine.
