Her shoulders sag a little, but she clears her throat. “Your family is really sweet. It’s so weird being here, though. I just keep remembering what you looked like the last time I came over. You were a lot skinnier and wore glasses.”
“Ah, yeah, the famous glasses.”
She laughs. “Yep. I still remember how weird it was seeing you without them for the first time. I couldn’t stop staring at your face.”
Oh, I remember, too.But I don’t tell her that. Instead, I say, "That's so typical and cliché. Take off the glasses, and suddenly everyone sees you for the first time."
Rue’s gaze meets mine. We stare at each other for a long beat. And then she finally says, “I saw you way before that, Ezra. I liked what I saw, too.”
My heart thunders in my ears. Her words and the way she’s looking straight at me make me feel lightheaded. I know it’s true that Rue saw the real me before I transformed into a shallow shell of myself. One who cared more about popularity and proving himself than his true friends. That’s why losing her hurt so bad.
I lean in closer to her face. "I have something to tell you, too."
“Hm?”
“I’vealwaysseen you. Your new friends never have, but I do.”
“You’re wrong. I know what my friends think of me. I’m a lot more observant than you think.” She crosses her arms. “I pretty much know what impression I make on everyone I meet within seconds of interacting.”
“Oh, really? How?”
“That's the thing about being a wallflower. It has perks.” Playfully, she reaches over and taps my nose.
The casual gesture makes my stomach tighten with longing. It feels like the kind of thing she would do to me if we were friends for real. And now, that’s not all I want from her. I want to be her friend again, yes, but I also want so much more than that. I want to be the person she comes to, whether she’s stressed, happy, or sad. I want to be the person she texts all day long when we’re not together, and I want to be the person who makes her smile the biggest.
I want to know what it’s like to kiss her for real, not to prove something to her lame friends. To inhale the scent of her hair while her eyes are closed and our breaths are mingling together.
I want the magic of being around Rue Sullivan, not just the fantasy.
I wanther.
As she stares at me, I wonder if she can read my mind or feel the intensity washing off me. I just stare right back because I don’t know what to say. My throat burns with hope.
“Rue,” I whisper. My thoughts and emotions are in a dangerous swirl, with questions like,Can you feel the same thing I’m feeling?practically on my lips.
But before I can voice anything, Olivia bursts into the room holding two bowls of popcorn. “You guys coming? We’re starting a movie.”
Rue clears her throat. “Yeah.”
Breaking away from her feels like a band-aid being ripped off my arm as we follow Olivia out of the kitchen and settle into the living room with popcorn and blankets.
When the film starts, I hold up my hands. “Whatisthis?”
Corinne sighs. “A movie none of us actually voted on. Olivia picked it.”
I groan when I see the nostalgic, animated classic. The worst part is that no one else protests. Rue takes the spot next to me without hesitation, curling her legs beneath her on the couch like she might actually be comfortable.
Here. With me.
I swallow hard.
Corinne sits on the floor with Olivia, and my parents have claimed the recliners. Once the lights are dimmed, the screen glows soft blue. It feels safe enough and dark enough to let my gaze travel to Rue. Her pretty face is lit up by the flicker of the opening credits, and she has one hand buried in the popcorn bowl between us. A few times, she checks her phone with her brows drawn downward.
The movie is blaring so loud, I have to lean in and whisper right in Rue’s ear. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. My mom is just checking on me. She, uh, had a lot to say about this.”
It takes me a minute to catch up with her words because I’m still caught in the sensation of her voice in my ear. “About what?”
