“You’re turning into a sap, you know that?”
“Nah, I’ve always been a sap. I’m just really good at hiding it from you, Mel.”
Mellie’s gaze bores into mine. “You’re the only person who ever calls me that.Mel.”
“Am I? I didn’t know that.” Idefinitelyknew that. Something in me liked having ownership over that nickname.
“Yeah. I like it.” Mellie’s voice softens. “Something that’s like, just yours. You know?”
Oh, I know.
“Well then in that case, we need something that’s just yours. Only fair, right?” I let a playful smirk cross my lips and Mellie’s face flushes once again.
“Hmm. Everyone already calls you Ro, so I guess not that.”She lays flat on her back and I mimic her, both of us staring up into the sky dotted with white, fluffy clouds.
“It doesn’t have to be a nickname. It can be anything, really. As long as it’s something that you only share with me, and I only share with you.”
“That’s basically everything,” Mellie laughs. “How am I supposed to narrow that down?”
“Well, I guess you don’t have to decide right now,” I concede. We lay next to each other in silence for a few more quiet moments, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
“What do you think you’d be doing right now if you never came to Blue Fields?” I finally ask.
“Probably a lot of the same stuff, like reading and gaming. Just with more people, I guess,” Mel replies with a bitter laugh. “City life’s a lot busier than Blue Fields life. It was always noisy, and you’re never truly alone. I still miss it all the time.” She closes her eyes, her arms laying straight at her sides. “That was one of the weirdest parts about moving here. It was so quiet. I had trouble sleeping for months.”
“I bet.” I turn my head to watch her as she lays in the fading sun, drinking in the day’s last warm rays. Our arms are touching, her hands just inches away from mine. My fingers twitch as I restrain myself from reaching for her. She’s so fucking beautiful in this moment that I find it hard to breathe.
“I probably wouldn’t be getting my driver’s license this year, either. You can grab a cab anywhere, so no need to throw a bunch of sixteen year-olds behind the wheel for no reason.” Mellie groans. “I’m dreading taking my driver’s test this summer. Up until a few years ago, I didn’t think I’d need one for a long time.”
“Really? I can’t wait. Not like we need to drive to a lot of places here, but still. It’ll be nice to have the option, I think.” I’m still gazing at her, watching as the flaxen light turns her pale skin a rosy gold. “I can take you anywhere once I have mine. We could go to Callahan for dinner, or the movies,or something.”
Mellie’s lips curve up into a smile. “You asking me out on a date, Ronin Kane?”
My heart drops down through my chest. “What?” I sputter, thrown off by her casual question. “Of course not. Don’t be weird.”
Why am I saying that? That’s exactly what I meant.
“I mean. I don’t know. Would that be weird?” My pulse thunders in my veins.
What am I doing?
Mellie cracks open an eye and peeks at me, catching me staring at her. “Um.” She pauses. “Yeah, that would be weird, right?”
“Totally. Super weird. I don’t know why you even said that.” I try to force out a laugh, but it comes out sounding choked. “Pshh. You and me, on a date.Weeeeird.”I drag out the last word and immediately regret it. I sound like a fucking idiot. I wish I could suck the words back into my mouth, but they hang in the awkward silence settling between us.
“Yeah, super weird,” Mellie replies quietly. She resumes her position with her eyes closed, but she pulls her arms up, her hands resting on her stomach. I look away, but not before I see her reach up and remove the flower from her hair, dropping it on the grass at her side.
The gesture reverberates through me and I know that the moment has passed, and along with it, the first chance I’ve ever had to tell Mellie that I’ve gone and caught feelings for my closest friend.
Chapter Twenty-Five
MELLIE
PRESENT DAY
“Ididn’t realize it until just this moment, but wow, burnt orange is really not my color.”
I scrutinize my reflection in the mirrored wall at the rear of the dress shop. The orange shade I have on clashes with my strawberry-blonde hair and the result is…not good. My skin looks pasty and washed out.
