Page 42 of Riding the Curve

A sharp pain radiated through my heart as my thumbs rubbed gently over her cheeks. “Hi, Hen.”

She leapt off the swing, straight into my arms. The hem of her short sage dress fluttered up as my arm wrapped around the bare skin of her thighs. God, she feels amazing in my arms.

Forcing down the desire that stirred within me, I carried her toward the lush meadow behind us. With each step, her head buried further into the crook of my neck. Waves of tremors flew through her as she cried.

Finding a spot that looked comfortable, I sat her down carefully. The heels of her palms rubbed against her eyes, the mascara she’d worn today almost completely vanished, melted away by her tears. Reaching in my back pocket, I pulled out my phone and scrolled until I found the right one. “Chasing Cars” filled the silence around us and her hands slid down from her face.

“Lay down with me, tell me what happened.” I patted the grass beside me, hoping she would.

Henley’s lips pressed together, her eyes bouncing between me and the grass, until she finally decided to lie down. Before her head could hit the ground, I extended my arm out as a pillow. Her head hovered for a moment, brow raised in curiosity before she allowed herself to rest against it.

Once she’d settled, I rolled on my side, leaning my body a little closer into hers. When I placed my hand on her bare shoulder, she flinched, eyes wide with curiosity. I smiled down at her, and after a moment her body relaxed into mine. “Go ahead, Hen.”

Eyelids crinkled shut, her head gently twisting side to side.

“It’s just me. Tell me, then I can help you move past it. That little shit doesn’t deserve your tears.” Unconsciously, I growled at the end. But I noticed her eyes flickered open because of it.

“I’m e-embarrassed.” Her voice shook.

“You know you can tell me anything.”

She sighed deeply, wetting her lips before she spoke. My gaze dipped to her bottom lip, andI let it linger a little longer than it should have.

“We had made a promise,” she whispered.

My stomach churned. Fuck. I knew where this was going to go.

“He had suggested . . . Well, we had talked about graduation night being⁠—”

“I think I get where you’re going.” I snarled through clenched teeth, making my response clipped.

She winced, hurt flickering through her eyes. Immediately, I felt like a dick.

I rubbed my palm up and down her arms reassuringly. “Sorry, keep going. What happened after?”

Realization washed over her features, and her eyes went wide.

“We d-didn’t . . . I couldn’t, that’s why h-he⁠—”

I couldn’t help the stupid relieved grin that bloomed on my lips. “That’s why he stormed out of here?”

She nodded quickly. Dropping my head between us, I tried to contain the laughter quelling at the surface. “How did his lip get bloody? And what happened to his eye?”

“Umm . . .” Henley’s cheeks reddened, and I could see her hands playing with the seam of her dress. That’s when I noticed her red knuckles that were beginning to take on a purplish hue.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Her meek smile sent a strange surge of pride through me. That’s my girl.

Clearing my throat, I wiped away the tears that had collected on her cheeks. Hazel eyes locked with mine, and I could feel my body falling into her gravity. Threading my fingers through her hair, I steadied myself over her. “Proud of you.”

Her lips quirk up, and I didn’t stop myself from falling deeper into her. My bottom lip brushed against the shell of her ear as I whispered against it. “You deserve someone who will take care of you, support you, uplift your dreams.”

Leaning back, I let my fingers trail along the slope of her neck and lightly caress the bare skin over her heart. “You deserve someone who is worthy of this tender heart of yours.”

The audible hitch in her breath had me clawing at my restraint.

Ever since I saw her walk across that stage tonight, I knew. There had always been something about this girl that had felt magnetic to me. I’d always been enraptured by the way she cared so much for the people around her. Henley could make someone’s day brighter just by her smile or from the warmth of her laugh.