Page 85 of Head Under Water

My words come faster now, demanding. The memories flash in my mind like lightning in a thunderstorm. “You campaigned against me for prom queen. You told everyone to vote for Jenny instead.”

“Because the football team had set up a prank. Don’t you remember the video that played when Jenny was crowned? All those embarrassing photos. The drunk clip of her at that party.”

I swallow. I do remember. The teachers shut it down, but not before Jenny ran off the stage crying. She didn’t deserve that. No one did.

“Whichever of you won, they had a video planned. I couldn’t let you get embarrassed. I tried to warn you.”

He did. And now, every protective instinct he’s ever had seems to thrum under his skin, magnetized.

That memory throbs in my temples.

I didn’t believe him. I wouldn’t listen.

I was too angry. Too blind.

He takes another step toward me. I don’t step back. Not yet. There’s another step. We’re inches apart, our bodies aligned, drawn toward each other like we can’t help ourselves. I’m not sure we can. “You punched Banks.”

He clamps his mouth closed, jaw tight, focus drifting, though only briefly. This one seems to bother him the most. I brace myself. “I told him about the anniversary of your dad’s death. I told him it was a hard day and that it would be your first one away from home, so he should try to make it special. He told me…” Will pauses, flicking his gaze away again. When he catches my eyes this time, there’s a tenderness there I wasn’t expecting. “That it wasn’t really his problem.”

The cold truth of his words stings like ice melting down my spine. I’m still not sure it merits a punch, but… “You were always trying to protect me?”

“In my own fucked-up way, yeah. I’m sure there were a million better solutions if I’d stopped to think it through, but I couldn’t. I just acted. And then it became a pattern. I never wanted to see you hurt or embarrassed. I couldn’t stand it.”

“Unless it was by you.”

“I knew my intentions,” he says softly. “Even if they all came out wrong.”

I suck in a shaky breath. “You could be lying about all of this.”

“I could be.” He takes another step, narrowing the distance until he’s so close I can smell the stormy scent of his cologne. My pulse ratchets up. “But I think you know I’m not.”

It’s hard to imagine a world where he’s not. Where everything I thought I knew is wrong. My voice is barely a whisper. “Why?”

With another step, his hand brushes along my arm, light but deliberate. He blinks. His eyes flash to my lips and back, a heat simmering behind them. “You know why.”

“I need you to spell it out for me.”

His shoulders straighten. With a deep inhale, his chest nearly touches mine, his voice low and heavy. “Because I… Opal…”

I wait, breathing in sync with him. His movements are cautious, but there’s a charge in the air. He looks like he’s approaching the edge of a cliff, like we both might jump. His gaze dances between my eyes, and I feel the weight of both his hands against my waist.

“You drive me insane most days.” He runs his teeth along his bottom lip. “You make me so mad I could scream. I’ve never met anyone more infuriating than you.”

“So, naturally, you wanted to help me.”

He slides his hands to my hips, jerking me forward until our bodies collide. Our hearts hammer in sync, leaving no space to misunderstand what this is. What it could be.

Lightning sparks in the air, in his eyes, in my veins.

“I have spent my life hating how much I care about you. Hating that it was you. That it was always you. That I…” He can’t say it yet, and maybe, for now, I’m grateful for it. “I can’t stand you, and yet I would kill someone for hurting you.”

Something dark and hot pools in my belly, like blood. Desire. Want. Need.

“I can’t stand you,” he repeats, his voice dropping lower and fracturing, “and yet…I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop wanting you. I can’t escape you.” His hand lifts to my cheek, brushing a stray piece of hair back. His fingers go still, lingering near my jaw. “I never could. That’s why I pulled away back then.”

I swallow. “The bonfire.” The words come out on a breath.

His gaze darkens, eyes dragging down my neck. Across my chest. “I should’ve just come over there and thrown you over my shoulder and carried you home with me.”