AllFreeNovel
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It’s like they know that she’s a safe place, that she deserves this. That she would never do anything to harm them.
One daring butterfly flutters down, right onto Meredith’s nose. She’s been so still, but a loud laugh bubbles from her throat with the nose-perching insect, and with it every little creature flies upward, before finding solace back in the tree.
And all at once, I have no doubt anymore what inner butterflies are.
There are a million of them exploding inside of my body.
She is glowing and beautiful. She is everything good in this world. And I like her—more than I should, that’s for sure.
Her blue eyes flutter over to me. “Did you see that?” she says, her face aglow.
“I did.” I give her a nod, afraid that if I move, it will be to scoop her up into my arms and teach her every art there is to kissing. She’s been wanting to know—I might as well give her a lesson.
Only, I won’t. Because I really really shouldn’t. Logic and sense know that. Butterflies do not. A million butterflies swim inside my body, and they’ve all gained voices, telling me to throw logic and sense out the window.
She walks back over to me, and when I don’t pick up her hand—returning it to the pocket right inside of mine—right where I like it, she does it for me. Her touch trails from my elbow to my fingertips, slipping her fingers through each of mine.
I should take my hand away. I should draw a clear and precise line in the sand. But I can’t. I’m physically, mentally, and spiritually paralyzed at this moment.
Meredith holds my hand tucked in hers to her stomach and turns to face me, putting a slim gap between our bodies. She beams up at me, sweeping a portion of wavy blonde hair behind one ear. I’m not sure what possesses me, but I lift my hand to the clipped ends of her short, chin-length hair. She cups my cheek, and I am locked up in her gaze.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” she says, her eyes dropping to my mouth.
It would be so easy. So easy.
I mean, I am paralyzed, after all.
She waits.
And I know what she’s waiting for.
But I am a twenty-nine-year-old, grumpy bike salesman. And she’s just started to live.
Summoning the strength of every superhero born, I say, “We should finish our tour.” My voice sounds as if I haven’t spoken in three days, as if kryptonite has weakened me. I am a superhero after all.
She squints, wrinkling her nose, asking me—should we? It’s a fair question. Then her eyes flutter closed and she breathes out, her chest deflating with the action. “All right, then,” she says, turning on her heels.
She doesn’t release my hand, and I don’t make her. My heart thumps loud and rapid in my chest. The butterflies attacking my body feel like they’re being starved. I’m not giving them what they want, and they’re letting me know it.
By the time we finish our tour and reach my truck, I’m exhausted. Resisting Meredith is draining. If she had a license, I’d make her drive us home.
Staying away from her—even somewhat away—is grueling.
I start up the truck and hand her my phone. “Here. You can send yourself the pictures I took.”
“Sure,” she says, seeming tired too. Who knew butterflies could take so much out of you?
She scans through my phone, looking far past the butterflies the whole way home. We don’t say much. Not until Meredith decides to break the silence.
“Why don’t you want to kiss me, Levi?”
“I—” I gulp. “Well—”
“I mean, it seems like you do, but then you don’t.” Leave it to Meredith to say it exactly how it is. Leave nothing unsaid.
“I don’t,” I say, but it comes out more like a question.
She huffs. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. It would be kind of hard not to notice the lack of kissing.”
