AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How did you know I needed new pencils? I’m almost out of my last set.”
Wesley shrugs. “I had an inkling.”
“Like Raven Simone.”
“Like who?”
I let out a groan, clutching my chest dramatically like I’ve been shot. “Wes, you might be able to recite the political landscape of every country on earth, but you’re still uncultured. ‘Who’s Raven’ he says.”
Three years of friendship with me clearly hasn’t taught him anything. But I can’t stay mad at him. The pencil set is gorgeous. It makes me giddy looking at it. Or maybe that’s because of the fifth coffee I downed earlier.
The pink has deepened to a rose across Wesley’s cheeks. He looks like he’s overheating.
Concern wells in my chest and my hand moves before my brain does. I touch his forehead, feeling his temperature, but he snaps back like he’s been burned so I pull my hand away, fingers tingling.
“Sorry,” I say, not feeling very sorry at all. “You’re blushing hard. You don’t feel sick, do you?”
Wesley stares at me for a moment. I’ve never met anyone with eyes like him; sly and angular, and a shade of blue that reminds me of the ocean. Then he clears his throat.
“I’m fine,” he says. “Come on, we best get going before the sun sets.”
“I like it when you talk like that. All old-fashioned.”
“What can I say? I’m a master of the English language. Try picking up a thesaurus sometime.”
“Hey man, relax,” I say, elbowing his side gently. I’m careful to keep my hands to myself. “I don’t need to know every word in the dictionary when I’ve got you.”
“I have no plans to part from your side, my lord,” he says, bowing slightly like a knight.
My stomach does a little flip and I look away to hide my giant smile. Wesley places the camping supplies on the counter just as the shop clerk returns. He whistles appreciatively at the brand of bear deterrent Wesley picked out.
“You boys looking to reach the peak today?” he asks.
“Hopefully before sunset,” Wesley says. He gestures outside, where snow blankets the ground. “Conditions might slow us down a touch.”
The shop clerk nods sagely and asks if we’d like a bag. Wesley declines, carefully arranging the supplies in his backpack. While he’s distracted, I lean over the counter.
“Did you get it?” I say, keeping my voice low.
A slow, wise smile spreads over the man’s face like butter on toast, and he hands me a keychain with a metal heart attached to it. For you and yours, the heart reads in swirling letters. It’s kind of cute.
“What’s that?” Wesley says, reaching for the key.
Panicking, I shove it into the pocket of my hiking pants. “Nothing! Just the keys to the cabin.”
He runs a hand through his hair, the strands magically falling back into place, and stares at me with a weird expression on his face. I know I’m acting weird, but I can’t help it. Sure, we’ve been friends for three years, and I know I can trust him, but I can’t help but not want to disappoint him. It’s weird, but it’s who I am; I’ve always been a bit ashamed about making mistakes, especially around Wesley.
“Come on, let’s get going,” I say, and without permission my hand tugs on his sleeve.
Thankfully, Wesley follows without any questions. As we exit the store, the clerk calls out to us.
“You boys have fun, you hear? And watch out for that snowstorm.”
Wesley pauses at the door. “The news didn’t mention anything about a storm.”
“Them and their fancy weather machines.” The clerk chuckles. “I’ve lived up here twenty-three years and I know how to read the sky. Stay safe out there, now.”
Wesley thanks him, though he looks about as confused as I feel. Chimes tinkle above the door as it swings closed.
