Page 19 of Running Winter

But to show it to someone who knew what was good and what wasn’t—that was nerve-wracking.

Rayna sat perched on my bed, her hands clasped together as she eyed the folder with interest.

“Can I see it then?”

I hesitated, before shrugging, handing her the folder.

Rayna popped it open, and I took the opportunity to gaze at her. I couldn’t believe how attractive she was when she stepped out of her baggy clothes, and I swear I’d never seen her smile until tonight. Maybe that was why Chase loved spending time with her—maybe they were secret fuck buddies or something.

“You drew these?” Rayna checked, lifting her grey eyes to mine.

I tried not to be too offended by the surprise in her tone. “Yeah.”

“From memory, a photo online, or—”

“From my mind. Sometimes I see an image, and I think it needs tweaking. Something needs changing, you know? So I draw it or design it. Sometimes, like the girl with the burned face,” I explained, taking the paper from her hands and shuffling through to find the right design. “That was a combination of a design I’d seen where the girl was wearing a mask. It got me thinking—why would she be wearing half a mask, you know? So I drew that.”

Rayna stared at me before looking back down at the pages in her hands.

“These are so good, Rafe.”

A burst of warm pride spread in my stomach, my lips pulling into a genuine smile that I couldn’t control.

“You think?”

“I know.” Rayna laughed, shaking her head. “If you were to practice your shading a little around the edges, these would look almost 3D. Here, let me show you.”

Rayna leaned over me, plucking a pencil from my pencil holder, swiftly shading an area of the page.

I watched her slender fingers gripping the pencil with ease and precision before she smudged it slightly with her finger. Finally, she turned the image around to me, and I was stunned that something so small could’ve made such a difference.

“Holy shit, you’re good.” I whistled with approval as she grinned.

“I spend my summers in art school. I’m painting, drawing, or photographing every spare moment I get when I’m in the zone. Ask Chase,” she waved her hand in the air. “I’m an art nerd.”

“Yeah, but it’s not a bad thing,” I smirked, leaning forward to gaze at her. “Can I ask you something, though?”

Rayna seemed uncomfortable, and I sat up, not wanting to make her feel odd while sitting in my bedroom.

You hear all sorts of shit about girls saying things happened with guys who got the wrong idea—that was not going to be me.

So I made sure there was plenty of distance between us, then I continued.

“You and Chase, uh, is there anything going on there?”

Rayna relaxed before laughing.

Fuck me; she is beautiful.

How had I missed her?

“It’s so hard for you to believe, isn’t it, Rafe? That a guy and a girl can simply be friends.”

“No, I just don’t have any of my own.” I shrugged, watching as she gathered all of her hair to one side, allowing it to drop over her shoulder.

Doing this exposed her neck; I wanted to push her down on my bed and devour her.

Jeez, what is wrong with me?!

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