Page 63 of Unloved

There’s a hitch in his breath, and if I didn’t know him better—the fact that I’m sure everyone has complimented him enough to last a lifetime—I’d say he’s yearning to hear the words.

They wash over him like water on a sunflower.

He reaches for my backpack to sling over his other shoulder. It makes my entire body feel warm—not because the action is inherently romantic, but because it is gentle and kind. Something I want, desperately.

We head out of the library and toward the small covered parking lot. Freddy smiles brightly as several people stop to greet him. I try to stay back a step to give him some space, but every time I falter, he turns back to wait for me.

Almost worriedly. Like I’m going to disappear.

Eventually, we make it to his car, where he tucks me into the worn leather passenger seat, shutting the door before jogging to his side.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask. My knees bob up and down, brain swimmy from the adrenaline coursing through me. I feel almost giddy.

And sure, maybe it’s the relief of not having to see Tyler today. But I think it’s more the Matt Fredderic Effect.

He makes everything ten times better. I’ve always known he was intoxicating to be around—since the first time I met him I’ve been entranced—and it has nothing to do with his beauty.

I look over at him, see his bright green eyes crinkling with a grin. Plush, too-pink lips and smile lines carved into his cheeks.

No. It’s not about what he looks like at all. It’shim, just as he is, like a magnet pulling forever at my focus until all I can see is him.

Tyler makes me feel small and naive, silly.

Sadie makes me happy, but with her there is always the weight of responsibility. The need to care for her is ingrained in our friendship.

But Matt is different.

His presence feels warm and vibrant. Being around him is like the climb before the drop of a roller coaster—bright anticipation filled with the safety to free-fall without getting hurt.

Around him,Iam the fun, exciting one. Not the tagalong or the audience to him.

“What’s something you’ve never done but always wanted to do?”

My mind fills with images, all inspired by my dusty Sexy College Bucket List somewhere on my desk, under a pile of printed articles on creativity and its effect on the brain.

Freddy holding up a funnel for me, or showing me how to shotgun a beer. Freddy with his hands in my hair, letting me try everything with him…

Freddy skinny-dipping with me, bodies wet, water making his golden hair dark against his skin—easy to see with my curls all piled high, tied up off my neck with a… with a shoelace?

Why does that feel so familiar?

Shaking my head, I settle for a safe, “I’ve never been ice skating, actually.”

He freezes, mouth opening and closing before a mischievous glint appears in his eyes and he’s starting the car.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To the arena.”

“Are we allowed in there?”

He shrugs. “We’re already skipping class, princess. What’s another rule broken?”

CHAPTER 24Freddy

The arena is locked, which only means I get a nice twenty-minute drive with Ro quietly humming to the radio as I take us through historic downtown Waterfell and toward the community rink.

It’s moderately warm for an early October day, so I have to dive into the rumpled clean clothes pile in the back of my car for a jacket—smelling each before I find the cleanest one, a Waterfell University Sports half zip with my number on the sleeve and my last name emblazoned on the left pocket.

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