Page 70 of Trustfall

“What else?” I ask, curious as to what influence I could possibly have on this man.

“I readTwilight.”

“What?” I pull away a little and look up at him.

“The whole series,” he says, moving his mouth away from my head so he can speak more clearly. “I traveled a lot that first year after I left. Mostly around the country. I couldn’t afford flights, so I took a lot of trains and buses. The long rides got boring after a while, so I started to read. Usually books I got from those lending libraries. You know, the ones that look like little houses. And then one day, I was in Bend, Oregon of all places, and there they were. In a little library shaped like a fucking acorn. Every single book in the series. I took them all, and yeah, I got some crazy looks. I was a grown-ass man reading about a teenage girl falling in love with a vampire. But I didn’t care. It made me feel…I don’t know…like you were there with me. On those buses and trains.”

Tears stream down my face, and I suddenly remember that we’re still standing in the middle of a parking lot when the door to the bar opens, and a group of people stumbles out. They’re yelling and laughing, without a care in the world. I wish it were that simple. Going out. Having fun. Laughing. I think back to when things were simpler. When I was still whole.That night. The only night he ever paid attention to me before now.

I sip the strawberry shake Nate got for me from the diner and flip the page of my book. Nate and his friends have been out celebrating their first official night as adults, having graduated earlier today. Nate got home a few minutes ago. I, on the other hand, have been sitting on the windowsill in the library since dinner. This is my favorite room in the house. There are wall-to-wall books with cozy little nooks and corners to sit in and get lost in imaginary worlds. I have no idea why my dad even has it. I have never once seen him in here. It doesn’t matter, though. It’s become my sanctuary.

I know I should be going out and having fun and flirting with boys. But instead, I’m here, re-reading the same book for the third time, drinking a half-melted milkshake. Dad wouldn’t care if I went out. Hell, I doubt he would even notice. But stupid Nate is everywhere, and he worries about me. I understand why. It’s just us now. Mom is gone. Opa is gone. Gram is…well, she’s still here, but she’s different. And she doesn’t live with us anymore. Dad is always working. So, it’s me and Nate. And my dad’s staff, of course.

Living with Gram and Opa, I didn’t grow up rich. Not poor either. We had everything we needed. But now that we live with Dad again, there’s a cook, a maid, and a groundskeeper. It took some getting used to. Nate rebelled against the whole thing at first. He still insists on making our lunches for school because he’s been doing it since he was eight. It was one of his “family fun tasks,” as Gram referred to them. She never called them chores, so they never felt like chores.

I get why Nate is so protective. He doesn’t want anything bad happening to me, but I’m sixteen and I’ve never kissed anyone for God’s sake. I turn back to my book.Bella is certainly getting some. Maybe I just need a sparkly vampire to whisk me away. I smirk to myself at the thought.

“Who’s got you smilin’ like that?”

I jump at the masculine voice above me, nearly spilling my milkshake, only to see Luke Collins, one of my brother’s friends—his best friend, actually—hovering over me. He’s smiling—the kind of smile that makes you forget how to breathe. His bright blue eyes are shining with amusement and a little bit of mischief. His dark brown, slightly wavy hair is long enough that it falls in his face as he leans down, and he shakes his head to put it back in place. Luke is the most beautiful boy I have ever laid eyes on. Forget sparkly vampires; he’s the stuff of fairytales. Just one look at him makes my stomach flip like it’s vying for gold in the Olympics.

“W-what?”

“You look like the cat that ate the canary.”

“Huh?” In addition to forgetting how to breathe, he apparently also makes me forget how to rub two neurons together.

He chuckles. “Never mind. What are you reading?” His voice is smooth like honey, and he has the slightest hint of a Southern drawl, having moved here from North Carolina a couple of years ago.

“The thirdTwilightbook,” I reply, keeping the book open to the page I was on as I set it down next to me.

“Hmm, never heard of it. Is it good?”

I bark out a laugh, but his face is completely serious.

“What’s so funny?”

“You—you’re serious? You’ve never heard ofTwilight?”

His expression doesn’t change, but his eyes ping back and forth at mine, like they’re searching for something.

“Do you live under a rock?” I continue, still completely dumbfounded that he has never heard of this book.

But he just shrugs, gliding his finger along the books on one of the shelves. “I don’t read much. Unless I have to.”

He picks up a book from one of the bottom shelves and starts flipping through the pages. I laugh nervously, looking up only to notice that he’s so close, I can see every single detail of his eyes. They’re cornflower blue, but there are these super thin navy rings around the edges, and there’s a tiny brownish fleck in one of them. It’s subtle. You would never notice it from far away, but up close…and his lips. There’s a slight indent in the middle of the bottom one, and I wonder what it would feel like if I…

“What is it about?” Luke interrupts my thoughts.

“Huh?” I breathe out.

“Twilight. What is it about?”

“Oh um…well…you should just read it. Or not. Maybe guys don’t like it. I’m not sure. I don’t have many guy friends.”

Jesus, Emory. Stop talking.

Luke chuckles again.God, I love that sound.

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