Page 26 of Beautiful Scars

"I mean..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "Everyone else's version of normal kind of sucks, right? For us anyway. So maybe we make our own rules. Our own way of doing things."

I think about that. About how nothing in my life has ever fit anyone else's definition of normal. About how hard I've tried to pretend it does.

"Our own normal," I repeat softly.

"Yeah." His voice is gentle but sure. "And it starts with your birthday. No pressure, no expectations. Just... us. Doing things our way."

The way he says 'us' takes away my breath. Like there's never been a time it was any different. Like there was never any question that we'd end up here, together, skipping school on a random Thursday morning.

"You're doing it again," he says.

"What?"

"That thing where you think so hard you forget to breathe." He lifts our joined hands and kisses my knuckles. "Stop worrying about what's supposed to happen or what other people think should happen. Just... be here. With me."

And somehow, when he says it like that, it sounds so simple. So possible.

"I am," I whisper, and I actually mean it.

Chapter Fourteen

Sunny

Myheartsinksintomy stomach as Levi pulls into the massive parking lot of Riverside Mall. The gleaming glass and steel structure towers over us, stretching for what seems like forever in both directions.

"You brought me to a mall?" My voice comes out higher than intended.

"Not just any mall." Levi parks near one of the main entrances, turning to face me with that grin that usually makes my knees weak. Right now, it's not helping the anxiety bubbling in my chest. "This place has everything."

I press back against the seat, memories of my last visit flooding back. Dad had brought me for my thirteenth birthday. We'd spent hours exploring every store, sharing a giant pretzel. It was the last birthday we spent together.

"I haven't been here since—" The words stick in my throat.

"Hey." Levi's hand finds mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "We can go somewhere else. Just say the word."

I stare at the entrance, watching people stream in and out. The sheer number of people makes my teeth itch. In Easton Creek, I know who to avoid, where the safe spaces are. Here, every face is a stranger.

"There's just so many people," I say under my breath.

"And not one of them knows us." Levi shifts closer, his voice low and steady. "We're just two normal teenagers at the mall."

The thought hits differently than I expected. He's right—no one here knows about Garrett, or my mom, or any of the rumors that follow me through the halls at school.

"Twonormalteenagers?" I ask, hating how small my voice sounds.

"Remember what we said about making our own normal?" His fingers thread through mine. "This can be part of that. If you want."

I look down at our joined hands, then back at the mall. A group of girls about our age walks past, arms linked, giggling about something on one of their phones. They don't even glance our way.

"I haven't been shopping in forever," I admit. "I usually just order basics online when I absolutely need something."

"Well then, we definitely need to fix that." Levi's enthusiasm is infectious, but anxiety is still gnawing at my stomach.

"I don't have any money," I start, but he cuts me off.

"This is part of your birthday. Like the phone. My treat."

"Levi, no—"

---