Page 91 of Starstruck

Wonder lit up her eyes as she whispered, “No, I’m going to treasure it, Tristan.”

My heart skipped.

“Figuring you out is one of my favourite things, so when I get a little piece ofyou that just confirms to me that your the guy I know you are, I’m going to treasure it.” I didn’t flinch when I felt her thumb graze mine. “Anything that I can remember about you for when you’re not here anymore, I’ll take.”

My heart didn’t skip then. No, my heart in that moment was like a window,being pelted by stones and rocks and anything else that would ensure it was never, ever fixed.

And I deserved it.

I didn’t break our stare as my mouth pried open, and I confessed, “I know Iwanted to be Peter Pan, but sometimes I feel like I wished for it a bit to hard and became a lost boy.”

She shrugged as the corners of her mouth tugged higher. “Peter was a lost boy,maybe you’re still working your way up.” A laugh slipped out of me, humorless and painful, but before I could do anything else, Goldie stopped grazing and grabbed my hand. “But you’re amazing as you are, Tristan. Don’t think you need to be perfect to get what you’ve always wanted.”

But I’m not perfect for you, and you’re what I want.

Goldie was practically cradled in my arms, the guitar a forgotten thing, leavingus in the perfect position for me to trace every detail of her face—the way I could tell she was doing with me.

As I gazed at her, I saw a raindrop, then another, land on the apple of her cheek,and without a second thought, I glided my thumb over the curve, savoring how warm they were.

I watched my thumb as it wiped the rain away, if only to distract me from howintense her stare was. It was like the trail of a shooting star, lining the edges of my face.

It burned in a way that I’d only ever felt when her attention was on me, andpart of me wondered if this was what addiction really felt like.

I’d never craved other things like I craved her. I found myself itching to becloser to her, to learn more of her, and to have her consume every part of me, even though she was only inches away.

That thought made me realise just how close our faces had become. I saw themoment Goldie realised, too, but what had my thumb carrying on swiping at her cheeks and edging closer, was the fact that she didn’t stop either.

The pieces of my heart that were still intact were ready to burst free as Iwatched us get closer. Our noses barely brushed, and our mouths a breath away from falling into oblivion.

“Gold’s—”

“The other night, you said plans change.” Her pulse quickened, asthe bridge of her nose brushed the tip of mine. “What did you mean by that?”

I did the best I could to suck in a breath without closing that gap, my mindrunning wild with the truth that I needed to tell her before our mouths crashed. “I meant that—”

I slowly close my eyes as the vibrations of my phone filter between us, and the tension starts to slip off us like the raindrops from the branches. I pull away as slowly as I can, easing her away from me until my back is flush against the trunk of the tree.

I try not to look at the sadness swimming in her eyes as I pull out my phone,but then I’m thinking of ways to get rid of the confusion in mine when I look at who's calling me.

But she see’s it. “Who is it?”

Worry smothered my words. "Its… it’s Cora.”

Quick as anything, Goldie pulls out her phone from the pocket ofher hoodie, before frantically running a hand through the back of her head. “Oh my God, I’ve got ten missed calls from her; answer it.”

I don’t waste any more time before I swipe at my screen and rest the thing against my ear. “Hey—”

“Tristan? Oh thank god.” The panic in her voice only made my heartrate speed up. “It’s Finn; he had an accident at practice.”

It felt like the ground beneath us had fallen ten feet. “Where is he?” I asked, unwrapping the guitar strap from Gold’s.

“Chelsea Medical Centre, Jess is on his way and I'm nearly there.”

“Okay, we’ll be there soon.”

I switched off my phone and threw it back into my pocket, beforedropping the guitar back into to its case without a care.

Goldie’s hands found my shaky ones, stopping me and forcing myeyes back on her. “Hey, what the matter—”

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