Page 80 of The Sun
“I, uh.” A line sunk between his brows, and he took a long breath like he was still trying to wrap his head around what to say. “I never even kissed Jenny. I just let you think that because I was pissed.”
So we were both guilty of malice. “Even if you had kissed her, I had no right to be mad.”
“Yes, you did.” He kicked at the tall grass. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about you and me, and God, Sunny, there are eight-hundred reasons why I’m not good enough for you. But there’s one really good reason why I am. I’ve spent over half of my life in love with you, and I know without a shadow of doubt, no matter what happens, I’ll spend the rest of it loving you.”
He pulled me up by my waist until I was on my tiptoes and my arms were around his neck. “That’s gotta count for something,” he whispered before his parted lips pressed against mine.
Our mouths moved together soft and perfect, and my entire body felt lighter like it could evaporate into some kind of beautiful mist. A car passed on the highway, it’s horn blaring. Elias spun me around and pressed me against the cool paint of his truck, our mouths reconnected harder and deeper, unapologetically.
I was certain for a few minutes that the gravity of that kiss caused the small, miniscule part of the world surrounding us to still while the rest of the universe continued to spin. It made me dizzy and all too aware that the pain and heartache and boring days that tended to fade in and out of oblivion had been necessary just for me to finally understand what it meant to live for another person.
When Elias finally broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you, Sunny Ray.”
“And I love you.”
The next morning,I pulled into my parking spot under the molting oak tree. Daisy was leaned against her car, waiting. The moment I cut the engine, she yanked opened my car door.
“Why didn’t you tell me you and Brandon broke up?” She threw her arms around my neck, and I went rigid.
The group of girls gliding past threw passing glances in our direction, already cupping their hands around their mouths and whispering. And there goes the gossip train. . .
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine.”
I managed to slip out of her hold, and I reached into the back seat to grab my backpack. “We just both decided we’re better as friends.”
“Seriously, Sunny.” Daisy’s face screwed up. “Who does that?”
“It’s not a big deal.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder on my way across the parking lot.
I was maybe a foot away from the double door entrance of the school, right in the middle of the mass of sleepy-eyed students, stumbling like zombies into the building when Daisy grabbed the strap to my backpack. “Hold up!” She jerked me back a few steps. “You don’t think there’s another girl, do you?”
“Um. No.”
“There better not be!” Daisy gave a warning glare before maneuvering past the cheerleaders attempting to tack a spirit banner over one of the doorways.
On our way through the congested corridor, she babbled about how she and Ben had thought Brandon and I were good together, how maybe I should give it time and see if I felt differently. She told me how she had imagined he and I getting married and having babies while I shoved my backpack in my locker.
I never responded with anything but a few head shakes and nods, a shrug here and there, but that was the beauty of Daisy Fulmer’s tirades—you never had to say a word.
Elias was already slouched down in his chair when we got to Miss Weaver’s class.
Daisy was still talking when she took her seat.
I dropped my books on my desk and fished out the necklace from my pocket on my way to Elias, and then I placed it on top of the ripped cover of his language book. “Think you misplaced this,” I said.
Smiling, he picked it up and looped it around his neck, fastening the clasp. I wanted to kiss him or tell him I loved him before I went back to my desk, but I couldn’t. Because no one could know.
When I dropped into my chair, Daisy’s mouth was open. A confused-shocked-maybe slightly-appalled expression wrinkled her forehead. “What.” She thumbed toward the back of the room. “Was that?”
Ignoring her, I opened my notebook and scribbled the date.
Daisy swatted at my arm. “Psst. Hello? What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to take notes.”
She rolled her eyes along with her neck. “Seriously? I can’t believe you.” She leaned farther across the aisle. “Are you seeing him?” she whisper-hissed.
