Page 115 of Built to Fall
“Yeah,” I say. “It is.”
She glances at me then, and for a second it feels like the whole world stills. Just the two of us, the sound of the waves crashing, the cold digging into my skin, the words I want to say swelling too big in my throat.
I notice her shiver and tuck herself tighter into her jacket.
“How do you not want to be hereall the time?” she asks, in complete awe. “I would never be able to go back to Yale if I owned this.”
I chuckle as I come up behind her, trying to get a glimpse of the view she’s so amazed by. “My mom wouldkillme if I skipped class. She’s a big reason why my sisters and I are such sticklers for school.”
“You never skipped class in high school?” She gawks, like she doesn’t believe it.
“Of course I did, but it would always piss my mom off more than anything else. But it didn’t really bother me because I was still getting good grades—which was also the only reason I got let off the hook most of the time.”
Lina cups her hands around her mouth, trying to warm them up. I quickly pull the pair of gloves in my pocket out, holding them out to her.
“Thanks,” she sighs gratefully. “Anyway,” she gestures to me to continue.
“When she died, I stopped skipping class. Even though I didn’treallyget in trouble when she was alive, it still felt wrongdoing it knowing she wasn’t waiting at home to give me some kind of lecture about how important my classes are.”
Her face softens. “That’s really sweet, Grant.”
She tugs the gloves on, her fingers clumsy with the cold, and then steps closer, bumping her shoulder lightly against mine.
“You’re kind of a softie,” she teases, voice quieter now.
“You know the rules.”
“I know, I know,” she drags, like it’s a hassle. “It’s my secret, just to spare you your reputation.” She grins up at me, her cheeks red from the wind. For a second, it’s stupidly easy to imagine staying like this forever.
“Come on,” I say, nudging her with my shoulder. “You’re going to turn into a popsicle. Let’s go back inside before you lose a toe.”
She starts walking back up the beach, and I trail a few steps behind her, my heart pounding so loud it almost drowns out the roar of the sea.
* * *
Of course, before coming inside, Lina convinced me to take her on a tour around the property, arguing that she wasn’tthatcold.
Yet, now she’s sitting directly in front of the fireplace with one of the biggest blankets from the couch wrapped snugly around her shoulders, waiting for me to finish cooking.
“Are you almost done?” she asks, sounding as impatient as ever.
“Almost,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at her.
She’s sick of waiting, though, because within a few seconds she’s standing from her spot on the floor and trudging over to the kitchen. “What are you making?”
I take a half-step to the right, letting her stand next to me in front of the stove and get a look at the grilled cheese sizzling in the pan on one burner and tomato soup heating up in the other.
“Wow,” she jokes. “You’ve been taking forever. I thought I was getting a five-course meal.”
“This is going to be the best grilled cheese you’ve ever had. Trust me, you’ll be dreaming of it for nights to come.” I poke her in the side. Not hard, but just enough to make her back away with a giggle.
She keeps the skeptical look on her face as she hops onto the counter behind me, swinging her legs far enough to kick me in the back. “We’ll see.”
Whipping around, I grab both her ankles with one hand, trapping them in my grasp.
She lets out a startled sound, her hands bracing against the counter behind her, but she doesn’t pull away. If anything, she leans in slightly with a daring grin.
“What are you going to do now?” she teases.
