Page 33 of Embers of You
Friends;that’s all we can be. I need to keep reminding myself of this.
Every step he takes toward me has me feeling like that’s less and less likely to happen. I can only hope he’s as genuine of a person as he seems when I inevitably lose this battle with myself.
CHAPTER 16
Jameson
Sutton’s doingher absolute best to avoid eye contact with me. Holding onto the teddy bear I won for dear life and I’m pretty sure that I’m walking around with a perpetual smirk on my face because of it.
I take my time picking out the ride for us to go on. Pretending like I’m seriously weighing our options, even though I’ve known exactly which one I’d pick. I just wanted an excuse to be around her longer. I’m not ready for it to end. Because once she’s done holding up her end of our little deal, that’s it. She’ll leave. Go home. And I’ll be standing here alone, trying to convince myself it didn’t mean more than it did.
This is the first time I’ve gotten to spend an extended amount of time with her since she came over to groom Juniper. Even then I tried not to hover because I knew she wouldn’t want that. Right now, she’s not complaining but she’s also not saying anything, either.
“How about the Ferris wheel,” I finally offer after the third time we’ve made a rotation around the small fairgrounds.
“That works.”
We walk toward the ride, and there’s a short line, but it moves quickly.
“You’re going to need to leave the bear with me,” the attendant tells Sutton.
“Guess you can’t use him as a buffer between us,” I joke.
“I wasn’t going to do that.”
“I don’t think I believe that.”
Sutton sets the stuffed toy down by the attendant’s stand before we both sit on the small bench seat on the ride. The bar comes down across our laps and the attendant says, “Enjoy.”
The ride starts to take us up, and Sutton is looking around, taking in the view as we get higher. I’m just looking at her.
Everything about her pulls me in. From her dark green eyes, to the perfect slope of her nose and her plush pink lips. But it’s more than that. She’s strong, funny, and enthralling. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in my life but never found. She’s completely and utterly perfect.
“What’re you staring at?” she finally asks, not looking at me.
“The only thing worth looking at up here.”
I hear her sharp intake of breath as she turns to look at me and this view is even better than just her dimly lit profile against the setting sun. Her eyes flick down to my mouth, then back up to mine.
“Why do you keep doing that?” She sighs.
“Doing what?”
“Saying things like that.”
“Like what? The truth?”
She opens and closes her mouth in the way she does when I’ve caught her off guard. I stretch my arm out around the back of the bench, not touching her. She does the most surprising thing, and scoots closer, ever so slightly so our sides are completely pressed together.
Sutton looks up at me, gaze bouncing between my eyes and my lips once again. “You make it really hard to justify being just your friend.”
“You’re the only one making that a rule.” She presses into my side a little harder, and I feel myself leaning down slightly. “I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me.”
“I have nothing to give,” she practically whispers, our faces only a couple inches apart.
“That’s okay, because I’m here regardless.”
Our foreheads are almost touching as we both lean toward each other. I feel her breath caressing my lips and we’re closer than we’ve ever been. I think she’s going to let me kiss her, and before it’s even happened, I already know it’s going to be the greatest kiss of my life.
