Page 17 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron
Then, heart hammering, she pressed send.
The message was delivered. No reply.
The seconds stretched. Ana felt her skin prickle. What had she done? Why did she do this? This wasn't her...
Then, finally...
Byron:I'm coming over.
Ana:No. No. Mrs. Granger's next door. She'll call the coppers if she sees a hoodie knocking on the door.
Nothing.
Then, 10 minutes later, there was a faint thud... followed by a squeaking noise from the tree outside her first-floor window.
She rushed over just in time to see Byron's head pop up, followed by a very unstable lean against the sill. He had climbed the tree outside her window, awkwardly squeaking against the bark like an overgrown squirrel and knocked frantically on her window.
"Hiya," he whispered, grinning through the glass.
Then his expression turned into pure panic "This tree's an arsehole."
She pulled him in by the hoodie, muttering, "You idiot. What if you fell? And why didn't you knock at the door?"
Byron ducked inside, slightly out of breath. "'Cause Mrs. Granger was watching telly with binoculars pointed in this direction, I swear to God. She spooks me."
Ana tried to look stern and failed. "You have a death wish. Do you have any sense ofself-preservation? "
He grinned white in the low light. "I do. But some things are just more important."
They sat facing each other on her bed, the only light coming from the fairy lights strung along the bookshelf. His hair was wind-tossed, his jeans smudged with tree bark and his hoodie had a small tear at the elbow.
Ana folded her legs under her. "I don't think this is a good idea."
Byron didn't answer.
Instead, he leaned in and sealed his lips to hers.
Chapter eight
Chapter 8
There weren't many words. Just long glances and shallow breaths, fingers brushing and eagerly exploring under the clothes. They'd been dancing around this for weeks. Studying together, brushing hands, heated glances that lasted too long. This felt inevitable...
Ana's room was lit only by the amber spill of her desk lamp, which Byron had insisted on switching on and the fairy lights. He took her glasses off and carefully placed it on the nightstand.
"I wanna see you" he whispered against her skin.
The world outside was distant, the grumble of a late-night bus, the low rustle of wind through the leaves.
She watched his jaw tighten as she pulled off her clothes slowly and then reached behind her to unclip her bra. She hesitated for a moment before letting it fall. Then, with a burst of courage, she peeled her panties off.
His hands shook a little as he reached out to touch her and that made her feel a little better about her frantic heart thudding its way out of her chest.
He kissed her slowly, laughing into her mouth when she apologised about her cold feet or muttered something about deodorant and brushing her teeth. "You taste delicious, Ana love," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. "You're bloody gorgeous."
She touched the side of his face. "I'm a bit nervous."
"You? No way," he joked, before turning unusually serious. “Me too."
