Page 85 of Set the Moment
“Sienna, you can call me Sienna.”
The boy's grin returns as he holds an abrupt hand out for me to shake. “And I’m Jace.”
Loud laughter and the thundering sound of footsteps catches my ear as Jace’s eyes brighten. “Cleo, Georgia, and Ryan are upstairs. Would you like to play with us, Sad Sienna?”
“I am not sad,” I grumble, seriously becoming annoyed by this smiling, golden boy.
“No, but you don’t seem happy, either. I’ll tell them we’ll watch a movie and then all your sadness will be gone, what’d you think?”
A movie? Together? It’s been so long since anyone has wanted to watch a movie with me. I think the last time may have been last year when I spent the weekend with Cleo.
“Sure.” I shrug, trying to play it off cool, but inside I’m ecstatic!
Someone wants to watch a movie with me! Does that mean that we’re friends now?
“Good. We’ll watch Alice in Wonderland.”
When the memory subsides and my eyes land back on Jace, his eyes tell a mixture of stories and emotions beneath their irises.
The key that Alice used to open the door to Wonderland and the White Rabbit’s stopwatch. Jace tattooed the first ever memory we shared with one another on our skin.
Emotion builds in my throat as I go to speak, but he beats me to it.
“What do you think?” he questions softly, eyes glimmering as I draw in a breath.
“That you may just be a little bit of a sweet guy.” I chuckle jokingly. He dramatically clutches his chest as if he’d been wearingpearls.
“A little?”
I roll my eyes at him, twisting my body to fully face him. In the time since we started this whole list together, Jace has proven time and time again that he is a caring person who just wants the best for me.
“You’re an amazing guy, Jace…Don’t ever forget that.”
twenty-nine
Sienna
“Shit,Idon’tunderstand…Explainit one more time.” I sigh for the fortieth time, running a hand over my face as Jace gives me a warm, patient smile.
He places a soft hand on my knee and squeezes gently before diving back into his spiel on columns and their different art styles. And just like before, I can’t process a single thing he’s saying.
We’ve been going at this for hours now. Him tutoring me for my History of Modern Art course with me looking like a confused puppy in front of him.
Around hour two, I ordered Chinese takeout. Now, an hour later, zero information has been soaked into my brain and all of my shrimp fried rice is gone.
“Babe, are you listening?”
No, not at all, I want to say. But instead of being truthful, I nod.
Jace dramatically and playfully rolls his eyes like a toddler before adjusting our position to where his legs are open and my back is to his chest on the ground. I relax under his touch, something that I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months as he holds up my flashcards before my eyes.
“I’m going to fail…and then I’ll be a miserable loser who has no food, house, or money for chocolate chip cookies. Then, I’ll grow old and grey and no man will look at me.” I frown as Jace chuckles from behind me, the vibrations of his laugh warming my body.
“I’ll still be here.” He chuckles, but that only ups my antics. I sigh loudly.
“This is a disaster!” I yell, throwing my head back against his chest.
“Sienna… A “C” in a college course is not a bad thing,” Jace soothes, his voice soft and gentle against my ear.
