Page 47 of Nerdelicious
That lengthy figure can only be one person. He’s lying on his back, looking up at the stars. I glance back at the path behind me. I should go back. I should pretend I don’t see him, or maybe head in the opposite direction, around the bend somewhere else. I should not cross the beach toward him, the sand cool on my toes. His head turns in my direction, watching my approach.
I stop beside his towel and stare. He’s spread out on the sand like a big buffet of man-meat, dressed only in a thin shirt and sleep shorts. One hand is splayed behind his head, emphasizing the line of his bicep.
“Can I join you?”
Chapter Thirteen
All our soulsare written in our eyes.
–Cyrano de Bergerac
Beast nods, the gesture a quick jerk. I might have missed it if I hadn’t been staring so hard.
I shake out my towel, setting it down next to his, and then lie down beside him, inhaling a deep breath and gazing up at the stars.
“Wow.” The sky is a glittering blanket above us.
It’s not exactly cold, but the air has a bite. I pluck at the bottom of my shorts. Then the hem of my tank top, trying to get comfortable.
Beast shifts next to me and then scoots closer, close enough that our heads are nearly touching and the heat of him presses along my left side. He lifts his phone so we can both see the screen, his arm brushing mine with the motion, and types on a blank note page.
Do you miss New York?
I contemplate the random question for a few seconds before answering. “Yeah. My parents. The excitement. There’s always something to do, somewhere to go. We’ve got the best art in the world and Broadway, not to mention the most diverse and innovative food that you can find. There’s something for everyone. And there’s this energy. It’s hard to describe, but the city itself has a pulse—like history has etched its heartbeat into the streets. You could watch an acrobat perform in your subway car one minute and then take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage in the park the next. There really is no other place like it.”
Beast watches me with wistful eyes.
It sounds amazing.
“Would you want to go? To New York?”
Maybe. Someday.
I nod and gaze up at the sky with a sigh. “Can’t see the stars like this, though.”
Do you miss your friends?
“Well, I miss Scarlett. But other than her... all my friends were Jack’s friends.”
Their loss.
“Is it a loss if we never had each other to begin with?”
Our eyes lock for second, his features exposed only by the soft glow of the phone.
Do you miss Jack?
I turn back up to the sky, unable to handle the intimacy of the moment while talking about the five years I spent in Azkaban.
“I miss feeling like I belonged somewhere. But all things considered, I’m glad it’s over. He never really understood me. We never would have been happy in the long run. When we first met, in high school, we were into a lot of the same things. Comics,Magic: The Gathering, nerdy stuff. As we got older, Jack would tell me it was all a waste of time. He was too old, too mature for the things we used to love. He worked in finance. Did I tell you that?”
He shakes his head.
“He got his master’s in financial management. That’s what he worked on while I supported him. And once he got a job and started making money, he... changed. I took care of everything, bills, dinners, cleaning, and I worked part-time. Yet despite providing so much, everything he did was serious and adult-like and everything I still loved was infantile. Annoying. A hindrance to his wannabe jet-setting lifestyle. I didn’t belong in his world.”
There’s something comforting about sharing these details under the cover of the night sky. Like it’s a temple where you can reveal your sins and secrets and all will be forgiven.
He types again, the words coming to life on the screen.I get it. The not belonging thing.
