Page 61 of Reaching Avery
I laughed out loud at the thought, and then froze.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, softly bumping my shoulder.
Might as well go with honesty.
“I was just thinking about where you could be taking me, and I played out a scenario where you’re a serial killer and you’re luring me way out here to butcher me.”
“Dang. You caught me.” Maverick faced ahead as the path ended, and he began walking through the grass. “But I’m stumped on where to dispose of your body. Any suggestions?”
“Hmm.” I tapped my chin and met his amused stare. “Maybe chop me up into pieces and throw me into the ocean?”
“So you can be fish food?” He visibly pondered the idea. “That’s an awesome way to give back to the environment.”
“Indeed. It’s the circle of life.”
A silence passed between us before we both started laughing. Crazy how something so sinister could be so funny. Or maybe it was just the ridiculousness of it all. Whichever the reason, it felt great to laugh like that. So free and uncaring of anyone’s opinion.
I stopped laughing and looked at Mav, who was still smiling ear-to-ear. “This is nice.”
He cocked his head. “What is? Talking about chopping you up into a million pieces?”
“Being with you,” I said and my chest tightened at the same time the words left my lips. “I’m sorry for pushing you away this week. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Yeah, I sorta did, though,” he said with a serious tone. “Kissing someone without their permission is wrong.” He turned his head more away from me. “It’s like sexual assault. I’m so sorry. If I could take it back, I would.”
I couldn’t help but laugh again, less out of actual humor, and more because the guy had obviously been torturing himself about it and had misinterpreted my behavior. He’d believed I’d shut him out because I was upset about being kissed without consent, when really it was because I was so deep in self-hatred that I knew I didn’t deserve someone like him.
“I don’t think it was assault,” I said, giving him an apologetic look. “If I was different, I would’ve loved it.”
“What do you mean?” Maverick asked, looking down at me. We were away from the town lights, so it was harder to see his expression.
Instead of answering him, I faced ahead, noticing that the ground was sloping. “Are we going down a hill?”
“Maybe,” he answered, and his lighter tone told me he was back to his usual self—if not completely, then at least enough for him to be playful.
No more was said for a while. We traveled down the hill, and once I realized where we were going, I froze on the spot.
Up ahead, the moon reflected off the ocean’s surface. Even in the poor light, I saw the dark water moving, slowly lapping at the dock and a little on the shore. My insides coiled and my pulse quickened.
“I can’t go any farther,” I said, staring at the water.
Maverick halted his step and turned to me. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I’m afraid of the ocean,” I confessed. “I know how stupid that sounds, but—”
“It’s not stupid.” Maverick stared at me in silence a moment before holding out his hand. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
My next decision could result in two different paths. One, I could say no, step back, and refuse to go with Maverick. Or… I could place my hand in his and trust he wouldn’t steer me wrong.
Meeting his eager stare, I grabbed his hand and entwined my fingers with his. “Okay.”
And then he smiled in a way I hadn’t seen before. It took my breath away. As we walked closer to the water, I focused on the warmth of his hand in mine. His hold wasn’t tight, but not loose either. Just… perfect.
My anxiety started clawing through my chest and up my throat as we got closer to the sea. We neared the water, and my knees began quaking. The grass had evened out to mostly flat ground, but we were going toward a huge rock jutting out of the hillside. And it was right over the Pacific.
I tightened my grip on him, needing to know he was with me.
Right before it was too much for me to handle, Mav stopped.
