Page 20 of Psync
Tension built around the archer. Eli waited, sharing the tension, his heart beating loudly. The energy shifted, and the archer released the arrow. When it hit the center of the target, Eli felt like he’d been struck in the chest.
The archer turned, and Eli got a look at his face.
It was Haruka.
And he was staring right at Eli.
Chapter Nine
Eli
Eli jolted backward and realized too late he’d climbed the railing to get a better look at Haruka’s performance.
He fully expected to eat dirt, but strong arms caught him before he hit the ground.
Wrongwrongwrong
Eli pulled away as soon as he righted himself and rubbed his arms trying to rid himself of the sensation.
“Sorry, Eli. I thought you’d prefer being touched over falling.”
It was Nate.
The wrongness faded, and he stopped shrinking away from his rescuer. “No, it’s fine. Thank you.” He nodded his head in appreciation.
“Next time find a safer place to sit before you succumb to the thirst, Eli.” Alice grinned at him shamelessly.
“Wh-what?” Eli’s face felt like it was going to burst into flames. “I was just watching the exhibition.”
“Sure, I always watch archery with my mouth open. Don’t you, Nate?”
“Depends on the archer.” Nate put his hands behind his head and smiled at the blonde archer from earlier.
Eli was not blind to the fact that his friends had created a small pocket of space around him, protecting him from the crowd. And now they were teasing him to distract him, just like his sister did. In his chest, a warm, glowing sensation began to form.
His hands dropped from where they were strangling his hoodie strings.
“Are you okay?” A very familiar voice asked from the other side of the fence.
Eli froze. He gave his friends a pleading look, but for some reason, his usually supportive friends were immersed in what looked to be a very intense conversation about a nearby trashcan.
He was going to have to turn around now, wasn’t he?
He set his shoulders and turned to face Haruka.
Was he always that big? Eli felt like he couldn’t have been that tall the last time they’d talked.
His eyes traced Haruka’s arm from his mitsugake—a three-fingered archery glove—to his smooth, well-muscled forearm, up his bicep and toned shoulder to his clavicle. All just hanging out for the entire world to see.
Eli blinked slowly.
What were they talking about?
“Do you need to go to the nurse’s station?”
Right. They were talking about Eli’s magical ability to embarrass himself at any and all times.
“No, I—this is actually par for the course for me.”
