Page 17 of Lessons in Falling
What makes you think I’m going to let you sleep outside by yourself?
I guess, after reading the list, he interpreted my exit correctly.
My brows furrowed.At the playful tone that contrasted the genuine concern in his words.What makes you think I need your permission to do anything?
Caden huffed.You don’t,he agreed.But may I remind you about my head on a spike?Something happens to you, I find myself in the same scenario.
I rolled my eyes as I fled toward the door.Just before closing it behind me, I poked my head into the room again and pinned him with a look.Do not follow me.
CHAPTER 8
CADEN
I followed her.
It barely took five minutes of silent debate in my head before I threw her notebook back onto her bed, grabbed my blanket and pillow, thenherpillow, and followed downstairs.
I’d have done it for any girl, I kept telling myself.What kind of person would let her sleep outside in the middle of nowhere?By herself?Not even her worst enemy—which, at the moment, seemed to be me.
So, I’d tiptoed through the house, slipped out the back, and spotted Valentina on one of the lounge chairs overlooking the ocean from the edge of the Dunbridge’s property.She seemed to have just gotten comfortable.Her blanket spilled over the edges, she turned from one side to the other, shifting and moving until she found a comfortable position.Or a position considered comfortable for the situation she’d found herself in.
I felt kind of bad when I stopped by her side, still undetected, and said quietly, trying my best not to scare her,Anybody missing a pillow?
She shrieked like I’d just rammed a knife into her chest, regardless.Valentina jumped, her hands clenched into fists in front of her, and I kind of liked that she seemedreadyto fight, at the very least.
Caden!she gasped when she finally spotted me, and it was hard to focus on anything but the way she said my name.The panic in her voice raised it a few octaves, and it paired beautifully with the relief in her tone.What the fuck is wrong with you?You go on this whole tangent that I’m not safe out here, then you decide to sneak up on me?Are you trying to give me a heart attack—whyare you smiling?
I wish I knew.
Sorry,I apologized.At least partly for the smile I still couldn’t do anything about.In my defense, I wasn’t trying to scare you.But the waves do cancel out most noises around you.Another reason why being—sleepingout here by yourself isn’t the… safest option.I held the pillow out to her, and she took it without comment.
Valentina must’ve calmed down enough to really look at me.Her eyes had probably adjusted to the darkness around us better than mine had by now, and I was more than just a threatening dark shadow.Unfortunately, that drew her attention to the rest of me.Is that a blanket?she asked, right as it dawned on her.Oh, no.Her head shook.You’re not—
My pillow and blanket landed on the next lounge chair over, in sync with the way she collapsed back into her bed for the night.
I came here to get away from you!she groaned, then went completely rigid the next second.Like she hadn’t meant for the confession to be… confessed.
Interesting.I slipped onto the chair, under my blanket, and turned toward her.I thought it was for that bucket list of yours.She did not meet my eyes, even when I mindlessly continued,Now, why would you need to get away from me, if not—
If not for the fact that she felt this gravitational pull toward me, too.If not for the fact that Iwasn’tmisinterpreting the way she looked at me, the way her breathing changed when she stood close, the way her eyes found mine more often than she’d like to admit.
I didn’t dare finish my sentence because I wasn’t quite sure what she’d do to me—and I didn’t want to find out.We lay in tense silence on the lounge chairs beside each other, the ominous sound of the ocean around us, and didn’t say a word.
Valentina was looking up at the sky, and it was just my luck that the moon was bright enough, I could make out her profile.The tip of her button nose, prominent jawline, round cheeks.Her hair, tangled up in a high, messy bun.Like she could feel my eyes on her, she asked into the darkness,You can’t just leave me alone?
There was no need to consider.Or to pretend to consider.No.
I don’t know why, either, I wanted to add.
She sighed, and for the second time tonight, it felt like she was giving up.What exactly, I wasn’t sure.
Are you looking at me?she wondered, stillnotlooking at me.
There was no point in denying this, either.Yes.
Another huff.Do yourself a favor and look at the damn sky, Caden.
My expectations weren’t high when I followed her orders (before I had the chance to say something else I’d regret).A partially cloudy sky, some stars to twinkle back at me, that I could perhaps still find the big dipper constellation, if I tried really hard.But I did not expect something that looked straight out of a high-budget documentary.
