Page 46 of Fake It Till We Fall
Keep telling yourself whatever you need to believe, Gray. But you know how this ends. Her future isn’t in this town. It never was.
Of course, there was a part of me that believed that he was right, but there was a growing piece of me that was certain my twin brother was wrong. We weren’t kids anymore. Things changed. And even if they hadn’t, they still could.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I said as I approached, sliding my arm around Harper’s waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss on her cheek. “Hi, Charli. You look great, too.”
My old friend laughed and waved away the compliment. “You’re a charmer, Gray. But I know you only have eyes for this one.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Hi.” Harper’s eyes flashed with warmth as she turned to greet me. “I’m still not sure about this skating thing. Charli says it’s like riding a bike, but I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve done that, too.”
“What?” I pulled back, pretending to be surprised. “Whathaveyou been doing?”
Harper shrugged. “Cooking.”
“I’ll see you guys out there,” Charli said with a laugh before slipping away into the crowd, leaving us alone.
“I promise, you’ll be fine,” I told Harper. “I won’t let you fall.”
“I know.”
She looked up at me with so much trust, my heart clenched in my chest.
It was ridiculous the way I was letting her affect me. But I was powerless to stop it. I wasn’t even going to try.
“Come on.” I tugged her hand. “Let’s go get laced up.”
We found a spot on the bench by the ice, and I quickly pulled on my skates and laced them with practiced ease while Harper struggled with the laces of her borrowed skates.
“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled. “Why do they make them so long?”
She held out the excess string, and I laughed. “Here.” I crouched in front of her, brushing her hands away. “They’re so long, so you can wrap them around your ankle like this.” I wrapped them snugly and tied them in a neat bow before looking up.
Her eyes caught mine, and for a moment, it was just us. “Some things never change,” she said softly.
I forced myself to look away and move on to the second skate. “What do you mean?”
“You taking care of me.”
Her words caught me. I froze, the laces in my hand for a moment before I swallowed hard and finished the job. “Ready?”
She clung to my arm as we stepped onto the rink, wobbling just enough to make me grin. “I warned you,” she said. “It’s been a long time.”
“I’ve got you.”
“I know.”
Dammit if she didn’t have a way of getting right to my heart with a few simple words.
We glided slowly at first, her steps cautious. I kept my hand firmly in hers, steadying her every time she slipped.
Soon, muscle memory returned, and Harper gained a bit more confidence.
“So,” I said, steering us around a cluster of kids. “Tell me all about it.”
“All about what?” She almost lost her balance when she looked over at me, but quickly regained it.
“Your life. The yachts. The fancy restaurants. All the places you’ve been. You’ve probably got a story for every stamp in your passport.”
