She started reading them when she was thirteen, tucked away in our lair. She never stopped since.
“Your loss.”
I smirked as I watched her walk over in bare feet. Her long brown hair flowed down her back, and as she reached for one of the books, that T-shirt slid down, revealing her shoulder. I rubbed at my eyes and tried to go through my other messages, but I could barely read a thing. Tabitha had no idea how sexy she was, which was even more of a turn-on.
“What do you have against romance books anyway?” she asked.
I still refused to look at her. “They’re predictable. Worn-out themes and corny happily ever afters.”
“People who read romance aren’t trying to find out if they have a happy ending but how they do.” She sat on the end of my bed, a book about a zombie apocalypse in her hand. “What matters most is all the stuff in between, the journey and the obstacles. No matter how much the characters deny it, the reader knows they are perfect for each other. The ending is about how those two people finally see that, too.”
“Be Still” by The Killers started playing softly in the background. This time, I stared into those incredible brown eyes of hers, all dreamy and hopeful. Her face like the sun.
“What do they finally see, exactly?” I asked.
“Who they really are and what they could be together once they let their guards down and admit they love each other.”
My heart must have stopped beating in that moment. I swallowed, unable to rip my eyes from hers. “But in real life, it doesn’t always work out.”
“That’s because you’ve never loved a woman enough to let her in.”
I frowned, looking back at my screen. “You read too much.”
“So do you.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“I like this song,” she said. “Turn it up.”
I did, and she lay across my bed on her stomach, opening the book.
I grabbed my Kindle and tossed it to her. “Pick me out a book.”
The corners of her mouth rose into a huge grin. “You know I’m gonna pick a romance, right?”
“I know, and you better make it a good one, because I won’t be reading another.”
She sat up and crossed her legs in excitement. She flipped her hair, revealing the soft skin on her neck and that exposed shoulder. My mouth twitched, wanting to taste and explore that one spot. I was about to grab one of my mother’s pajamas and force her to put it on.
“You have ten more seconds before I change my mind,” I warned.
She barely flinched as she tapped through my Kindle, cool as a cucumber.
“There. Got it.” She tossed me back the device and picked up the zombie book.
I looked down at the cover in surprise. “This is a vampire book.”
“It’s a paranormal romance. I figured you’d appreciate the cross-genre. It has some action and blood, too.”
I handed it back to her. “No, I want your favorite. Not something you think I’d like.”
A blush touched her cheeks. “I’d rather not.”
“Why?”
“I’ll give you a top ten, but not my favorite.”
“Your top favorite or I’m not reading it,” I challenged.
“Fine.” She tapped on the screen and handed it to me without looking my way.
“Mean Crush?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just read it.”
I thumbed through the first few pages until I came to the opening quote.
“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” —T.S. Eliot
Not a bad start. I grabbed a sticky note from my nightstand drawer and wrote down the words.
Tabitha failed at hiding a grin. “You’re going to hang a quote from a romance novel on your sacred wall?”
“No. I’m going to hang a quote by T.S. Eliot.”
“Still found it in a romance book.” Tabitha perked up at the next song on my playlist that came on. “What song is this?”
“‘Just Like Honey’ by The Jesus and Mary Chain.”
Her lips slightly parted, and she closed her eyes as she soaked in the lyrics and the mellow guitar. “I love it.”
Me, too.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze met mine. I knew I should turn away, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know if it was the song or the pureness of what I saw behind those irises. Not purity in the sense of chastity or cleanliness, but there was something strong and genuine about her soul that would be impossible to tarnish. I’d kill the fucker who ever tried to.
The song ended, and I looked down at my Kindle. “You should probably go back to Paige.”
As much as I wanted her to stay, it would only be playing with fire.
“Hand me a sticky note, please.”
“You really need to invest in a proper bookmark.” I gave her the paper, and she marked her page.
“This is a proper bookmark.”
“Along with gum wrappers, napkins, ripped paper, pens, or anything else you can find within reach?”
“Hey, it does the job, right? And I respect the book by not dog-earing it.”
I side smiled. “Go on and get out of here, so I can read in peace.”
5
Prom
Tabitha
Prom night. Everyone was ridiculously giddy, as if this crap didn’t happen every year for high school seniors. Like our prom would somehow be more special than all the proms in the history of proms. It was simple: we’d dress up, dance, get trashed with friends, then screw our dates in hotel rooms. So romantic.
I was about ready to hurl chunks.
“Are you okay?” Paige asked. “You look really pale.”
I wiped off the beads of sweat forming at the crown of my forehead and started applying foundation. “Coming from the girl who hasn’t been a virgin for two years.”
“It’s not a big deal. But,” she grabbed my arm to make sure I paid attention, “you don’t owe Derek anything. If you don’t want to, don’t. Okay?”
I nodded a few times and looked back in the mirror. “What was your first time like?”
She laughed. “I already told you.”
“I know. Just let me hear it again.”
She sighed like my request was annoying but didn’t hide her smile. “He was worried about me, making sure he wasn’t hurting me.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks as she looked in the mirror. “It was…exactly how I imagined it to be.” She giggled. “Of course, he came in like thirty seconds, but after that first time…mmm, it was different.” She looked down at me. “If he comes too fast, definitely go for seconds. It’s so much better.”
I sat up straighter. I was going to do this, finally become a woman.
A loud knock sounded on Paige’s door. We were so not ready for pictures.
“Come in,” Paige said.
The door flung open, and Reed glared down at us. “Listen, I know Mom and Dad are a little naive about what’s going down tonight.” He tossed a sticky note on her desk. “If you need a ride or if anything happens, I’ll pick you up. You know how they are about drinking. And for fuck’s sake, don’t overdo it, and don’t get in the car with anyone who has been drinking.”