“Lila or the car?” Shayne asks.
“Don’t kill either of them.”
“I’ll try not to,” he smirks, leading me out to the car.
“How much of a bad driver are you?” I ask warily, pausing at the car.
“I passed my test,” he shrugs, leaning on the roof. “On the fifth time.”
“Fifth?” I exclaim.
“I’m joking! I passed the first time with flying colours. Get in the car.” He grins mischievously and gets in, waiting for me to do the same.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I complain half heartedly.
“Whatever. Where do you want to go?” he asks, pulling out onto the main road.
“The beach,” I tell him.
“There’s no food on the beach,” he says, his eyebrows furrowing together.
“Pick up chips.”
“Lila, we have Luca’s credit card. Do you have any idea how much money we have access to?”
“A grand?”
“Add another three digits to it.”
“A million?” I splutter.
“Then times it by four or five.”
“Dude, stop messing with me.”
“We can stop at a cash point and check the balance, if you like,” he says casually.
“I’m good. But I still want chips on the beach.”
He smiles at me. “Okay, then we’ll have chips on the beach.”
“These chips are horrible,” Shayne tells me as we walk down the sand.
“That’s the point,” I say.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s the beach: horrible food is the given.”
“You’re a strange girl,” he says, entwining his fingers with mine. I gulp and look down at our hands warily.
“I’ve been told.”
“New plan. We’ll hang out here for a bit and pick up something on the way home.”
“Good idea.” There’s a comfortable silence. Something’s changed with Shayne, but I can’t quite place my finger on it.
“You wanna skim stones?” He asks through the quiet.
“I’ve never done that before,” I admit.
“I’ll show you how,” he says, leading me to the shore.
“Okay, show me,” I tell him, picking up a flat stone.
“It’s all in the wrist,” he says, standing behind me with one hand on my waist, the other around mine.
“Right,” I murmur, struggling to breathe.
“Then you just chuck it,” he whispers in my ear, breath hot on my neck. I throw the pebble towards the water and it sinks without a trace.
“That was rubbish,” I say, wishing he’d take his lips away from my neck. He’s just confusing me now.
“It was fine,” he mutters, his lips slowly trailing down my shoulder.
“Show me again.”
He spins me around and pulls me close against his chest.
“Just shut up and kiss me,” he whispers, silencing my response with his lips.
“No. I can’t. You hate me,” I remind him, pulling away from him. He takes a small step back, but holds both of my hands.
“Is that what you think?” He asks, looking amused.
“Well, yeah. You’re always mean to me.”
“I don’t mean to be. I just get…nervous around you, Lila,” he admits quietly, dropping his eyes to the ground.
“Why? I’m just a person,” I tell him.
He takes one long, deep, shuddery breath. “You’re just a person that I’ve been in love with for the best part of ten years.” He looks up warily and his worried gaze locks with mine. I blink. Several times.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I finally manage.
“Because you’re gorgeous and popular and you’d never go for a guy like me.”
“I’m not gorgeous,” I mutter, and I’m not being modest. I hate how I look.
Shayne strokes my cheek in a gesture that’s so intimate it makes me flinch. “You are,” he whispers.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want a boyfriend right now. Not after the last one.”
“He was a prick,” Shayne says darkly.
“He was,” I agree.
“He was easy to beat the crap out of, though,” he shrugs.
“What? That was you?”
“Yes, it was me. It was me every single time,” he tells me slowly. “Everyone knew it, everyone but you.”
“Sorry,” I mumble.
He laughs nervously. “That’s okay. It’s part of what I love about you: you’re so innocent and naïve sometimes.”
If he was about ton say anything else I’ll never know what it is because I rush the few steps between us, throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. He cups my cheek and kisses me back, hungrily, urgently. His lips part, mine follow and the slide of his tongue against mine sends my stomach into a frenzy. I finally understand what they mean by butterflies. And fireworks. And bells. Butterflies, fireworks and bells. He kisses me until my mind is numb, my body weak; until I’m clinging to him, breathless.
“Wow,” he whispers when he finally pulls away.
“You should’ve told me a long time ago,” I tell him.
A tear rolls down his cheek. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
I feel awful. I should’ve known, should’ve noticed. “You don’t have to wait anymore,” I promise.
“Good.” He smiles as he rests his arm over my shoulder, leading me up the beach. We stay there all day, building sandcastles, skimming stones, talking and kissing. Mostly kissing. Palm-tingling, tummy-churning kissing.
Chapter Five
Start from the beginning
