No one was home.
Delilah had homework to do.
She fiddled with the pencil, hitting the pink end against the paper. Her eyes roamed over the desk, along the series of encyclopedias and landed on the dangerous stereo perched on the shelf.
A grim smile spread across her lips and she glanced over to the side before sneaking out of her seat.
She played with the tuning knob until a good beat grabbed her heart and pounded it against her chest like any nasty, rad song.
There was nothing better than dancing like nobodies watching. She began snapping her fingers, and grabbed the vase off the table.
Her socks landed on the couch, her head bowing down before she whipped it back up, hair slicing through the air. Rhythm drummed in her toes and shook her arms, waist swerving as she twisted to the music.
Her voice carried with the singer on the radio, both breaking out into the same song. Voices flowing to a sweet tune, remixing the song to something even better. Something formed in the pit of her stomach and she belted it out, rolling with the natural flow.
Sliding across tiles in her socks, she lived the life of a rock star in two amazing minutes.
A slow clap came behind her.
She whipped around and met the eyes of Ryland.
"Wow. You're even weirder when you're alone."
Delilah gave him a little smile and dropped it, rolling her eyes. "Go away. I was having a moment." She turned down the volume nob to hear his voice.
"Pssht. I can see that!" He didn't even bother to fight back the smile. His gaze followed her to the stereo where she shut it off, the amazing song swallowed by the dead silence.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"The band is meeting early today. I thought I'd be the first one to get here," he simply answered.
He moved to the kitchen, pulling out four beers. He offered her one but she already took the one he had out.
She gulped down, loving the burning sensation down her throat and held the beer as she spoke. "What's the meeting about?"
He shrugged, leaning back onto the counter. "Nothing you would be interested in."
"What if I am interested?"
"I still wouldn't tell you."
She frowned and propped both elbows on the counter. "Why are you trying so hard to keep secrets from me?"
He kept his casual stance, tipping his beer back to make this situation more settle. "I don't like having people in my business."
She raised a brow. "How come?"
"Think of it as a lesson I've learned."
She brought her beer up. "I can drink to that." They clinked cans and tipped the drink back again. She let the silence eat up a few seconds and then causally spoke. "Are you planning on going on any walks any time soon? Like, back at the highway stuff?"
A spark of interest flashed in his eyes before it disappeared. "Maybe. Why?"
He was really digging for it, wasn't he? She tightened her grip on the can. "Nothing. I just wanted to know. Unless you don't want anyone to get in your business..."
"Nono. I was thinking of doing one after the meeting today." He drank again. Silence.
Delilah could already feel the burn of rejection on her skin and she rubbed her arm, eyes averting to the ground. "Can I come?" she almost choked. She prayed that didn't sound too interested but she did need him to like her.
He took another long sip, dragging her patience across the road. Finally, he put the drink down—Delilah was sure the can must've been empty by the time he answered—and said. "I'll think about it."
+++
"What made you want to invite me to something like this?"
"Don't question it before I regret it," Ryland said.
Delilah slid him a smile and grinned back. They slammed the door behind them and trudged into the forest. They hiked up the woods, leaves crinkling under their boots. Finally, they broke through the foliage and then a wind nearly took her away.
He grabbed a hold of her waist, keeping her upright and she glanced up with a raised brow. He quickly put his hands down and then cleared his throat. "Let's go."
He moved towards the edge of the cliff, her gaze following from his face and to the view. The sun was just sitting on the mountains, the lake sandwich between that and the trees just below them.
"Wow."
He stopped at the edge and she came behind him. Then he tilted his head forward. She gulped and hesitated, feeling uneven about this.
"Let it out," he insisted.
She quirked a smile and stepped forward, toes hanging off the tip of the cliff. She shifted forward and the endless drop below teased her, seconds away from consuming her if she just bent a little further...
An arm wrapped around her waist, tipping her feet backwards. Hardness pressed against her back and his breath fanned down her ear. "Don't fall just yet."
Her heart hammered against her chest.
His warmth enveloped her body and she broke past his grip, stepping close to the edge of the cliff again. Something in the pit of her stomach triggered, this warmth swelling in her chest and all this pressure built into her throat.
She let out scream that came from the demon within her. Leaves shook and flocks of bird erupted into the sky, tiny pebbles vibrating like the stone under her soles.
Her throat burned until nothing but a wheezing gasp of air choked her. She bent over her knees, curtain of silver hair draping over her head. She stared at front of her rubber boots, and flicked her head back, gulping in a fresh breath of air.
She still kept chasing her voice, trying to find it. She chased her breath in shallow gasps, feeling like her legs were tangling in the same chase but really, in the end, she stared down at her red rubber boots that rooted to the ground.
Her body rooted—mind elsewhere.
She caught her voice near the end of the chase, breathe slowing down as she turned. She swore Ryland was a step farther back.
She was sure he was going to turn around and start running.
Ryland took a step back, and Delilah held in a breath she didn't know she could even hold—she was surprised her lungs could take any more—then he took another. And another. She watched him move backwards, distancing himself from her.
Then, like an elastic band, he sprung forward and sped through the air. He stopped at the edge of the cliff, toes wiggling over the drop and he let out his own animal scream.
Delilah swore she felt the ground move.
That was no human scream.
He threw his head back and bellowed out a stomach rumbling laugh.
He stepped backwards, laughing louder until he fell into her chest, her hands automatically cupping his muscled arms.
He let out one final laugh before stretching an eased sigh. "So that's what it feels like."
She lifted up head, forcing her to stare down at his eyes. "What feels like?" she asked.
"To scream at the edge of the world."
+++
A/N:
Do you ship it? ;)
In the last chapter, you guys were all like "That's it? Is this book about a boy band?"
LOL. You wish.
This book is way more than boy bands and music. That's just a mini subplot to the big picture. ;)
Please vote!
I hope you're enjoying this story as much as me!
Xx twister