Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Yes, there is. Jane can be a little over the top about, well, boys, and I’m pretty sure my dad thought I wasn’t going to go out with anyone until I turned at least twenty-seven.”
I chuckled. “Well, it would be a crying shame if you waited that long.” There was a pause as I pulled away from the kerb. “So, is that what we’re doing? Going out?” I tried to sound casual while being way too fucking hopeful.
When I chanced a peek at her, she seemed to be internally spiralling, her blue eyes wide and panicked like she’d misspoken. I briefly placed my hand on her knee, my voice warm. “Relax, Milly. Tonight can be whatever you want it to be. I’m just glad you agreed to come. I’ve been wondering if maybe I smell bad or something because you’ve declined every invite since I started giving you lifts.”
“You don’t smell bad,” she blurted, her expression horrified. “Oh, my God, is that what you thought?”
I chuckled low. “Well, I had wondered why you always said no to everything.”
“You smell wonderful, Derek,” she told me effusively then flushed when I grinned wide. “I just mean … um …” she trailed off, visibly flustered, then finally continued, “My declining your invites doesn’t have anything to do with you at all. It’s me. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m a little introverted. Parties are somewhat terrifying for me.”
I was still hung up on her saying I smelled wonderful. Some unexplored primal part of my brain enjoyed the idea of her liking how I smelled. When I comprehended the other part of what she said, everything inside me melted.
“Do you mean to tell me you’ve been declining my invitations because you’re scared of parties?” I mean, I knew she was shy, but I didn’t think it was that bad. I was obviously relieved her reasons weren’t to do with not liking me, but at the same time, I felt for her. To be so introverted that you’d prefer to miss out on a fun party was a foreign concept to me. I wasn’t as outgoing as my brother, Tristan, but I’d always taken social situations in stride. The fact that she’d overcome her anxiety and decided to come tonight had a burst of pride filling my chest because she was going outside of her comfort zone to spend time with me.
Milly nodded, worrying her lip before she replied, “Pretty much. I mean, my friends, Tara and Celine, aren’t the party going types either, so I don’t really get invited to stuff like that. And you and your friends, you’re, like, the popular kids in town. It’s intimidating.”
I actually knew her friend Tara because we were second cousins. Her father was my dad’s first cousin, and we’d played together as kids, but I hadn’t seen much of her in recent years. We went to different schools, and our parents didn’t interact much nowadays, having grown apart.
Tara had had pale blonde hair as a kid, which she now dyed a striking shade of blue-black. She was a goth girl who seemed to always have her head buried in Japanese comics. Milly’s other friend, Celine, from what I could remember from primary school, was one of those quiet girls who got straight As but wasn’t much interested in socialising. Between the three of them, Milly might be considered the confident social butterfly of the group. So, yeah, she was correct in describing them as not being party types.
When we came to a red light, I studied her for a minute, again struck by how ethereally beautiful she was, and she had zero fucking clue. The girl was oblivious to the fact that I could barely stop staring at her and had to fight the urge to kiss her daily. Not having seen her since school ended was torture. I noticed how she anxiously chewed on her fingernail, and on instinct, I reached over and took her hand in mine before gently lowering it to her knee. I held it in comfort for a beat as her eyes lifted to mine, wide and curious.
“Nervous about tonight?” I asked softly.
“A little,” she answered candidly on a shaky exhale.
“You don’t need to be. I won’t leave your side. And if you’re feeling like you need a break, you can just stay quiet, and I’ll do all the talking. How does that sound?”
Her look of relief had pressure building in my chest. It was a look that had me wanting to fight down demons and destroy everything in the world that might cause her distress.
“That sounds really good. Thank you, Derek. For understanding.”
“Anything for you, Camille,” I murmured.
The light turned green, and I reluctantly let go of her hand. A minute later, I pulled to a stop outside Aidan’s house, the party already in full swing with music pumping.