I step toward her too, resting my hands on her robe-covered hips. Her arms circle the back of my neck, fingers brushing through my hair.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” I murmur, cupping her face.
“What?”
I shrug and tuck a damp lock behind her ear. “I’ve never seen anyone like you. I’m sorry if I stared—it wasn’t respectful. Let me finish—” I place a finger on her lips before she can interrupt, and she nods, holding still.
Just the Girlby The Click Five bursts from her speakers, and I laugh. The lyrics fit perfectly what I feel for Nova right now.
She can’t keep a secret to herself because she loves talking. She’s always pulling pranks on me, like the time she hid fake snakes in my backpack and scared me on the bus.
Maybe she’s not mean or cruel, but when she gets mad, she’s so damn cute. And when she laughs, it’s like the whole world turns pink. And she’s so protective. Once, she nearly started a fight in PE class because some guy tried to grope Aurora’s boobs. Another time, she smeared honey all over Colin Sanders’and Mia Russell’s chairs just because they made fun of Max for getting his hair braided.
I’ll never understand this girl. I’ll never be able to get inside her head and figure out what’s going on in her world—but I know I’d love to get lost in it.
She’s a mystery, and she’s too much for me, but she’s the only one I want. The only one I’ll ever want. The only one for me.
“I’m sorry for staring,” I say softly. “I should’ve told you your robe was open. But I froze. And about your question earlier... my answer is no.”
Her smile falters. “Oh. That’s okay—thanks for being honest, Coo—”
“You’re notpretty.You’re wonderful, enchanting, magnetic. Okay, yeah, maybe you’re even cute when you’re furious. But anyone would be lucky to win your heart—not because you’re beautiful or because your body’s gorgeous. They’d be lucky because of your smile, because of the way your eyes light up. And I’d give anything to be looked at that way by the girl I’m in love with.”
The smile that curves her lips makes me feel like I could touch the sky.
“I have something for you,” she says suddenly.
“Really?”
“Wait here.”
She dives into her closet, moving through the chaos with practiced ease. It looks like a bomb went off in there, but for her, it’s organized chaos. She emerges holding up a T-shirt and I burst into laughter the moment I see it: Andrew Garfield’s face inside a heart, with the words “No one’s ever seen Vincent Cooper and Peter Parker in the same room!”
“I can’t believe it,” I laugh as she hands it to me.
“Well? What do you think?”
I pretend to pout, feigning indifference until her face falls. Then I scoop her up and spin her around.
“Hey!” she squeals, laughing as she clings to me.
“I love it, Marshall,” I grin, setting her down gently.
“Yeah?”
I nod, hugging her close along with the shirt. “A lot. I’ll wear it all the time.”
-*?? . ??? ? ?.-*??
Asher sleeps sprawled across the couch, on his stomach—his head resting on his sister’s lap, his legs stretched across mine. When Nova and I had come down the stairs together, he’d looked at me with something almost contrite in his eyes, a kind of expression I’d never seen on his face before.
Usually, he’s pure energy—always wanting to play. Whenever Nova would come over at night to playJust Danceor watch movies, he’d beg her to let him tag along. Tonight, though, there had been a shadow in his gaze.
Fortunately, the moment he spotted the Gott’s Roadside bag, that look melted away. He’d dashed into my arms, demanding I hoist him onto my shoulders like always.
We ate dinner while watchingHow to Train Your Dragon 2, then spent what felt like forever playing the Super Mario Monopoly set Nova and I had given him for his birthday.
Asher’s sweet and endlessly energetic, though—unlike his sister—he’s quick to get grumpy when he’s not in the mood. You have to know how to approach him, how to respect the storms that pass through him. But his devotion to Nova is unshakable. He adores her, runs to her every afternoon when the school bus drops us off, clinging as though she’s the center of his world. And I understand why Nova’s always so protective over him. Asher is a child who needs so much love, and so much care.
