He ended things with Abigail the moment Tom and Aurora broke up.
“It’s not the same. She doesn’t have a boyfriend, she doesn’t hate you, and if you tried to kiss her, I swear she’d stick her tongue down your throat.”
I roll my eyes, but my gaze drifts back to her anyway. She’s twirling Aurora around, laughing so hard her whole body shakes. She’s beautiful.
“Rora’s single now. She doesn’t even hate you anymore. And Nova... She only sees me as her best friend.”
Max drops his empty glass on a nearby table. “Then forget her.”
“Sure...” I scoff. “Like it’s that easy. She’s the brightest ray of sunshine in the whole sky... Without her, there’s just darkness. She lights up my sky... She’s my sun. You think it’s simple to just turn off a feeling like that?”
“Then go win your sun before some other guy tries. Nova’s gorgeous, and you know it. You’ve been flirting all year without acting on it, and we’re all sick of watching. Move before she gets tired of waiting.”
“I wrote her a song,” I say defensively.
Max chuckles, running a hand through his brown hair. “And you never told her it was about her.”
“I thought it was obvious.”
He snorts. “You stare at her every time you play. How was she supposed to know this time was different? Just because you two communicate without words and are smart people, doesn’t mean you’re smart when it comes to love.”
“God...” I mutter, eyes following her as she dances.
She’s never been the best dancer, but she’s full of energy, pure joy, and she makes everyone around her feel it too. She’s irresistible. Wonderful. Nova Elizabeth Dehlia Marshall is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. And the hottest.
“You two are a walking cliché,” Max teases. “Childhood best friends who’ve been in love since forever but too dumb to admit it. Honestly? It’s sickening.”
I roll my eyes and take another sip, nearly choking when Nova catches my gaze. She smiles at me, her eyes sweeping me head to toe. Aurora leans in to whisper something in her ear, and suddenly Nova’s cheeks flush red as she looks away. I smirk, taking in the sight of her in that short, semi-sheer white dress that barely grazes mid-thigh. Her skin’s dusted with glitter, and her long brown hair falls down her back in natural waves.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a creature more beautiful than her. Just looking at her makes me feel like my stomach’s about to explode.
I keep thinking about what it would be like to kiss her whenever I want, without having to hold back this desire every time I’m around her.
God, she’s enchanting... And I can’t stop imagining what it would be like to... Oh, God. I sigh, glance at Max. “You...”
“Yes, I’m sure she’s thinking about having sex with you,” he replies flatly.
“I wasn’t talking ab—you think so?”
He nods. “You’re seventeen. Thinking about sex is normal. Especially since you’ve never even had the chance to experience it.”
Max wanders toward the kitchen, and I trail after him because I want another soda.
“I don’t want to be a pervert,” I argue, pulling out another Cherry Coke for myself and a Red Bull for him from the fridge.
He rolls his eyes. “The problem is, you still see her as that ten-year-old rolling around your backyard. She’s grown up—same as you. You’ve got to start seeing her as a real girl.”
I bite back the fact that she still rolls around in my backyard sometimes. “I do see her as a real girl. I think about her too much.”
“Then start being clearer.”
“How?”
He shrugs as we head back toward the dance floor, carrying himself with that calm, cocky air like the whole place belongs to him. “Hit on her.”
I’m not sure when Max and I stopped being rivals and became actual friends, but I’m grateful. He’s easy to talk to. And since Tom ditched Aurora with the lame “I’m leaving for college” excuse, she and Max have become close too. It’s good for them. Good for all of us.
Back at the wall, we lean side by side, watching the girls.
