The Little Mermaid. I think I overheard you telling someone in the fifth grade that Ariel made you feel like a princess because you both have the same color hair. I also know that you watched the live action remake and fell in love with it all over again.
I’m speechless.
What else does he know? There’s so much more I want to ask him. Like, does he know that when I throw a football, I throw it with my left hand? Because that’s Brayden’s dominant hand and the hand he taught me with. Even though I’m right-handed, like Zach.
Does he know that I can say the alphabet backwards in under fifteen seconds? Probably not because that fact is kind of embarrassing and I don’t think I’d be caught dead performing that in front of him. But I can.
Does he know that I didn’t learn how to tie my shoes until I was thirteen? Or that I can playUnder The Seaon the piano? And that it’s the only song I know how to play?
Does he know that I can’t drink water unless it has ice in it?
Does he know that whenever I look at him, my breath catches and the world goes quiet? Just like the other night. It’s like the outside noise of whatever is going on around me simmers down and the only thing I can hear is the way he breathes. It’s not like my world is loud with chaos, not like his seems to be but he gives me this gentle moment of happiness when our eyes connect. Like our souls are talking. And now, more than anything, I want to keep learning about his vulnerabilities and the things that he holds onto when no one is watching.
Whatever keeps him awake at night seems to create a lot of noise in his head and I can tell that he’s exhausted from dealing with it, so I wonder if he feels the same way I do whenever he looks into my eyes.
And it also causes me to wonder . . . does he know that somewhere along the way, I think I kind of fell in love with him?
My phone vibrates, pulling me from the thoughts.
Anyways, I’m on my way with some sour gummies, a new heating pad and an Alani. You like those, right?
This boy. Yeah, I think I am definitely in love with this boy.
It’s not long before I get another text from him, maybe about twenty minutes later.
I’m here.
I stare at it. Maybe for a moment too long. He’s here. I roll over in my bed and look out the window, and sure enough, there’s his jeep parked right out front. I’m not sure why that thought panicsme. What if Brayden comes home early? What if my parents notice that he’s here?
I immediately sit up and text him.
Zach I have the strangest favor.
I look out as I watch him text back.
What’s that?
I see him look up at me from his car, and I wave at him before I text back.
I’m gonna need you to park down the block or something.
What? Why?
Can’t have you implicated for being here when my brother isn’t. And what if he’s on his way home right now?
Cadence, are you serious?
I look out to see if I can tell if he is annoyed with me, but he has a smirk painted on his face which causes me to smile back.
Dead.
I watch him as he playfully rolls his eyes at me, but he listens. He drives his car out of view and I chew on my lips as I wait for him. A few minutes later, I can see him walking toward the house and my heart races.
Mom is in her office. Front door is unlocked but please be quiet.
I text him and I watch as he reads it before he disappears toward the front of the house. I wait with bated breath, not really thinking about the fact that I was going to have to basically sneak him into my house. But he’s here and I just hope to God that my mom doesn’t hear him.
I listen carefully, trying to hear if I can make out his approach, but nothing comes to me. I turn to the front door but then I catch my reflection in my mirror.
