Unraveling You 02 Raveling You Read Online Free Page A

brightens. “You’re my favorite person. And it’s hard to just stop thinking about my favorite person. But think of it this way, the sooner you tell me what’s up, the less time I’ll have to spend stressing.”
     
    “I wish I could tell you now.” I withdraw my hand from her hair as the compassion in her eyes becomes unbearable. The way she looks at me sometimes, like I’m everything to her… No one has ever looked at me that way, and it feels unnatural. “I just don’t know if it’s okay yet.” Safe yet.
     
    “So vague.” Her gaze drops to my hand as I flex my fingers. “Can I just ask one more thing, though?”
     
    I nod. “Of course.”
     
    “You’re … You’re not seeing anyone, are you? Like dating someone or something?” She angles her head forward, her face blocked by her hair.
     
    “Huh?” I’m so confused. I haven’t shown signs of wanting to heat up our friendship boundaries again, but that doesn’t mean I’ve shown signs of wanting to be with anyone else. “No. Again, what’s with the weird assumption?”
     
    “Because of this.” She flicks the back of my hand.
     
    My expression sinks. I didn’t have my phone or any paper when I met Rebel Tonic, and he wanted to leave me with his private phone number. I found a pen in my pocket and jotted his phone number on my hand with every intention of transferring the digits to paper when I got home, but then I got sidetracked with rushing over here and forgot to wash the number off.
     
    “God, I just made things super awkward, didn’t I?” Lyric mutters with a disheartened sigh. “After being like the coolest person ever, I’ve resorted to an awkward, unsure girl.” She stretches her fingers out, focused on her hands. “Can we pretend I didn’t just act like a jealous weirdo? It could be your early birthday present to me.”
     
    My heart thuds deafeningly from inside my chest as I hook a finger under her chin and tip her face up. “You’re not acting like a jealous weirdo. You’re acting like a normal person. I’m the one who’s been the weirdo, shutting you out like I have. It’s not fair.” My heart rate quickens even more as she wets her lips with her tongue and briefly glances at my mouth.
     
    God, if I could just kiss her without freaking out...
     
    I’d kiss her all the time.
     
    “So, just to be clear,” my voice wobbles embarrassingly, “I’d never go on a date with someone else. I don’t want to date at all. I mean, I do want to date, but I just can’t yet. I don’t think so, anyway.” I clear my throat. Nothing I’m saying is coming out right. “Okay, let me try that again. I don’t want to go out on a date with anyone other than you. I just don’t think I can handle dating right now.” I roll my eyes at myself. Man, I am the least smooth person ever. “See, now I’m the one who just made things awkward.”
     
    “You didn’t make things awkward.” She searches my eyes, her own sparkling, a sign that my cheery Lyric is about to emerge. “So, my dad had a band cancel for his opening.”
     
    Her abrupt subject change throws me off, but I latch on to her offering. It’s one of the reasons I love her so much…
     
    Love her?
     
    I shake my head at my thoughts, and Lyric’s face twists with perplexity.
     
    No, I like her.
     
    A lot.
     
    I don’t even know what love is.
     
    I can’t.
     
    Can I?
     
    “Did you offer up our help?” I absentmindedly twist a strand of her hair around my finger, shutting down my thoughts before I freak out.
     
    “Well, duh.” She rolls her eyes then grins. “Of course I did.”
     
    With each soft tug of her hair, her eyelids flutter and her lips part.
     
    And, with each eyelid flutter and lip part, my pulse throbs.
     
    I don’t stop.
     
    I don’t want to stop until it becomes too much for me.
     
    “And what’d he say?” My voice is surprisingly husky.
     
    She moans, and that’s when I finally lose it, when I push my emotions too far.