Lightning Rising by Kristin Satterfield

Author:Kristin Satterfield [Kristin Satterfield]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Warden Bear Press LLC
Published: 2022-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

“What’s wrong?”

Shan’s voice made me jump, my hand flying to my heart.

When did he arrive?

I watched him slowly approach me, as if afraid I’d sprint away. His hair glistened from sweat and his stormy eyes were dark.

“You scared me,” I whispered, taking my hand from my heart. He looked me over, concern clear on his face.

He stopped at the table closest to me, but not too close to make me uncomfortable. I appreciated the gesture. “S-sorry…I should have made my presence known,” he said with a blushing smile.

I couldn’t help but grin back at him. He could always pull a smile from me.

His face brightened and he closed the distance, taking the space at my side. He smelled of sweat and earth as he leaned against the railing, looking up at the stars. Closing his eyes, his face was serene.

I watched him, feeling comforted by his presence.

“So, do you want to tell me?”

I sighed, turning to watch the sky. “I guess I could. I mean, you’re a guy, right? So maybe you’ll understand.”

He chuckled. “Thanks for noticing.”

I shoved him lightly on the shoulder as he looked down at me with a gleam in his eyes. “You know what I mean. Still, maybe you could shed some light on my problem.”

“Okay, shoot,” he said. He seemed so relaxed, so sure of himself, and I enjoyed for a moment the confident boy standing beside me.

“My question is, why is it…” I searched for the words, “—that when guys like girls, they either never admit it, or they push too hard? Why can’t they just come out and say it without being so—I don’t know—annoying or aggressive? Why do guys—” My voice caught in my throat and I coughed as it cracked, suppressing the tears welling up in my eyes and turning my face away. “Why…is it that when you think things are going well, they stop talking to you? He doesn’t call or send messages. I’m left wondering…what I did wrong…what made him ignore me?” A tear streamed down my face, Shan’s hand on my cheek, catching it.

“Please don’t cry, Lovota,” he whispered, his fingers lingering as he pulled away. His gentleness caught me off guard. It had been a long time since a boy had shown me such gentle concern. Even Chris was forceful in the way he comforted me.

I took a step away quickly, turning to stare at the campus below, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“Sorry,” I said, wiping at my eyes with a sniff. I heard Shan step away, pacing. “Please don’t let me ruin your evening. I know I can be so stupid sometimes. It’s just hard, and a new school isn’t helping. I-I’m sorry…”

A crashing sound had me spinning. Shan stood in front of a fallen chair nearby as if he had tripped over it, his hands braced on the table.

“Shan?”

He glanced up at me and then back down, staring at it in surprise, like he didn’t know it was there.

I raised my hand toward him.

“Don’t apologize, Lovota,” he choked, taking me aback.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.