Through to You by Hainsworth Emily

Author:Hainsworth, Emily
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

.....................................................................

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

IT’S BARELY DARK WHEN I REACH VIV’S HOUSE AGAIN THAT EVENING, but I couldn’t force myself to wait any longer than necessary. There’s no light in her window when I cross the expanse of lawn, but that doesn’t mean anything. All I have to do is knock the right—

“Psssst!”

I halt in front of the weeping willow tree and listen. The air is heavy with silence.

“H—hello?” I whisper.

My eyes aren’t fully adjusted to the dark, so I startle when the hanging branches part before me like a curtain.

“You came back,” Viv says.

I drink her in slowly, letting my gaze come to rest on her deep brown eyes.

“I told you I would.”

She’s so like an apparition, I want to reach out and touch her again for reassurance. But I hesitate. The short, dark curls that frame her face instead of tumbling around her shoulders remind me—I must look different to her too. I recall the big, confident, grinning guy in the yearbook, and wonder if there’s any resemblance of him left in me. I’ve probably lost thirty pounds since I played, but it’s not just the weight . . . he had something else. The look in his eyes isn’t one I’ve been able to find in the mirror. He was clearly a winner, and I’m—

I run a nervous hand through my hair, wishing I’d cut it recently. Maybe she will think I’m back from the dead.

I step under the canopy with her. The willow fronds fall almost to the ground, and it’s even darker beneath them. Viv steps aside to let me in, her movements slightly jumpy. She backs into the trunk of the tree and stares at me, her breathing shallow and uneven.

“Are you nervous?” I ask.

“No—” she says too quickly.

I reach a hand out to her.

“It’s okay.”

She hesitates.

I tilt my head. This isn’t the reaction she had last night.

“Viv, it’s me,” I say. “What are you afraid of?”

She holds on to the tree like it’s some sort of shield.

“Why are you really here? Have you come back to haunt me?”

Oh God, I am the undead boyfriend.

“No—no way, Viv, I’m not a ghost.” I reach for her again. She starts to pull back, but I twine my fingers through hers, and lean in. “I feel real, don’t I?”

Her lips are inches from my own. Our pulses beat a rhythm through the air. Her hand relaxes in mine, though we’re both still holding our breath. She closes her eyes and gasps when our lips meet. I press her body between me and the tree, memorizing her with my mouth. Our clothes seem bulky and in the way suddenly. I open my eyes for a second, just to get a peek at her face. Her long lashes brush her cheek, fluttering the way they always did when she was scared.

I pull away.

She takes a second to let go, but her hands are shaky.

“This is wrong,” I say. “I need you to know who I am.”

She bites her lip, but it isn’t cute.

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.