Читать книгу The Edge of Never, The Edge of Always: 2-Book Collection - J. Redmerski A. - Страница 28

She’s cute when I’m torturing her. Because she enjoys it.

I don’t know how I got myself into this, but I do know that as much as my conscience is ripping into my fucking ears, telling me to leave her alone, I can’t. I don’t want to.

We’ve already gone too far.

I know I should’ve left it at the bus station, bought her a First Class plane ticket home so she would feel obligated to use it since it cost so much, then called her a cab and had it drop her off at the airport.

I should never have let her leave with me, because now, I know that I won’t be able to let her go. I have to show her first. It’s mandatory now. I have to show her everything. She might get hurt in the end after all is said and done, but at least she’ll be able to go back home to North Carolina with something more to look forward to in her life.

I take the shoebox from her hands and place the top back over it and set it on top of the opened duffle bag. She watches me as I throw open the top dresser drawer and fish out a few clean pairs of boxers and socks and then shove them down inside the bag, too. All of my basic hygiene necessities are in the bag out in the car that I brought on the bus with me.

I hoist the duffle bag strap over my shoulder and look at her.

“Are you ready?”

“I guess so,” she says.

“Wait, you guess?” I ask, stepping up to her. “You either are, or you aren’t.”

She smiles up at me with those beautiful crystal blue eyes. “Yes, I’m definitely ready.”

“Good, but why the hesitation?”

She shakes her head softly to say I’m wrong.

“Absolutely no hesitation,” she says. “All of this is just … strange, you know? But in a good way.”

She looks like she’s trying to untangle something in her head. Obviously, she’s got a lot on her mind.

“You’re right,” I say. “It is kind of strange—OK, it’s a lot strange because it’s not natural, stepping out of the box like this.” I peer in at her, forcing her to catch my eyes. “But that’s the whole point.”

Her smile brightens as though my words rang a little bell inside her mind.

She nods and says with a fun and eager air, “Well, then what are we waiting for?”

We walk back out into the hall and just before we start to head down the stairs, I stop.

“Wait one second.”

She waits there at the top of the stairs and I turn back, passing my bedroom and head toward Aidan’s. His room is as pathetic as mine. I see his acoustic guitar sitting propped against the far wall and I walk over and grab it by the neck and carry it out.

“You play guitar?” Camryn asks as I lead her down the stairs.

“Yeah, I play some.”