“Hey,” Taylor whispered.
“Hey?” It was more of a question. A what are you doing in here an hour
after everyone is in bed kind of a question.
Taylor shuffled across the room, avoiding a bunch of the floorboards
that she knew would go off like an old guard dog. When she reached the
edge of the bed, she paused. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Okay, uh— do you want to turn on the light?”
“Not here.” Taylor put her hand over her mouth to keep in a giggle. “I
meant outside.”
“Outside?”
“It’s still nice out. I had my window open. It hasn’t cooled off much at
all.”
“I can grab a sweater.”
Taylor was wearing a pair of sweats and an old hoodie. Christina had a
t-shirt on and when she pushed back the blankets and swung her legs over
the edge of the bed, a pair of black cotton shorts were revealed.
“Will I be warm enough with just a sweater or should I get dressed?”
Taylor realized she’d been staring at Christina’s gorgeous, long legs.
The light from outside illuminated Christina’s pale skin. It was reflected in
her eyes like the blue sky had been brought indoors and turned on in the
dark. “Oh. Uh— you should be warm with a sweater. I’ll bring a couple
blankets so don’t worry too much.”
“Okay. I’m trusting you on this one.”
“Just follow me. Try to hit the boards I hit.”
The whole thing felt like they were teenagers, sneaking out at night. It
gave Taylor a delicious thrill of danger. Christina grinned broadly and
nodded. Taylor went first. She grabbed up the blankets she’d set outside in
the hall by Christina’s door. Together, they tackled the stairs. Sometimes
they had to take huge steps, missing a tread altogether. It was easier for
Christina because she was so tall. When they made it to the bottom, they