ChapterNineteen
BRYCE
We strolled along the pasture, pointing out the calves huddled near their mothers. Instead of rolling through mixed CDs in my truck on full blast, we had the soundtrack of cattle and bugs and birds. It sounded like heaven.
And her hand in mine felt that way, too.
It was so easy, so natural. Conversation wandered from topic to topic, her laughter rolling over the hills and bouncing off the trees that were just beginning to bud with signs of spring.
When we came to the edge of the trees to the creek clearing, I sighed. Krystal stepped a few paces ahead and we both took in the scene.
The water streamed quickly, no doubt fueled by the recent snow and rain. The sand was damp under our tennis shoes, and the smell of the water filled the air, musty and earthy.
“It’s beautiful here,” Krystal said quietly.
It’d be cheesy to say what I was really thinking, which was that the creek and the spring afternoon had nothing on her, even in her jeans and T-shirt with no makeup. I wondered how many people in LA had seen her like this. I knew that in her movies, Krystal was made up and dressed up. Even in the stereotypical scene in the romance where she’d been heartbroken and supposedly disheveled, crying to her friend, her hair had been smooth and straight, without any flyaway frizzy strands to frame her face. And there had been no trace of perspiration on her face, like the healthy shine I saw reflecting the sunlight now, revealing the faintest dusting of freckles.
But I didn’t say any of that. I simply nodded and swallowed heavily. I did step closer to her, rejoining a hand with hers as I stepped behind to look over her shoulder.
“See the turtle? Just across the bank, near the brush?” I pointed over her shoulder with my free hand.
“What? Where?”
I ducked down to her level and described the location of the turtle. My face was just beside her ear and our cheeks nearly touched. I felt her smile widen, her cheek brushing mine as she saw it. She turned toward me, our hands slipping apart as my arms circled her waist instead.
I waited for her to pull back and create some distance. But she didn’t.
Krystal looked up at me. “Why don’t you hate me?”
She must have read the confusion on my face, because she continued unprompted. “I talked to Monica. She told me about the ring you had. You never showed it to me. You never asked the question.”
I pulled her close. “That’s because I didn’t want to hear the answer. I already knew what it would be.”
“What if it wasn’t? Maybe I would have stayed. If I’d known?”
I kissed the top of her head. “No, you wouldn’t have. And that’s okay. I told you enough of how I felt to realize that you didn’t feel the same way. At least not to the same extent.”
“Did you hate me then?”
I could hear the vulnerability in her voice. I leaned back and met her eyes. “Krys. I could never hate you. I loved you. After you left… I was miserable. But it was never your fault. God used that time to teach me a lot of things. About who I was and what I really needed.”
She nodded, but there was skepticism in her eyes.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said.
I smiled. “You were forgiven a long time ago.”
Krystal smiled and pressed up on her tiptoes to press a gentle kiss against my lips.
I froze for a moment, registering the action just before her lips were gone. I blinked, and we stared at each other. One heartbeat, then another passed in stillness. Just last weekend, I kissed her and she pulled back.
But not today.
I lowered my head and captured her lips with mine again. She met me with equal intensity. Her short kiss had unlocked all the built-up emotion within me, and I poured it into this kiss. I had kissed her only once, just before she left. A bumbling, awkward kiss born of the desire to show her how desperately I wished our friendship could be more. Worse, it was almost entirely one-sided.
But this was no awkward attempt from a heartsick boy. I trailed my hand from her hip up her arm and cradled her neck, deepening the exchange. Krystal’s mouth moved sweetly against mine, and I savored the knowledge that she wanted this as much as I did.
Slowly, the intensity faded, and I pulled back, kissing again gently one last time before tilting my forehead against hers as we both caught our breath.