I honestly don’t know.
But the little I do know doesn’t make me think he’s the type of guy to completely bail on a date. And the fact that we’re going somewhere that doesn’t include me wearing my burkini, makes the butterflies go crazy in my stomach.
“Rose,” my mom calls up the stairs. “There’s…someone here to see you.”
He’s here!
I look at my reflection in the mirror. Even with the heavy makeup I’m wearing, the scar is super visible. Even though Adam has seen it in all its glory, it was my hope to cover it up as much as possible in case we bump into anyone we know. And in a town as small as Sterling, I expect it to happen. I fluff my hair in an effort to cover it, but it still sticks out.
Oh well. At least Adam doesn't care, I remind myself as I open my door. I’m ready to run down the steps, when my mom stops me just outside my room. “I didn’t realize you were going out tonight.”
I smile and nod my head quickly. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m really happy to see you leaving the house. You know that.” She pauses and gives me a tight smile. “But I’ve never seen this boy before. Who is he?”
I shrug. “It’s Adam.”
She gives a small shake of her head. “That doesn’t really help.”
I roll my eyes. “We went to high school together.”
My mom’s brows lower. “Really? I never heard you talk about him, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”
“I promise you, we went to school together.” I huff impatiently when she continues to stare at me. “He accidentally threw a frisbee in our yard earlier this week, and we kind of…reconnected. We thought it might be fun to go to the drive-in tonight. I thought you’d be happy I’m getting out of the house.”
She smiles tightly. “I am.”
“Good.”
I move to step around her and go down the stairs, but she stops me. “It’s just I’m really confused by this whole situation. Why did he have a frisbee near our house? And why was he asking you out now?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. She means why would some cute boy like Adam go out with me now that I’m scarred and ugly. “I don’t know,” I say when I open my eyes again. “But he did, and for the first time since the doctor cut my face open, I feel pretty. I feel like there’s hope that someone might like me even though I’m messed up.”
“Honey.” She reaches out to put her hand on my shoulder, but I move out of the way. “You know that’s not what I’m implying.”
“He’s a good guy. I promise. You don’t have to worry.”
“Okay.” She nods. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” I say firmly and take another deep breath before walking down the steps into the foyer. My dad is talking to Adam, and when I get closer, they both look up.
Adam’s eyes go to my bare legs before they travel up to my arms. His brows lower in confusion before his eyes finally find mine and he smiles. It’s not exactly the reaction I had hoped for, but he’s here.
I push back my shoulders and summon the confidence that used to be in such high supply. “You’re late.”
Adam rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “Sorry about that. Tourist traffic.”
I let out a dramatic sigh but smile just enough to make sure Adam knows I’m teasing. “Fine. I guess I forgive you.”
He snorts. “Gee, thanks.”
My smile grows. “Are you ready?”
Adam nods, and though I can tell my dad has the same reservations as my mom, he doesn’t stop me as Adam holds the front door open for me.
We’re walking down the pathway to what I can only assume is his mom’s car when, to my surprise, Adam races out in front of me to open the door. It’s nice that he’s so romantic.
The car, on the other hand, is a piece of crap. The fake leather seats are peeling in several places, and the A/C isn’t cold. Thankfully, the windows still work, and when he starts driving the breeze coming in from the water feels great.
“So, what’s playing tonight?” I ask as he starts driving toward the drive-in.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “I actually don’t know.”
I raise my brows at him. “Seriously?”
“I kind of assumed you knew, since you’re the one who was so eager to ask me out.” I can feel my cheeks warm, but then he turns to me for a split second and winks. It’s so natural and yet, somehow, also the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
“You know, if you asked me out, maybe one of us would have actually looked.”
He snorts. “Yeah right.”
My stomach falls. “To the movie, or the asking out?”
“The the asking out.”
I shake my head. “Why not?”
“Uh, because you’re Rose Beaumont, Sterling royalty. And I’m…” He pauses. “I’m just Adam Price, the poor boy from South Beach.”
I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry—not that I tear up easily. A couple of months ago, it would have been a pretty accurate assessment. But now?
Now I want to be different.
In the couple of days I’ve known Adam, I’ve learned that he’s sweet and funny. He’s amazingly talented out on the water. He loves his mom enough to help her with the bills. And he looks at me like I’m more than this scar. And even though he just called me Sterling royalty, I don’t think he sees me as strictly that girl either.
He might actually see me for who I am—the girl I want to be.
And while it’s still too early to start confessing devotion and singing love ballads, I’m really happy he agreed to go to the movies with me tonight. Honestly, I don’t care what’s playing. It could be a horror film—my least favorite thing to watch in the whole world—and I’d be happy to be stuck in this clunker with him.
“You’re wrong, you know,” I eventually say.
“Huh?” he says as he turns into Showboat Cinema.
I sigh. “Nothing.”
As Adam drives closer to the ticket booth, I look at the parking lot. Its thirty spots are already getting full. I’m so nervous about not making it in, I’m almost ready to get out of the vehicle and tell all the tourists where they can take their cars. I need to make sure Adam and I see this movie.
Thankfully, there’s still open spots when we make it to the ticket booth, and the previews have just started, so we shouldn’t miss that much. The marquee says tonight's movie is Young Frankenstein.
The idea of watching a movie about Frankenstein makes me feel self-conscious. I hope Adam won’t make the connection between the monster in the movie and the one in the passenger seat. I shake my head to try to clear the thought, and instead lean toward him and ask, “Do you think the movie is really scary?”
His eyes are wide when he faces me. “Are you kidding me?”
“Uh...”
Adam’s laugh is deep and rich. “No, it’s not scary. It’s one of the best comedies of all time. It’s got Gene Wilder in it.”
I have no clue who he’s talking about and shake my head.
He smacks his hand to his forehead. “Willy Wonka? Oh, Rose, we’re gonna have to get you up to speed. If that means we go to every old movie this summer, so be it.”
Every movie? I’m not going to lie, the idea of spending more nights at the drive-in with Adam is more than exciting.
He pays the five dollars for us to get in and drives to a spot in the front—since that’s all that’s left. I should be happy we got in, but it looks like we won’t be making out in the back row tonight…
Wait. Where did that thought come from?
Oh, whatever. You know exactly where that thought came from.
Adam looks over at me. “Do you, uh, want some popcorn or candy?”
I shake my head.
“Are you sure? It seems like something a guy should do when he’s on a date with a pretty girl.”
A blush hits my cheeks for the second time tonight. And when I gaze at him, he looks so eager to buy me overpriced snack food
, I can’t help but nod. “I’d love some Sno-Caps.”
“Great.” He starts to get out of the car but stops when he notices I’m not moving. “Do you want to come with me?”
I snort. “That would be a hard no.”
Adam stares at my face. “Why? Is it because of the scar?”
And there it is, the elephant in the room—or rather, the car. I know he’s seen it, but he hasn’t mentioned it before. And just hearing him say the words makes me uncomfortable. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and nod.
“It’s why you’re wearing so much makeup tonight.”
I lower my brows and touch my fingers to my cheek, but don’t answer him. It wasn’t exactly a question anyway.
“You don’t need to cover it.”
I shake my head. “Of course I do.”
His fingers reach out and touch my cheek—my scarred cheek. Then, his hand starts to cup my face until his thumb reaches the angry, raised lines where the doctor cut and cut until I was afraid there’d be nothing left.
The pressure is gentle, yet unrelenting, as his thumb rubs over the ridges. The spot is tender since I didn’t take any medicine today. But he doesn’t know that, and I don’t tell him.
“No, you don’t,” he says. “You’re beautiful.”
There’s so much conviction in his voice, I want to cry. And when he starts to lean in, I know exactly what’s going to happen next. He’s going to kiss me. And I’m going to let him because I want this so bad it actually hurts.
My heart is pounding in my chest as his face gets so close I can feel his breath coming in quick bursts over my lips. His nose gently bumps mine, and I stop breathing while I wait for our lips to touch.
I close my eyes just before his mouth brushes mine.
Adam moves his lips, and oh. My. Goodness. This boy can kiss. I can taste the mint on his tongue as it dances with mine. It’s sweet and tender and everything I imagined kissing him would be. It’s more. I reach out to grab his shoulders just to keep myself grounded.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing heavily.
“Wow,” he says, resting his forehead against mine.
“Uh-huh.”
Then, he gently lifts my face so we’re looking at each other again. He says my name, and I like the way it sounds coming from his mouth.
I let out a contented sigh and close my eyes.
“What happened to you?”
My eyes snap open. “What?”
“I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but I can’t figure it out.” His fingers trace down my arm. “You’re fine everywhere else. Was it some kind of accident?”
My breath, which is still coming in shorts bursts from our kiss, comes faster. I wage an internal battle: I shouldn’t tell him. I want to tell him.
“You can trust me.”
I look into his eyes, and there’s so much truth there. This isn’t some mean girl trying to knock me down on the social ladder so she can take my place. It’s Adam, the boy who sees me. If I can tell anyone, it’s him.
I bit my lip. “It was melanoma.”
“What?” His brows lower.
“It’s a kind of skin cancer.”
He nods. “I know what it is.”
But he still looks confused. I squirm a little in my seat. “Okay, so if you know what it is, then why are you looking at me like that?”
He raises his brows. “You had a run-in with death, and you walked away with a scar. Do you know how insanely lucky you are? You should be taking advantage of your second chance, not hiding away because you’re embarrassed.”
My eyes water. I knew I shouldn’t have told him. Look at the way he’s reacting. I don’t understand it. He’s been so sweet and patient, and it’s like hearing I had cancer flipped some kind of switch.
Oh, crap.
Is that what his dad died from? I really don’t know. I was too busy to follow along with his drama when we were in school, and now I’m regretting it. It would explain his response to hearing my diagnosis, but it’s not like I can ask him now.
He rakes his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, this was a big mistake.”
“What was?”
He lets out a long breath. “I shouldn’t have asked you out. I shouldn’t have—” He stops and curses under his breath. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“Wait. You’re sorry for kissing me?”
“This”—he waves a finger between us—“is a bad idea for so many reasons. We should stop now before it’s too late.”
“I don’t understand.”
He turns in his seat so that he’s facing the steering wheel and turns the car back on. “I’m going to take you back home.”
My mouth opens and closes a few times, but no words come out. I don’t know if I’m mad at him for acting this way, or if I’m mad at myself for not knowing more about what happened with Mr. Price. I struggle to come up with the right thing to say as Adam pulls away from the drive-in, and down Main.
He doesn’t speak as we near North Sterling, and my heart beats faster the longer we stay silent. The only thing I say to him is the code when we get to my neighborhood since the gate is now closed for the night.
Adam parks in front of my house and keeps his eyes trained in front of him. I hesitate for a moment, waiting for him to give me something to work with, but he’s silent. A cold chill runs down my spine at the hard look on his face. He’s right, it’s better this way. If our relationship is doomed from the start, it’s better to end it before things get serious.
I’ve even almost convinced myself that I believe all that crap when I slam the car door and storm up the sidewalk to my house.
Chapter Nine
Adam
Once Rose is safely inside her house, I pound my hands on the steering wheel a few times.
This. Is. A. Mess. I punctuate each word with another smack.
What was I thinking taking her to the drive-in tonight? That was a mistake if I ever knew one. And then kissing her? That was full-blown stupidity.
Yes, I enjoyed the kiss. It was hands down the best one I’ve ever had. And the little sigh from the back of her throat when she grabbed onto my shoulders? I thought I might go crazy when she made that sound.
Then everything fell apart.
I was prepared to have her tell me she fell, or was in a car crash, or even that Martians came down and took a sample of her skin back to the mothership. But cancer? That was the worst possible thing for her to have, and not just because it was a risk to her life.
But because of my dad.
He didn’t have melanoma. It was colon cancer that took his life. And I guarantee that he, my mom, and I would be happy for his body to be scarred if that meant we got to spend some more time with him. I know he wouldn’t be hiding behind them like Rose.
I take a deep breath as I finally put the car into drive and make my way back home.
It only takes a few minutes, and Gisele is still on the front patio when I pull up. Like earlier, she’s staring at her phone. Her eyes flick to mine as I storm up the sidewalk. “That was fast.”
“Uh-huh,” I answer as I walk in and go straight to my room, not bothering to acknowledge my mom and her questioning look.
After quickly changing into a pair of board shorts and a rash guard, I grab my things and walk back out the front door. Night surfing isn’t something I usually do. But the sky is clear and there’s a full moon, so visibility is great even though the sun has already set. And I need to move, to lose myself in the rhythm of the water.
Gisele is still sitting outside, and when I start heading toward the public beach, she follows me.
“Wanna talk about it?” she asks.
“Not really.” I’m upset enough that I don’t think I actually care if she finds out about Rose any more, but I still don’t want to open up to Gisele. It’s not a good idea.
She sighs as she struggles to keep up with my fast pace. Even with the board tucked under my arm, I’m mo
ving quickly. “Do you want company?”
I lift my free shoulder. “I’ll be out in the water.”
“I can watch your stuff and make sure no one takes it.”
I snort. I doubt anyone is going to be walking the beach on a Tuesday night looking to snatch up keys and phones, but if it makes her feel better to play watch dog, I’m not going to tell her no. “Okay.”
She continues to stay beside me, even when her gait turns into a weird mix between speed walking and jogging. Thankfully, she stays quiet, and before I know it, we’re at the beach. Just feeling the sand on the bottom of my feet helps ground me. Without a bunch of people hanging out, the sound of the waves crashing is the only thing I can hear. Even though the time between swells changes, there’s something soothing about the constant nature of the water.
I stop and close my eyes, letting these familiar sounds calm me.
When I’ve relaxed enough, I open them again and set all the crap from my pockets in the sand. Gisele eyes them before sitting down in the sand next to them.
I look down at her. “You don’t have to stay, you know.”
“I know.” A corner of her mouth lifts into a smile. “But what if a riptide drags you out or a shark decides he’s got the munchies?”
I smile in return. I’m not really concerned about either, but at the same time, it’s good to know someone is looking out for me. “Sounds good. Thanks, Gisele.”
I don’t waste anymore time chatting, and go straight to the shoreline. With the sun below the horizon, the air is cooler. The first splash of water isn’t refreshing. It actually feels a little cold. But within minutes, I’ve paddled out and am riding the waves.
It’s a little longer before my mind goes to everything I learned about Rose tonight—and my reaction to it. Now that I’m out in the ocean, I feel like I might be overreacting. Or at the very least, she’s overreacting, by staying hidden inside forever just because of some scars.
Beauty and the Beach (Boys of Summer) Page 5
