Page 24 of So Long, Honey
When he pulled away, I felt my body follow him, only for a soft laugh to tumble from his lips as he pressed another short kiss to mine. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more.”
I rolled my eyes at his ridiculousness, but instead, I was a ball of nerves.Did he like it? Was it okay?I had never kissed a boy before, and now… “if you hated that, I’m never going to celebrate my birthday ever again in my entire life.” My cheeks flushed.
“Rae,” Ryan wrapped his hands around my face. “You are perfect.” His words held conviction. To be so sure of everything he did and said must have been a wild feeling. One I couldn’trelate with, I was intelligent and quick with my words, but I had never met a person so aware of their strengths the way Ryan Cody was.
“Now eat,” he instructed. “I want you to show me what you usually do on your birthday so we can do something better.”
I scoffed at his teasing and turned back to my pancakes, only for him to stick his finger into the pile of whipped cream. Then he popped the cream-covered finger into his mouth with a smile so bright it made me feel like I was staring at the sun.
“Thank you for sticking your dirty fingers in my breakfast,” I laughed with a tiny shake of my head. As I ate, Ryan moved around to clean up the mess he had made, much to my surprise. I had expected to have to do it later before my parents got home. By the time I was finished, he was leaning against the counter with a pancake and a can of whipped cream.
“Watch this,” he laughed as he folded the pancake up like a taco and loaded it full of whipped cream before shoving it in his mouth.
“That was disgusting,” I watched him in bewilderment.
“You’re impressed, don’t lie.” Ryan smiled with full cheeks and a little wink that made my stomach do flips. “Go get dressed,” he said, leaning over the island and taking my plate.
I watched him for a moment before listening to him and finding my way upstairs. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a sweater that covered my arms. I looked down at my skin. There were a few new random purple bruises that I didn’t remember where they had come from. I scowled at them before tugging the sweater on and going to find Ryan.
He was slipping into his boots as I rounded the stairs to the front entrance, his hair falling messily in his face and his breathing labored.
“Are your ribs still bothering you?” I asked him as he straightened out and huffed a shaky breath with a small nod. “You should go get them looked at today,” I suggested.
“They’ll heal.” He shrugged and reached over to push a piece of rogue hair behind my ear. I swear, every time he touched me, my body flooded with heat. “Where first, Starlight?”
I thought about my last birthday and smiled, “do you trust me?” I asked him.
“I’d follow that mischievous smile over a cliff,” he responded without hesitation and extended his hand to me, wiggling his fingers.
We walked down through the gate into town after leaving my house. Ryan never strayed too far, and even as we reached Main Street, he never let go of my hand. Even when a few girls from class passed us, even as he waved and talked to some people in town, he held tight.
“In here,” I said to him as we reached the tiny shop.
Ryan’s eyes doubled in size as we wandered inside. The shop was lined with shelves, jam-packed with little glass and ceramic nicknacks that the world had deemed ugly or useless, all sitting here waiting to be loved.
Mrs. Bates was behind the counter, her wild blonde hair puffed up on top of her head, adding at least a foot of extra height to her tiny five-foot frame. She had always been a little scary, with pale skin and the voice of a lifetime smoker. It was a wonder she was even still alive, let alone running the shop by herself.
“Morning, Mrs. Bates,” I said to her in passing and she grumbled something under her breath. “This is Ryan,” I told her, even though she didn’t care to hear it. “Come on, the best part is over here.” I dragged him toward the left front window.
The display had never changed, and if she ever found the energy to do so, I’d probably cry because a bundle of glass suncatches hung from every possible hook. There had to be at least thirty of them, all catching the sun in the bay window that looked out onto main street. The sun peered through them, creating a confetti rainbow across the floor and walls.
Ryan watched me with curiosity, letting me spin in a circle and moving without effort to continue to hold my hand. His eyes roamed the walls and floors, landing on the collection of suncatchers with a smile.
“It’s incredible,” he said, “I didn’t even know this store existed.”
“Most don’t,” I shrugged. There’s something about it that makes me so happy—all these lost treasures, just begging to be found.”
Ryan stared at the side of my face as I turned to look at the hundreds of trinkets before me. Something about being lost in the store, with all the other forgotten pieces of art, soothed my soul and made me feel at home.
“Pick one out,” he said, and my head whipped to him.
“No, I just look,” I said to him, That was enough for me.
“Rae, pick one,” He insisted. “Or I’ll pick the ugliest one in the shop and give it to you as a present.” He teased, his fingers digging into my side and making me giggle.
“Be careful!” Mrs. Bates' froggy rasp echoed over the shop louder than I had ever heard her speak. “You break it, you buy it.” She slapped a sign that hung behind her on the wall with her cane, nearly hitting ten glass objects as she did.
“Okay, okay.” I pushed his fingers away from my ribs with a tiny huff. I wasn’t used to such affection, and it was overwhelming—like an adrenaline rush every time he touched me. After a good twenty minutes of wandering around, I finally found a tiny glass sculpture of an angel holding a moon. It was no bigger than a palm, but she was made of the prettiest light purple glass with flecks of white and blue throughout.