Page 62 of Hiding Forever
18
Nova
Riley and I ride down to the beach, coasting most of the way. Going back up will be a challenge because of the hills, but I’ll worry about that later.
We secure our bikes at the racks near the public beach access.
The breeze cuts through my open hoodie, feeling colder now that we’re by the water. Ocean waves crash in the darkened distance. I zip my hoodie up to my chin and shove my hands into my pockets.
“Cold?” Riley stuffs his hands into his pullover hoodie.
“Yeah. I love the weather here when it’s sunny, but the beach always makes me chilly.” My sneakers sink into the sand as we walk toward the sound of the ocean. “It’s darker than I thought it’d be out here.”
I glance up. The sky is clear, though, and stars twinkle like diamonds. One shoots across the sky. I gasp. “Riley, look! A shooting star. Quick—make a wish.”
I close my eyes and clench my fists.Please let this media circus around me pass and allow me to open up to love again without fear. Also protect Riley from whatever it is he’s hiding from.
“That was a long wish,” Riley says, amusement in his tone.
I shrug. “I wanted to get it right, and I added a wish for you, too.”
“You did?” His voice goes up with surprise.
“What? You didn’t wish anything for me?” I tease and walk parallel to the close-sounding waves.
“Uh…”
I laugh. “It’s okay, Riley. I’m teasing you.”
“Actually, my wish did involve you. I just wasn’t sure about sharing it.”
“Why’s that? Too dirty?” I tease him more.
“I was always told if you share a wish, it won’t come true.”
“I’ve heard that, but I don’t believe it.”
“No? Tell me your wish then.”
“Fine. I wished for the media about me to end, to be able to love again, and for you to be safe.”
He’s quiet for a moment, the dark outline of his head turned toward me as we walk in the sand. I feel his gaze boring into the side of my face.
Did my wish surprise him? “Your turn, unless you didn’t make a wish. In which case, shame on you for passing on such a rare moment.”
He chuckles, the deep and throaty sound so sexy I feel it in my chest and between my legs.Oh no.I’m in trouble.
He removes his wig and runs his hand through his grown-out hair, making me long to see how the strands fall around his features, but it’s just too dark.
“Well,” he says, “I wished I had reconnected with you before all this craziness happened in our lives.”
My heart melts in my chest like a Popsicle on a hot, sunny day. Riley makes himself irresistible without even trying. “Things happen at a certain time for a reason. Maybe we were different in the past and wouldn’t have liked each other. Maybe we’re getting close now because we can relate and help each other in a way we couldn’t before.”
“Damn, Nova,” he murmurs and stops walking as he rubs his hand over his heart.
“What?” I face him, turning against the wind so the strands of my wig blow behind me instead of in my face.
“You’re so different from anyone I’ve ever known.”