Love Is Blind by Claudia Lakestone Read Free Book Online Page B

place?  I’ve been to this park tons of times and had no idea this hill was back here.  By the looks of it, not too many other people know about it, either.”  I could see a few people off in the distance but for the most part, Chris and I were alone.
    Chris sat down in the lush green grass with a self-satisfied smile on his face.  “ I found this place when I was a kid playing hide and seek with my sister.  After that she and I came here every year to watch the fireworks,” he said.  “Back before I decided I was ‘too cool’ to hang out with her, that is.”  I could hear the regret in his voice.
    “It sounds like you two were close.”
    “We were.”
    Above us, the sky erupted with colorful bursts of blue, silver and fuchsia. 
    “That sounded like a good one,” Chris said after the pops of the fireworks had died down.
    “It was beautiful,” I breathed, leaning back on my hands so I could gaze up at the darkened sky.  “I wish…”
    “What?”
    “I wish you could see it,” I said sadly. 
    Chris wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.  “Don’t be sad,” he murmured in my ear, his voice quiet and authoritative.  “I want to hear you smiling – I can hear it in your voice, you know.  If you don’t smile for me, I’ll have no choice but to tickle you.”
    “Oh is that so?” I asked, smiling despite myself. 
    “You’re not smiling hard enough.”
    “I’m not?”
    “Nope, sorry…must tickle now!” 
    Chris still had his arm around me.  He tightened it, holding me in place.  He slid his other hand up my arm and then began to tickle me.  I laughed and struggled in vain to get away, kicking off one of my sandals in the process.
    Since I couldn’t get away, I did the only other reasonable thing possible:  I tickled him back.
    Pretty soon Chris and I were both laughing hard.  My stomach hurt and I could barely catch my breath.  He was doubled over and I could see tears streaming down his face each time a firework went off, illuminating everything around us in bursts of gold and silver.
    “Ok, ok,” Chris finally relented, letting go of me and holding his hands up in surrender.  “I think I might pee myself if you keep tickling me and that would be super embarrassing, so…truce?”
    I loved that about him.  He had no qualms whatsoever about cracking stupid and sometimes even self-derogatory jokes just to make me smile.  He was the carefree, silly person I’d always wished I could be.  It was pretty remarkable, considering what he was up against, not to mention all he’d lost. 
    He’d probably had it easy before his accident – he was tall and good looking and, I imagined, had the world at his fingertips.  But now it would be so easy for him to be bitter and angry.  Instead, he was just…Chris.
    I don’t know what came over me, but once our laughter died down I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his waist.  It totally wasn’t like me to be so forward but there was something about that night that seemed magical, and if you can’t do something uncharacteristic on a magical night then when can you?
    I leaned my head against Chris’s chest.  It felt safe and warm there, like I was sheltered from the cruel, ugly world.  I could hear his heart beating.  I closed my eyes and breathed him in, feeling my own heart race as well. 
    “Hey.” 
    His voice was gentle.  His fingertip was under my chin, gently prompting me to lift my head.  I did and then Chris lowered his.  Our lips met and for me, anyway, time stood still.  No one had ever kissed me before – no one had wanted to. 
    Chris had probably kissed millions of girls before his accident (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little) because he was good at it.  He was really good at it.
    I felt myself come alive under his touch.  Though I was apprehensive at first, afraid I might do something wrong, he was gentle and insistent.  His lips caressed mine as his hand found its way into my