Starless Nights (Hale Brothers Series Book 2) by Kathryn Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

café, at a party, or once school started. I act like she doesn’t even exist, but she does.
    Every morning I look for her. I tell myself that I’m not going to, but then I do. It’s as if my brain goes on autopilot and no matter how many pep talks I give myself, the minute I pull into the school parking lot I am looking for her.
    On this particular day in October, the warning bell rings for Homeroom as Drew, our friends, and I head for the front door. I immediately spot Leila walking from the other direction. Her head is down and she doesn’t look as collected as she usually does. Something is wrong with her.
    Throughout the day I see her and each time she looks worse than the time before. I know that I shouldn’t, but seeing her this way, looking so distressed, it makes me feel very uneasy.
    Coming out of the guys’ locker room, I see her ahead of me in the hallway. Her posture hasn’t changed all day. Walking faster I catch up to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders pulling her close to me. She cringes, but just a little, and my side unexpectedly heats up from the contact. Quickly and silently I steer her into the school’s dark room for photography, close the door, and lock it.
    “What’s wrong with you today?” I ask her as I fold my arms over my chest and lean against the counter. She’s watching me very closely. Her eyes are swollen with dark rings underneath them.
    “I’ve been back now for five months and you haven’t spoken to me one time. Why should I tell you anything?” She’s angry and she’s right. I wasn’t thinking. I just reacted when I saw her in the hallway. Not once in this little move did I remember that I haven’t talked to her for almost three years. Anger and embarrassment hit me at the same time. I should walk out but seeing her eyes fill with tears, I just can’t.
    I don’t say anything back to her. There’s nothing to say. Her eyes leave mine and the tears roll down her face.
    Emotions of the heart are a funny thing. It doesn’t matter how badly she has hurt me, seeing her like this, it crushes me and causes me to temporarily forget everything.
    I gently pull her to me and she steps between my legs. Both of my hands wrap around her head as I tilt her face so she’ll look at me. Her crystal blue eyes are so clear, watery, and beautiful . Using my thumbs, I wipe away some of her tears.
    My heart is pounding in my chest. Being this close to her, touching her, makes me feel weak in the knees. I hate this physical reaction to her and want to grit my teeth.
    For a split second my eyes leave hers and drop down to her mouth. Her lips are parted and look so inviting. No, clearing that thought, my eyes travel over her face and back to her eyes.
    Watching me warily, slowly she leans forward and lays her head on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and memorize how it feels to hold this Leila, the sixteen-year-old Leila, who has curves, is gorgeous, and no longer mine.
    “You are so much taller,” she says quietly.
    Silence lingers in the air between us. I’m afraid to move, breathe, or talk, because even though we are here for her, no matter how much I hate to admit it . . . I need this too.
    “My grandmother died.” Her voice catches on the last word, my chest instantly aches.
    I tighten my hold. I’m not ready for her to pull back.
    “I didn’t know that you were close to her.” I don’t ever remember her talking about any other relatives besides Aunt Ella and her cousin Chase.
    “I wasn’t until we moved to Atlanta.”
    Atlanta.
    “That’s where you were, in Atlanta?”
    She hears the tone shift in my voice and stiffens underneath me.
    “Yes, we moved in with her.”
    “Why?”
    “Because, we had nowhere else to go.”
    For some reason it never occurred to me that they didn’t have another home to go to. The plan prior to the fire was to move over to the mainland. I had just assumed that’s where she was. All this time, I thought she was somewhat close when she