Chapter 9 #2
It’s a stupid thought, and it slips away as her hand closes around my arm and she tugs me toward my room. My heart wobbles, just for a second, before I realize why she wants to go in there. The window in Miles’s room always had the best access to the oak in the backyard.
As we reach the bedroom door, I say, “If you wanted to come in, you only had to use the special knock.” It was the signal she and Miles used to tell each other that it was time to sneak out. But the words came out a little husky.
Her snort is unflattering to my ego as she tugs me into the room and shuts the door behind us. She pauses to listen before turning toward the window, which is just beyond the head of the double bed.
I barely manage to suppress a groan when she climbs onto my bed without hesitation, then leans down and opens the window.
A puff of air escapes her as it creaks loudly.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper. “They’re old. They can’t hear well.”
“They hear very well when they care to,” she says, laughter crowding behind her words.
I slip on my workout sneakers while she peers out into the night.
A breeze blows through the window, tousling her hair as she looks over her shoulder at me, and with the moon’s faint glow filtering in, she looks otherworldly. For a second, I can only stare at her, my gaze traveling over her face.
Bianca’s always been pretty, with her big eyes and dark hair, but tonight her beauty feels like a punch.
“What’s the matter with you?” she whisper-hisses, gesturing furiously to the open window and the well-placed oak branch just beyond it. “We don’t have much time. They’re going to get suspicious.”
“You don’t think your grandmother will assume her matchmaking has worked if we sneak out together?”
Her smile is saucy as she says, “Maybe she’ll think you’ve taken advantage of me, and she’ll run up here with a rolling pin to defend my honor.”
I laugh. “Everyone who’s met you knows you’re more than capable of defending your own honor.”
She waves me toward the window again, and I climb onto the bed beside her, awareness flooding me as the mattress dips under my weight. Her knee is touching mine.
“Why do you want me to go first?”
Her smile curves upward. “So we can find out if the branch will hold. The good news is that if it doesn’t, you have medical staff on hand.” She shifts on the mattress, a motion that I feel throughout my body.
“Here goes nothing,” I murmur, then climb onto the window ledge. It’s oversized and used to seem roomy when we did this as kids. Now, I can barely fit.
I hear Bianca’s inhale as I reach for the branch and then jump as soon as I have it firmly in my grip. The branch sways, but I know it’s not going anywhere. This tree has existed for longer than our nonnas.
“Do you need help?” I call out to her, trying to pitch my voice low so the nonnas don’t hear.
The scowl she gives me would make flowers wilt. I lift up one palm, indicating I’d like a truce, and start climbing down.
I feel pretty good, surprisingly. Yes, my secret’s out, but I’m laughing with a pretty girl in the moonlight. There’s not a whole lot I can dislike about that.
I climb down several feet, using the bigger branches to bear my weight, the smaller ones for leverage, and jump the remaining distance, landing on a small pile of leaves.
Bless autumn and its messes.
I glance up to check on Bianca, and she hisses down, “Don’t you dare look up my dress.”
I laugh, but my blood stirs at the thought, and I can’t help but wonder what kind of underpants Bianca Murphy wears. Would they be sturdy and serviceable, as practical and no-nonsense as she so often is? Or is this one of the areas in life where she allows herself to play?
Something really has gotten into me tonight, because I’d like to find out.
She lands on the leaves gracefully, her shoulders shaking a little with restrained laughter.
I roll my hand through the air in an exaggerated flourish, like a butler on an over-the-top TV show, and present my palm to her. “Can I help you up, Dr. Death?”
Rolling her eyes at me, she nonetheless accepts my help, her smaller hand gripping mine firmly. A leaf clings to her hair, and my fingers drift up to liberate it. Her hair is soft and thick, and for half a second my hand lingers.
Her lips part, and I’m sure she’s about to tell me off—or maybe remind me that she thinks I’m a bad kisser and she doesn’t give second chances.
But the front door creaks, and her big eyes seem to get even larger in the night.
“Come on.” Still gripping my hand, she starts pulling me toward her car—a serviceable Subaru.
As we reach it, parting ways so she’s on the driver’s side and I’m on the passenger side, a large figure emerges onto the dark porch. By mutual silent agreement, we both crouch, trying to stay out of view.
“Bianca?” Theo calls out, scratching his head. “Why are you crouching by the side of your car?”
She doesn’t respond to him. Instead, I hear the distinct click of the car doors unlocking, followed by the driver door slowing creaking open and the slide of Bianca getting into the car.
She’s trying not to laugh but not succeeding all that well, and there’s a smile on my face as I climb into the passenger side.
“Oh, come on,” Theo moans, stalking toward the porch steps. “I was with them all day. All day. You have no idea—”
She starts the car and rolls down her window. “I love you! You’re the best big brother ever. We’ll be home in a couple of hours.”
He gives her the finger, his eyes straying to me with what looks like suspicion.
I wave, and his middle finger rotates toward me.
“I think he meant that for both of us,” I say as Bianca backs up and then drives down the gravel road, rocks spitting up behind us.
“Oh, he definitely did,” she replies with a grin.