Chapter Sixteen - Lucky
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
With gentle fingers, Becca begins to apply the makeup remover to my face. I close my eyes and sit still, a comfortable silence settling between us.
It’s not lost on me, the gravity of what she’s just shared, the trust she’s placed in me. It burrows into my chest, and I almost blurt out my own secrets.
I almost tell her about the nightmares and the panic attacks, about why I have to win this competition . . . but I press my lips together and swallow the words. Not yet . . . not yet.
After my face is covered in a layer of cold cream, Becca wets the hand towel with warm water. “Now, we just wipe it clean,” she says, handing me the towel.
As she looks at me, something snaps inside my chest.
“Will you do it, Holly G?” I blurt out. “If this stuff gets in my eyes, you’re gonna see a whole different side to Lucky DeLucca.” Humor, as always, is my shield.
“Such a baby,” Becca murmurs, but she steps closer and begins wiping my face with the warm cloth.
My breath catches in my throat, and as I watch her, I feel it again, that rush of adrenaline that I felt in the car.
My hands are tingling, and for a moment, I allow myself the thought of what would happen if I reached up and gripped her waist, pulling her even closer.
A warm chill skips across my skin, and I shiver.
Becca leans in a little closer, concentrating on my face, and all I can think about is kissing her. I want to kiss her. Badly.
I want to feel her skin beneath my fingertips as I tip her head back and explore her mouth. I want the taste of her on my tongue, and I want her perfect, pink lips moving in time with mine.
But I hold my breath instead, trying not to notice the way her dark lashes pull me in or how cute the slight upward curve of her nose is. God, I want to kiss her.
Just as I make up my mind to do it, she steps back.
“There,” she says with a smile. “I got most of it, but you’ll want to wash your face a few times with regular soap to get the remnants.”
“Thanks, Holly G,” I say, my voice raspy and strangled-sounding. She doesn’t seem to notice, though, and relief shoots through me.
She slips out the door, giving me the privacy of the bathroom, and I slump against it, resting my forehead on the wood.
Such a goner, I remind myself. And this time, with my heart doing a strange twist, it’s not funny at all.
—
“Dude.” I breathe out, keeping my voice low. “Is it just me, or are we getting the cold shoulder?”
Becca eyes the other finalists. They’ve been keeping their distance ever since we arrived back at the designated meeting spot, and while I’m not normally the type of guy who cares to read the room, it’s pretty obvious that no one is super happy to see us.
“It’s not just you,” she whispers back. “I told you, I don’t think they’re happy that we won the challenge.” She frowns.
“It’s a competition,” I point out, a little annoyed. Even Ziven isn’t his usual joking self. “It’s all part of the game.”
“Yeah, well. It’s not just a competition, Lucky. 100,000 dollars is a lot of money. I think they’ve just figured out we’re a real threat to them winning it.”
“They better get used to it,” I say, a little louder this time. I don’t care at all if the other finalists hear me. “Team Bucky isn’t going to back down.”
Becca rolls her eyes. “I really wish you’d stop saying that.”
“What? That we’re going to win?”
“No. Team Bucky. I don’t mind the winning part.” Half of her mouth lifts in a smile, and I’m back to thinking about how much I want to kiss those full lips of hers. It’s the same thought that’s been bouncing back and forth in my brain like a ping-pong ball since the bathroom at Jan’s.
“Finalists!” Dozer booms, calling everyone to attention. “The challenge here in Roswell is concluded, but as part of today’s festivities, you all have been invited to ride a float in tonight’s light parade!”
He steps back to indicate a huge trailer behind a truck, both of which are decked out in neon-colored lights. The driver, who’s wearing an alien mask, throws up a peace sign and grins.
Becca lets out a little squeal. “I love parades! I’ve always wanted to be in one!” She bounces up and down on the balls of her feet, and it’s so damn cute my brain goes right back to the whole kissing idea.
I scrub a hand down my face.
One of the Starlight guys is walking around with a box of glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets, so I distract myself by grabbing a few.
Becca’s whole face lights up as she cracks the center of a neon-purple crown, shaking it to make it glow, and then plops it on her head with a smile that nearly sends me to my knees.
Laughing, I follow suit, adding my own crown and a few bracelets as well. The other finalists seem to be as into the parade idea as we are, and as they decorate themselves with glow stick bracelets and headbands, the weird vibe I’d felt earlier fades away—at least for now.
We’re all standing there next to the float, waiting to get on it, when my phone starts vibrating in my pocket. I pull it out and see a ton of notifications rolling in.
Becca’s phone keeps dinging every few seconds, and the other finalists have their phones out, too.
“Voting must be over,” Ross mutters, and it’s honestly the first time I’ve heard him speak at all.
Thanks to thoughts of Becca living rent-free in my mind, I’d completely forgotten about the voting. That’s why the Starlight people gave us a few hours after the challenge—so they could edit and air the costume contest footage and open the voting to the public.
“Wow.” Skai whistles and points at her own phone. “Ross, look—we’re in third.”
Next to them, Sean and Iris share a look and then high-five. Ziven, who’s leaning over Evie’s shoulder, lets out a booming laugh and then looks directly at me.
I’m about 2.5 seconds away from asking him what his deal is when I catch a glimpse of Becca, her finger frozen above her phone. Her entire face has fallen.
“Holly G?” The feeling blooming in my chest is one of dread.
She looks up, and what I see in those chocolate brown eyes of hers makes my stomach flip over.
“We . . .” She starts and then swallows. “Lucky, we’re last.”