Something In Between: Sequel to On The Edge of Tomorrow

Chapter 33

"Yeah." He rolled away and gazed at the ceiling again. "I should call Sarah."

"What happened there?"

"Oh, I don't know." A hand sunk into his hair. "She's just so comfortable with people approaching her, and I'm so..."

"Awkward, off-putting, unwelcoming?"

"Thank you, very mature," he shot at me.

"I try," satisfaction permeated my voice.

"I don't know. I'm not sure how I feel about someone comfortable with celebrity. And clearly, she's not sure how to feel about me," he admitted.

"I think she's great for you. You can't hide. It'll make people dig." The word dig made my tongue sour, and I had to shake it off.

"Really? This from shadow girl," he teased.

"Hey, like you always say, you made a choice. It seems like Sarah may help you with it."

He let out a sigh.

"Billy," I reluctantly began down a path I had been avoiding me. "Explain us to me."

His hand hung on his neck as he mulled over my question. "I love you, Lil. It's not like anything I've ever felt, and I don't expect to feel it for anyone else."

"Is it romantic?" I pressed.

As he prepared to catch his falling head, his elbows smashed into his thighs. His hands twisted deep into his nest of wiry hair.

"There are moments..." he began, but abruptly stopped. "I don't understand a lot. I understand music, but even the lyrics part."

"Mixed-up confusion," I offered.

"Man, it's a-killin' me," he finished, without lifting his down-turned face as his dimples appeared. "There are moments with you when..." He shook his head as he fought for the words. "I don't know. It feels like the universe was made for me. Everything is perfectly aligned."

"What moments?" I asked.

"Your laugh; the real one that hits really high and then fades out. Or when you lean into my side. It's like you're supposed to be there." I could see more rolling in his mind behind his eyes, but the words wouldn't form full thoughts. "It's our love; you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Our love made sense. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Explain Sarah to me," I softly requested.

His hands dropped from his forehead and slacked between his legs. "She's something, that's for sure." He let out a laugh.

"Yeah," I smiled at the change in his demeanor.

"She's unreal. I mean, everyone knows she's beautiful, but that's not even it. She has this confidence that I crave. She could tell me I don't need to breathe, and I'd hold my breath until I was in the grave."

"Um, scary,"

"Very scary. It's like a spell. From deep inside me, I want her; it's a desire I've never felt. There's never enough. The way her lips move around words and her fingers flutter when she talks. Everything about her is..."

"Tailor-made for you?" I suggested.

"Is that possible?"

"I think it's likely. It would be incredibly unfair for you to be created with this talent and not have something or someone to make the life fit."

"Yeah, but she's otherworldly. I can string a couple of lines together and sell a few records, but she can glance over her shoulder and cause a three-car pile-up." His skepticism filled him as his gaze finally fell on me, hopeful for the answers.

"Why are you looking at me? You're the one doing the talking," I objected.

"I'm in love with her," He murmured to himself in disbelief.

"Yeah, you are," I agreed.

"It doesn't change us." He grasped my hand in urgency. "I'll always protect our love."

"I have never doubted that for a moment. We'll take care of us together and find our way, but we can't let this stop our lives. You have fallen in love and..."

"So have you," Billy finished.

"Yeah, I have," I admitted.

"Okay, get out." Billy shooed me.

"What?" Panic rose in me, but he didn't sound mad.

"I got to call a girl, and I don't need you mocking me in the background."

I smiled to myself. "Bet this isn't where you thought you were headed fifteen minutes ago," I laughed.

"I learned long ago never to commit to a plan when you're around, Lil."

I pulled myself up and headed towards the door.

"Maybe you should call the boy," he called after me.

"I'm scared," I admitted.

"Don't be scared. He's still into you," Billy groaned.

"No, it just..."

Billy's head cocked to the side. "Lil, I know I've sucked at the friends thing."

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," he assured. "We'll protect our love."