Again, he traces my back with his fingertips, makinggoose bumps rise along my skin. His eyes seem to search mine, though for what, I’ve no idea. Then his hand wraps around the back of my head, and he pulls me in, pressing his mouth to mine.
His lips are soft and warm, his beard ticklish against my skin. I hold tighter to him, hugging his neck like I’ll never let go.
When he pulls away from our kiss, his mouth is quirked into a smile. Softly, he says, “I have a surprise for you.”
Chapter 27
Cairn
LYRA SITS IN THE MIDDLE of my bed, draped in another one of my sweaters. She looks slightly comedic, like she’s no more than a head poking out of what appears to be a big puddle of knit fabric. Her crimson gaze follows me as I go to my closet and pull out a small brown box with a red ribbon wrapped around it and knotted into a bow.
With the box in my hands, I suddenly feel a twinge of nervousness, perhaps even embarrassment.
Is this ridiculous? I’m not so sure she even likes gardening.
I’m doubting myself now, worrying that she’ll open the little box and the excitement will vanish from her eyes, replaced with disappointment or even pity.
Well, she does still have another semester and a half worth of community service, I think, comforting myself with the logical approach to my gift.So, they’ll be helpful either way.
“Cairn?” shesays from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder. She’s still sitting in the middle of my bed, legs crossed, damp hair woven into a chunky braid that hangs down her back.
Too late now.
I already told her I had a surprise for her, and her crimson gaze flicks to the package held in my hands, so there’ll be no going back.
I turn away from the closet and cross the bedroom, then take a seat on the edge of the bed. The mattress dips beneath my weight. “It’s not much,” I say, still holding the little box. “When I saw them, I thought of you.”
With some reluctance, I hold the box out to her.
She takes it with a level of carefulness that reminds me of when she was transplanting the sniffleblooms. I can see in her the ability to be calm, balanced, in control. She might not yet see it in herself, but I know it’s there.
Lyra cradles the box in her lap. For a moment, she just stares down at it, and as my nervousness mounts, I wonder what she’s thinking. I hope she’s not expecting much... If she is, the gift will most certainly be a disappointment.
I twiddle my thumbs in my lap and hope she can’t hear the rapid galloping of my heart.
Her fingers find the red ribbon, and they brush it softly. She pulls it loose in slow motion, letting the silky material fall into a spiral around the box. Then she lifts the lid and peers inside.
Oh, she’s going to hate them. Such a bad choice. I should’ve just gotten her chocolate instead.
She blinks. She tips her head. She reaches into the box and withdraws the gloves, holding them up in the dim golden candlelight illuminating the bedroom.
“Gardening gloves?” she asks with a curious lilt to her voice.
Nodding, I clear my throat. “They’re charmed with magic to be fireproof. So... no more catching the greenhouse on fire.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. I intended for them to come out like a joke, but I’m not sure I nailed the delivery.
But Lyra’s eyes glitter, and she looks back down at the gloves with a new sort of appreciation.
“They’re fireproof?” she whispers.
I nod again.
She clasps them to her chest, and this time when her eyes meet mine, they’re twinkling with moisture. “They’re perfect, Cairn.”
I blink in surprise. “Really? You... like them?”
