Page 1 of The Lilac River

Prologue

Can’t Help Falling in Love – Haley Reinhart

Nash

The first time I saw her; I almost dropped my pencil.

One minute I was almost asleep in history class, half-listening to Mr. Connelly drone on about the Civil War and half-dreaming about football practice. The next, the door swung open, and there she was.

New girl. Big blue eyes. Nervous smile. A sundress that made the whole damn world tilt.

She didn’t just walk into that room. Shearrived. Like the first warm wind after a bitter winter.

She looked right at me.

And just like that, I knew. I was screwed. And I didn’t even care.

My spine locked up. My hands went clammy. I shifted in my seat, suddenly feeling about a hundred degrees too hot and a whole lot too tall for the desk I was slouched in. Around me, a few kids snickered, probably because I sat up straighter than I had all year. Small-town classrooms didn’t get new faces often, especially not ones that looked like that.

Mr. Connelly coughed. “Class, this is Lily Jones. She’s joining us from Vermont. Lily, you can grab any empty seat.”

She gave a tiny wave, cheeks pink like sunset, then started scanning the room. Her eyes skipped over the back row, then the middle, and I swear I forgot how to breathe.

Come this way.Please. Come this way.

And like the universe owed me a win for every crap day I’d ever had, she walked straight toward me.

The chair next to mine screeched as she pulled it out. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the nerves rolling off her in waves, and I caught a hint of something sweet—like peaches or vanilla—and I swear my brain flatlined.

I leaned back in my seat like I was chill, tossed my pencil onto my desk, and gave her my best lazy smile. “You can sit there if you want,” I said, like she hadn’t just clearly chosen it already.

Her lashes fluttered. She slid into the seat. “Thanks,” she whispered, barely audible.

God, her voice was soft. Sweet like the last sip of lemonade on a hot day. It settled over my skin like a summer breeze, and I had to stop myself from leaning closer.

“First day’s always the worst,” I said casually, linking my fingers behind my head. It made my biceps look good, and yeah, I was playing it up. “Lucky for you, you’re already sitting next to the coolest guy in school.”

Her eyes flicked to mine, startled, then dropped to her desk. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, like she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to laugh or run for the hills.

“Coolest guy, huh?” she murmured, fiddling with the strap of her bag.

“Without question,” I grinned. “Name’s Nash, by the way. QB1 for the team…if you’re interested.”

“Lily,” she whispered back, as if I didn’t already know. “Sorry, you already know that.”

“I do, Lily,” I repeated, letting her name roll around my mouth like a secret. It fit her. Pretty. Soft. Dangerous.

“It’s pretty,” I added. She blushed from her neck up, and my heart did a little stutter. “It suits you.”

She looked down at her desk again, and for a second, I wanted to reach over and tuck her hair behind her ear just so I could see her face again.

Before I could say anything else, Mr. Connelly called us to attention and started rattling off something about Fort Sumter or Abraham Lincoln or whatever, but I didn’t hear a damn word.

I was too busy sneaking glances at the girl sitting beside me. At the way she chewed her lip when she was nervous. At the faint freckles dusting her nose. At the curve of her wrist and the way her elbow kept brushing mine, it was like even fate couldn’t stand to keep us apart.

It was just a seat. Just a moment.

But it felt like the start of everything.