Page 189 of The Surprise Play

He seems surprised by the question, his eyebrows rising, his lips twitching until he starts to pick up just how serious I am.

His mouth bunches into a thoughtful pout and he nods, shifting to sit on the bed beside me. We’re now at eye level, and I force myself to turn and face him.

“When I look at you…” He clears his throat, licking the edge of his mouth before gazing at my face with this soft affection that’s going to undo me. “When I look at you, I see a girl—a woman—with a beautiful face and a smile that can knock me off my feet. I seriously love those plump lips of yours, baby. And the shape your mouth makes when you smile is…” He grins like he’s picturing it and loving the view.

My heart starts to pound, and I squeeze my index finger.

Glancing down, he lightly takes my hand, threading our fingers together.

“You’re shy. You don’t have a lot of self-confidence, and you like to hide, which I don’t always agree with. It kinda kills me when you say negative shit about yourself. I hate it when you put yourself down.”

My stomach knots, but I keep listening. I asked for the truth, didn’t I?

And I want both sides of it, the good and the bad; otherwise, it’s meaningless.

Wily lets out a soft sigh, looking kind of sad. “And the fact that you didn’t tell me you were going through a really hard time… didn’t tell me about those girls and what they’ve been doing to you. It…” His shoulder hitches. “It hurt my feelings.”

My lips part, and I can feel my forehead wrinkling in regret.

He leans forward, smoothing the lines away with his thumb. “I couldn’t protect you the way I wanted to because you didn’t tell me the truth. You didn’t let me in.”

“I’m sorry.” My whisper is so soft, guilt squeezing my stomach into a tight, painful ball.

He forgives me with a smile and a wink, then asks, “Can I keep going? This is fun.”

I give him a dubious frown, wondering if he knows what the wordfunactually means.

He grins and kind of bounces on the bed, his voice picking up. “When I look at you, I see kindness. It just oozes out of you, you know? You’ve got a really sweet spirit.” Cupping my face, he gazes into my eyes with a look that makes me want to swoon at his feet. “I see bright, intelligent eyes that look right into my soul. And I feel…so goodwhenever I’m around you. Like a better human or something. You never make me feel like a stupid idiot.”

“Because you’re not stupid. Or an idiot.”

Leaning back, he keeps studying me, his smile shifting to a look of wonder. “When I talk to you, you listen. You really listen, and you hear me. You treat me like I’m the most important person in the room, and it makes me feel like a million bucks, every single time. You don’t just want me because I’m good at football. You don’t care about status or any of that bullshit.”

My lips rise into an instant grin. “You are the most important person in my room. In this room. In any room I’m in.”

His blue eyes light with appreciation, and I let him take my other hand. He gazes down at our connection, rubbing his thumb softly across my palm. “There are so many things I love about you, Satch. There are so many wonderful things I see.”

I squirm in my fluffy socks, and he reaches for my hips, resting his hands on them.

“I get the sense that you’re needing to hear this stuff so you can reassure yourself that I’m actually into you. That I really do love you. And it’s true.” He looks up, catching my eye. “I’m not saying this just to make you feelbetter. You asked for the truth, and I’m giving it to you straight.”

I give him a weak smile. “You’re just so nice that I was worried you’d say anything to make me feel better. And I really need the truth from you right now.” My nose starts to tingle as I get to the last part. The hardest part. “And I believe that you love who I am as a person. And thank you.” I try to smile but can’t seem to form one. “But… what do you see when you look at my body?”

“What do you mean?” He tilts his head with a light frown.

“Come on, Wily. You’re so incredibly hot.” I point at his chest, indicating his entire body with a flick of my hand.

He glances down at himself, then up at me, his eyes rounding with a pointed look. “And you don’t think you are?”

“Of course not.” I laugh. “I’m… big!”

“No, you’re not, Shorty.”

I close my eyes, shaking my head at his teasing smile. “You know what I mean. I’m not skinny and pretty like all the other girls seem to be.”

“Satch.” He takes my hands again, giving them a little shake. “Open your eyes.”

“I don’t want to,” I mumble.