Something There

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five:

"This place has gotten duller since we were here last time," Adriana comments as we walk down the boardwalk, passing by parents dragging their small kids around in strollers as well as teenagers running around screaming.

"I've yet to hear either one of you say anything nice since you've got here," Bryce tells the girls, and they both looked surprised by his honesty.

Their eyes are wide as they hold his gaze, but they both quickly shy away when he abruptly raises an eyebrow at them.

I smile a little at this, and Bryce notices as he reaches down for my hand, linking our fingers together.

I shift a little closer towards Bryce as we walk so that our bodies are pressed together at the side, and the way that Adriana and Addison are glaring at me doesn't go unnoticed.

I ignore them, enjoying the extra warmth I'm getting from being this close to Bryce.

Most of the snow from Christmas Day has melted, something that I'm not at all thrilled about, but today it's back down to a little below freezing point.

There's still enough snow on the ground for it to feel like the holidays, and I can't help but to feel nostalgia from when I was younger caused by our stroll downtown. It brings me back to memories of Charlie and I linking arms and skipping along the streets, our parents frequently reminding us to watch where we're going so that we wouldn't crash into anybody else.

It's a similar experience now, as Bryce and I are walking hand-in-hand with the twins laughing and chatting as they walk in front of us.

I know that I'm a little tuned out and lost in these memories, but I didn't realize that it was noticeable until Bryce gives my hand a squeeze.

"Are you all right, darling?" he asks me, and when I look up at him, there's a sort of sincerity in his eyes.

He has a perfect face. It's not even fair. Every single thing about him is perfect.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply with a reassuring smile, leaning the side of my head against Bryce's arm as we continue to walk, just for good measure.

He bends down to kiss my forehead and I grin at him, tightening my grip on his hand.

Bryce and I walk in silence for a little bit, following the twins around as they point to all the shops and restaurants, seeing which ones they can remember and which ones are new.

Our quietness is how I catch a comment that Adriana makes, but I wish I hadn't have heard it in the first place.

"You should let them be. They're super cute together. And they literally look at each other like they're waiting to rip each other's clothes off all the time," she says slyly, making her sister burst out laughing.

I look up to see Bryce biting his lip, giving me the hint that he probably overheard their conversation as well.

Great! Just swell! This is certainly not at all awkward.

"Neither of them have a filter, huh?" Bryce asks me softly, and I chuckle, nodding at him.

He smiles, tugging me a little closer to him, and I'm glad he's not bringing up what Adriana actually said.

I mean, she must be kidding. There's no way that he looks at me that way, not when he's made it very clear that he's not interested.

But then again, he doesn't seem to associate intimate things with actual relationships, seeing as from what I've heard, he's done a lot.