Careless and Reckless — Chapter 51

I squirm anxiously in my seat as Wyatt carries on speeding down the almost empty road. It's not that I am worried about the situation at hand because I've come to trust Wyatt a great deal but I don't like surprises, I never have.

When I was ten my mum tried to throw me a surprise party and it was one of the worst days of my life. I was so scared because when I walked into my house after school a clown jumped out of nowhere, honking his fake red nose and dancing like there were snakes in his trousers. I screamed and I actually pissed my pants. Needless to say, I've been terrified of clowns ever since.

We make idle chitchat in the car because Wyatt refuses to tell me where we're going despite my numerous attempts. After another five or so minutes he parks the car but since it's a regular outdoor car park it doesn't give me any clues about where we're going.

"Come on, Wyatt, just tell me," I whine like a child as we both get out of the car. He walks over to me and takes ahold of my hand so he can lead us in the right direction.

He shakes his head and laughs lightly. "No can do, green eyes, you'll find out in a few minutes anyway," he says, lacing our fingers together, protecting my non-gloved hand from the chilling wind.

Wyatt leads us through the mildly busy streets that hum with the buzz of light traffic. I recognise this place, it's near the outskirts of the city but I can't for the life of me pinpoint where we're going.

I'm sure it's obvious but I'm absolutely atrocious with directions and Wyatt knows this. I get lost basically everywhere I go so trying to wrack my brain for answers is utterly useless if I'm honest.

Once we start to near a much busier area, Wyatt covers my eyes with a soft yet rough hand. We walk like that for a few minutes, probably looking extremely strange to the rest of the public.

I notice when we enter a building, Wyatt taking extra care so that I don't knock myself or my injured right arm. "You can look now," he murmurs gently into my ears, removing his large hand.

It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the harsh artificial lighting but when they do I can feel excitement as well as terror wash over me.

"Ice skating?" I splutter out, shocked. He nods, a lopsided grin etched into his perfect features which makes my heart flutter and elephants stomp around in my stomach. "Isn't that a bad idea with my broken arm and all?" I ask, gesturing to the cast, doing my absolute best to hide my inner flustered self.

Wyatt leads us to the short queue of people as he shakes his head, that gorgeous grin not leaving his face. "Nah, I'm pretty good at ice skating, if I do say so myself, so I'll be able to keep your clumsy, directionless self out of trouble. Besides, it'll be fun."

The look of excitement shining in Wyatt's eyes makes my resolve crumble much too quickly. "Fine but just so you know, I've never been ice skating before," I tell him with a sigh as we reach the front of the queue and grab our skates.

"You'll love it," he assures me as we make our way down the stairs to the entrance of the rink and put our skates on.

Surprisingly, they're not too difficult to walk in but it's when we get on the ice that the real challenge will begin and having a broken arm doesn't make it much easier.

Wyatt clasps my hand firmly in his much larger one as we get on the ice and I can immediately feel my legs beginning to wobble so I instinctively clutch onto Wyatt harder who seems unfazed by the new medium we're on.

He guides us to the edge so I can hold onto the side and collect myself. "Relax, green eyes, I'll be with you every step of the way and by the end of today you'll love skating, I promise," he says in a warm tone, conviction in his voice.

I shakily nod my head, still anxious on the ice but wanting desperately to learn because everyone around me looks so happy and free as they move around without a care in the world.

"Great," he smiles. Wyatt carries on talking and explains to me what to do, just the basics: how to move and how to stop, it doesn't seem that difficult.

We start with me holding onto the edge of the rink, moving slowly, Wyatt by my side and after a while of doing this Wyatt takes my hand from the side and guides me slightly further away so it's just out of my reach. "It's way better to practice without the railing, you'll learn so much more quickly but if it makes you feel better I'll hold your hand so you don't fall."

His hand is warm and comforting as he guides me across the ice, holding on extra tight each time I stumble. "You're starting to get the hang of this, green eyes. Guess I'm a pretty good teacher," he smirks after we've been skating around for an hour or so but there's something charming about it this time, something I can't quite explain.

I playfully roll my eyes at his cockiness but, in all honesty, he's right. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Big Head." That's the best you got? Come on, Ari, your insults are usually way better than that.

"Well, that's not the only thing that's big," Wyatt grins mischievously and I jokingly hit him on the shoulder.

Around two more hours pass and I can confidently say that I can ice skate — kind of. I mean, I'm not perfect but at least I can stand up and move around without falling or stumbling.

It's around half past eight by the time we leave and start the short walk to Wyatt's car, our hands clasped together, swaying back and forth.

"Thanks for making me do this, Wyatt, I had a lot of fun," I say in a cheery voice as I look at the beautiful, clear sky, twinkling stars shining through the thick blanket of darkness.

The patter of our feet can be heard as we walk down the almost bare pavement, spotting people here at this hour a rarity. "Anything for you, green eyes. I'm glad you had fun," he smiles, his striking blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

They're so captivating, I could spend hours getting lost in the deep pools of his eyes or running my fingers through his coffee coloured locks that appear slightly lighter in the moonlit sky. I don't know what has been going on but, lately, he's all that's been on my mind, consuming my thoughts and making it ridiculously hard to concentrate.

And tonight. How do I explain it? Each of our interactions has been making my heart flutter. Every time he smiles it skips a beat and every time he laughs my stomach flips. It's a foreign feeling that I've never experienced before. I know this isn't how you feel around a friend but I didn't feel like this around James either. Is it possible that this is more than that?

I thought I would never experience anything like this again but it's so much more than before. What James and I had can't hold a candle to this. It puts all my previous feeling to shame. It's this liberating and joyous sensation that I can't explain and I never want it to end.

Is it possible?

Could this be?

Do I like Wyatt? Or perhaps something even more?

By the time we reach his sleek, onyx car, I can feel my heart hammering in my rib cage as my mind swirls with countless conclusions, all of which make my head spin. Now isn't the time to worry about this. It's going to have to wait until later.

Wyatt walks me to my side of the car but instead of opening it he puts himself between me and the door so my back is pressed the cool brick of a nearby building. There's a look in his eyes that I've seen only a few times before. Every time I've noticed it in the past he has masked it quickly but this time he doesn't, it's glistening in his eyes plain as day.

He speaks to me in a low whisper, the tone alone sending shivers down my spine. "You know, you look absolutely breathtaking tonight."

His compliment warms me, sending a wave of goosebumps down my arms but it's also baffling. I don't look that nice today if I'm being honest. My hair is up in a haphazard ponytail; the concealer I put on this morning has probably all come off; my arm is in a freaking cast and I'm pretty sure I'm twitching every now and then because I've been trying to give up this goddamn smoking addiction my idiotic self managed to develop.

I think Wyatt can sense my confusion because he chuckles lightly, the sound rumbling in his chest which has been moving slightly closer to my own over the last few moments. "You don't have to dress up to look beautiful, green eyes, I thought you would've realised that by now. That adorable smile on your face when you laugh or are just happy is more stunning than anything else. Not to mention those bright green eyes of yours that put emeralds to shame or the cuteness of your short height which you always get super defensive about even though it's actually perfect," he trails off, seemingly lost in thought.

He shakes his head slightly, clearing his throat. "What I'm trying to say is, you looking happy with moon shining down on you and the stars twinkling in your eyes is the most captivating sight," he breathes, causing my heart to beat so hard and fast I can feel it in my throat.

The truth of the matter is that he looks a thousand times more perfect than I ever could and it's not just his looks that beguile me but his undeniable sense of charm and unique personality as well. This boy has so many layers to him, each more appealing and alluring than the last, making it impossible to look away for even a second.

I want to tell him this, to confess my feelings but the words are lodged tightly in my throat so, instead, I bring my eyes to his momentarily before dropping them to scan every inch of his face under the minimal lighting of a nearby lamppost. Without thinking, they fall to his lips, looking more inviting than ever before, their soft pink hue reminding me of a red velvet cupcake or strawberry ice cream.

Involuntarily, I bite my own to keep myself from licking them in anticipation. Slowly, I can feel him leaning in, bringing our bodies even closer together, our faces centimetres apart. His hot breath fans across my face as he pauses in his advance and meets my eyes to see if this is what I want.

It's more than that. This is what I need.

He must find what he's looking for because within moments his eyes drop to my lips and he's leaning in once again.

My mind flashes to before when we were in a similar situation at his house but Nathan interrupted us and when we were at the hospital and my doctor did the same thing. This time is so similar yet there are two key differences:

One. No one interrupts us

Two. Our lips meet.

Words can't begin to describe what I feel in that moment, the overwhelming feeling of bliss and euphoria taking over my body, making me pull Wyatt closer by tugging on his wavy locks.

His lips are gentle and soft as they caress mine passionately and lovingly in a way that has me longing for breath but not willing to let him go, needing him to carry on like he's my last lifeline. His lips are a drug and after just one taste I'm already addicted. I could definitely get used to this being a regular occurrence.

Much too soon, we part for air and Wyatt whispers huskily to me through short gasps of breath. "That was even better than I remember."

"What do you mean?"

He breathes out a quiet laugh as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear and lifts my chin up with his thumb and index finger so I meet his eyes. "You probably don't remember but we actually kissed the night we met," he tells me and I can feel my eyes go wide in shock and confusion.

"It was all on you but you were pretty drunk to be fair. I don't really know what happened but you randomly came up to me and started snogging me like there was no tomorrow. Normally I wouldn't be comfortable with that kind of thing but something about you was different to other girls. Then, right when things were getting heated, you ran away. That was strange seeing as you instigated the whole thing but it only piqued my curiosity more.

I thought that would be the last I ever saw of this stunning girl but you ended up running into me later on that night, literally, and the rest is history," he smiles.

Flashes from that night come rushing back to me and I can't help the flush of my cheeks. "Wait, let me get this straight. We kissed and you never told me? Why didn't you mention that the next day?"

He has that adorable lopsided grin on his face as he replies which makes me melt on the inside, any previous annoyance vanishing instantly. Stupid Wyatt being able to stop me being mad. "Just didn't seem important," he shrugs. "Besides, I liked having my own little secret about you, green eyes."

I just roll my eyes, not sure what to say.

He leans in and kisses my forehead lightly, my whole face heating up even more than before. "You look cute when you blush," he comments and now I just want to die of embarrassment because my cheeks get impossibly pinker.

"Shut up," I say, hiding my face behind my hair as I step around him and get in the car.

"Only if you make me," he smirks, getting in as well.

My mind begins to race as he starts the engine because it's only just dawning on me.

I kissed Wyatt.

I made out with him.

And I liked it...

...a lot.

~*~*~