Fallen 2. Torment(97)
and she couldn't stop grinning.
"How crazy is it that I can walk from the ledge outside my window to yours?"
Luce shook her head, stunned too. She'd never even been to Miles's room on the
boys' side of the dorm. She didn't even know where it was.
"See?" His smile broadened. "If you hadn't been grounded, we never would have
known. It's really pretty out here, Luce; you should come out. You're not scared of
heights or anything?"
Luce wanted to go out on the ledge with Miles. She just didn't want to be
reminded of the times she'd been out there with Daniel. The two of them were so
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different. Miles--dependable, sweet, concerned. Daniel--the love of her life. If only it
were that simple. It seemed unfair, and impossible, to compare them.
"How come you're not at the beach with everyone?" she asked.
"Not everyone's down at the beach." Miles smiled. "You're here." He waved the
cornucopia of flowers in the air. "I brought these for you from the dinner. Shelby's got all
those plants on her side of the room. I thought you could put these on your desk."
Miles shoved the wicker horn through the window at her. It was brimming with
the glossy orange flowers. Their black stamens shivered in the wind. They weren't
perfect, a few were even wilting, but they were so much lovelier than the larger-than-life
peonies Francesca had made bloom. Sometimes beautiful things come into our lives out
of nowhere.
This was maybe the nicest thing anyone had done for her at Shoreline--up there
with the time Miles had broken into Steven's office to steal the book so he could help
Luce learn how to step through a shadow. Or the time Miles had invited her to have
breakfast, the very first day he met her. Or how quick Miles had been to include her in his
Thanksgiving plans. Or the utter absence of resentment on Miles's face when he'd been
assigned garbage duty after she'd gotten him in trouble for sneaking out. Or the way
Miles ...
She could go on, she realized, all night. She carried the flowers across the room
and set them on her desk.
When she came back, Miles was holding out a hand for her to step through the
window. She could make up an excuse, something lame about not breaking Francesca's
rules. Or she could just take his hand, warm and strong and safe, and let herself glide
through. She could forget Daniel for just a moment.
Outside, the sky was an explosion of stars. They glittered in the black night like
Ms. Fisher's diamonds--but clearer, brighter, even more beautiful. From here, the
redwood canopy east of the school looked dense and dark and foreboding; to the west
were the ceaselessly churning water and the distant glow of the bonfire blazing down on
the blustery beach. Luce had noticed these things before from the ledge. Ocean. Forest.
Sky. But all the other times she'd been out here, Daniel had consumed her focus. Almost
blinded her, to the point where she'd never really taken in the scene.
It truly was breathtaking.
"You're probably wondering why I came over," Miles said, which made Luce
realize they'd both been silent for a while. "I started to tell you this earlier, but--I didn't-I'm not sure--"
"I'm glad you came by. It was getting a little boring in there, staring at the fire."
She gave him half a smile.
Miles stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Look, I know you and Daniel--"
Luce involuntarily groaned.
"You're right, I shouldn't even bring this up--"
"No, that wasn't why I groaned."
"It's just ... You know I like you, right?"
"Um."
Of course Miles liked her. They were friends. Good friends.
Luce chewed her lip. Now she was playing dumb with herself, which was never a
good sign. The truth: Miles liked her. And she liked him, too. Look at the guy. With his
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ocean-blue eyes and the little chuckle he gave every time he broke into a smile. Plus, he
was hands down the nicest person she had ever met.
But there was Daniel, and before him there'd been Daniel too, and Daniel again
and again and--it was endlessly complicated.
"I'm botching this." Miles winced. "When all I really wanted to do was say
goodnight."
She looked up at him and found that he was looking down at her. His hands came
out of his pockets, found her hands, and clasped them in the space between their chests.
He leaned down slowly, deliberately, giving Luce another chance to feel the spectacular
night all around them.
She knew that Miles was going to kiss her. She knew she shouldn't let him.
Because of Daniel, of course--but also because of what had happened when she'd kissed
Trevor. Her first kiss. The only kiss she'd ever had with anyone besides Daniel. Could
being tied to Daniel be the reason Trevor died? What if the second she kissed Miles, he ...