I turned slightly toward him and pointed at Loch Shiel in front of us. The sky and the even surface of the water melded seamlessly, and the surrounding hills seemed to be watchmen.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked with a weak voice.
He looked past me, took a deep breath, and answered with an equally pressed voice. “Yes, beautiful.”
His intense, unfathomable look held me tight in its grasp, and his voice almost physically touched me. I wanted to ask whether he meant the view was beautiful—or something else.
He spoke again and seemed to be waiting for an answer, but I was still so dazed by his first words that I didn’t hear what he said.
“What? Sorry… I… I didn’t hear you.”
“Payton, I said. I’m Payton. And you?”
“Sam. I mean… actually, Samantha… but everyone calls me Sam.” I seemed to be squeaking rather than speaking. My knees had turned to chocolate pudding, and my voice was giving up on me. God, I wondered, what would Lisa back home say about such pitiful behavior?
The embarrassment got even worse. While I was musing about chocolate pudding and squeaking, I’d missed the next thing that he said. Sure, he had a Scottish accent, but that hadn’t given me trouble before. He probably thought I was a complete idiot. There I was, standing in the tight quarters of a famous tower with a boy who was obviously getting to me, and although we were speaking the same language, I couldn’t understand a word. Thankfully, I thought, this would soon be over. I seriously doubted he was interested in me.
His tortured expression as he leaned over the balustrade to check out the view made me think he’d rather throw himself over the wall than lean even a millimeter in my direction. It was too much, and I started to laugh—snort, really. I held my hands in front of my mouth to try and stop, but the laughs just popped out of me, giggles gone crazy. I was laughing so hard I was almost crying. My eyes started to water, and I relaxed my body, letting my back drop down the wall to rest myself on the floor.
It took a moment, but then Payton’s face changed. It wasn’t a smile, but maybe amusement. Yes, I’d say he was at least slightly amused. He studied me, and then sat down opposite me. He didn’t say a word. I suddenly noticed that my pendant was doing that burning thing, making my skin feel red-hot, but I was far too caught up in the here and now to give it much attention.
I struggled to regain my composure. Then I gathered all my courage and looked up. Payton was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning against the wall in a way that was meant to look relaxed—and clearly wasn’t. His hands were resting loosely on his thighs, but he was obviously tense. The muscles in his arms looked tight, and his face showed not a bit of levity. To be fair, I was probably more capable of climbing Mount Everest than of appearing cool and relaxed myself. But, slowly, the first shock of hearing him speak was ebbing away.
All of a sudden I felt scared—if I let the moment pass, he’d get up and go away. The thought was awful. Although I still couldn’t say what made me so drawn to him, I knew something special was happening. Payton was attractive, despite a prominent scar on his chin, but I didn’t think his looks were all there was to it. After all, I had avoided Ryan Baker’s hotness for years. Plus, Ryan had a ready smile and an open personality. Oh, and he flirted with every girl. Payton, on the other hand, showed little expression, and he definitely wasn’t hitting on me. I decided I’d have to take the first step, because it didn’t seem as if Payton were going to make a move.
I looked directly into his eyes, and I felt like I could see pain and desperation in the depths of his being. Then he blinked, and it seemed as if a dense Scottish fog came rolling in, smoothly covering up the feelings he’d revealed there just seconds before.
“Are you all right?” Payton asked, carefully.
“Yes. Thanks. I’m fine now.”
I searched my addled brain for a good excuse for my laughing fit.
“I haven’t had anything to eat in hours, and I was feeling a bit dizzy. I slid into the wall and, for some reason, that seemed hilarious. I’m sorry if I seem crazy…”
He nodded briefly, but didn’t ask anything else.
“I could tell you something about the monument,” he finally said, timidly, “if you would rather stay seated for a moment?”
“That would be great. I was going to read the history display at the back of the souvenir shop, but I couldn’t stand the crowd in there.”
“I hate these tourists. They are like vultures, circling around everything of interest and ruining it for those of us who live here.”