PixieBurn: Thought it didn’t matter anyway

NightLocker: What?

PixieBurn: Who was on top

The pads of my fingers froze on the keys, and my eyebrows climbed right up my head.

Amber twisting my words.

Flirting.

Bickering.

Fucking heaven. I could do this all night and never get tired of it.

Circling back to her last sentence, I blew out a breath. The temperature of my dark room had risen a few degrees.

NightLocker: It wouldn’t

NightLocker: It doesn’t

NightLocker: You’ll realize that someday. If we’re together it’s fun. No question

PixieBurn: Maybe I already have

The girl was sending jolts of electricity throughout my system.

What was she saying?

That she finally realized we were great together? That us might be worth the time and risk?

Or, was it just that she could finally trust me as a friend, fully let me in? Talk to me about anything and everything?

Does it matter either way?

No. It didn’t.

With Amber, I’d take whatever she was willing to give me.

I cared about her that much.

Didn’t stop the images of tasting her kiss from rolling through my head.

PixieBurn: Will your parents be cool with the overnight trip?

That did.

Talk about an ice-cold bucket of water. Bringing up my parents.

Low blow, Pixie.

I could picture her laughing her cute butt off in her room, her laptop shaking from her giggles.

NightLocker: I’m 18

PixieBurn: So

PixieBurn: So am I

NightLocker: They’ll be fine

NightLocker: Be easier if I knew where we were going

PixieBurn: You wouldn’t tell me

PixieBurn: I won’t tell. It’d ruin it

NightLocker: Stubborn Pixie

PixieBurn: Annoying?

I scoffed at the screen.

That asshole. He made her second-guess herself far too much.

Even though I knew she didn’t need me to, I wanted to remedy every wrong action he’d taken. Help her realize how incredible she was until she never questioned her actions again. I wanted to show her there were people in the world who valued her—show her something maybe she was blind to when she looked in the mirror.

NightLocker: Not even close

PixieBurn: Cause I could tone it down

NightLocker: Don’t you dare

NightLocker: I like you just the way you are

I knew the words were cheesy as hell the second I hit send, but I couldn’t help it. She needed to know. To understand that not all guys were afraid of her spark.

PixieBurn: You could be a little less perfect

PixieBurn: If we’re on the subject

NightLocker: I try so hard

NightLocker: But it just never works

NightLocker: I’m the perfect guy

PixieBurn: LOL

PixieBurn: Alright

PixieBurn: Be ready at 8 on Saturday

NightLocker: AM?

Oh damn. Not a.m. Where the hell was she taking me?