After a few more minutes, Kayley walked up to the guys.

“Nice.” Jayce gestured with his chin toward the ramp where Kayley had been.

Although she shrugged like she was unconcerned, her posture and the grin on her face revealed her pleasure as she accepted the compliment Jayce offered her.

“I’ve seen worse.” Del extended his bottle of water to Kayley.

“Yeah, you.” Kayley drained the rest of the bottle and tossed it into a recycling bin. She smiled at Del, who promptly caught her by the hips and pulled her toward him.

“Compared to you?” He paused and kissed her lightly. “Every day.”

“Get off your ass then.” Kayley looked from Del to Jayce. “Neither of you are going to get any better if all you do is sit around watching me.”

At that, Rika decided it was time to interrupt. If Jayce went to the ramps, she’d be left in the awkward position of trying to explain why she couldn’t come inside the park and why she couldn’t stay. She backed farther away from the park, and then after a quick glance around to verify that no one was looking in her direction, she became visible to human eyes. Jayce and Del wouldn’t notice her for a few moments, so she waited, walking slowly toward them. She couldn’t approach the metal bleachers and the fence surrounding the park, but she wouldn’t have to. They’d see her, or she’d call out.

After a few steps, Kayley noticed her and waved. Del glanced over his shoulder, waved, and then grabbed his board. They both said, “Later, Jayce.”

Rika waited, knowing that Jayce would come to her so she didn’t have to come any closer to the poisonous metal. She felt her cheeks flush as he smiled at her, and she couldn’t believe that he was hers now, that he saw her and wanted to be with her.

“Everyone okay?” Jayce asked as he reached her side.

She nodded, and he pulled her into his arms. Before the last few weeks, Rika had only been kissed a few times in her life, chaste kisses that didn’t leave her feeling consumed, but in the past couple of weeks, she’d discovered why people kissed. As Jayce’s lips pressed against hers, his arms tightened around her. Even still, she felt like they were too far apart, and when he pulled away, she wanted to whimper at the loss. Instead, she asked, “Come with me?”

She entwined their hands, unable to be this close to him without touching.

“Anywhere,” Jayce agreed.