Layne’s legs were ready to give out, but she didn’t mind.

Because Gabriel was walking her home.

“I should have driven you,” he said, shaking his head. “This is nuts.”

“This takes longer.”

“Good point,” he said, catching her waist in his hands and kissing her again.

And her back was against a tree and her fingers were tangled in his hair and she was forgetting what she’d even come to talk about in the first place.

But then his fingers slid under the hoodie.

She caught his wrists, and he drew back, his eyes dark in the early morning light.

“Are you still worried about your scars?” he said gently. “You know I think you’re—”

“Wait.” She blinked up at him in surprise. “You don’t know?”

“I don’t know what?”

She took his hand and slid it under her shirt. “My scars are gone.”

His hand went still against her skin. “How?”

She gave a little laugh. “You tell me. They disappeared after the barn fire.”

His fingers drifted higher, skimming along her rib cage. “All of them?”

“Yes, all of—” She gasped as his thumb went under the edge of her bra, then playfully smacked him. “Hey!”

“Sorry.” He kissed her again. “Thought I should check thoroughly.”

Then he pulled back. “We should walk. I don’t want to get you in trouble. Your father hates me.”

“Oh, you’ve saved my life twice now. I think he might give you the time of day.”

“Really?”

She shrugged a little, smiling up at him. “Maybe. Give it time.” Then she sobered. “But I want to know. About you.”

He sighed, then bent to pick up a dead leaf from the path. He spun it by its stem. “Truth?”

She nodded.

The leaf sizzled and flared to life, catching flame that sparked light across his cheeks.

“Let’s walk,” he said. “And I’ll tell you everything.”

BEYOND THE STORY

BEYOND THE STORY

Spark Playlist

“Blow” by Ke$ha

I probably listened to this song a hundred times while writing Spark. It’s about a dance party, but the music is so penetrating that I’d turn off all the lights in the middle of the night, blast the song in my headphones, and write Gabriel’s fire scenes. Something about the electronic music behind the lyrics reminded me of fire alarms, and the intensity of the song kept the adrenaline going.

“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson

I’m a firm believer that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Layne would feel the same way. This is totally a girl power song. Layne would love it.

“We Are Young” by fun

This song is all about being young and taking the world by storm. When I wrote the final scene between Gabriel and Layne, I imagined this song playing in the background.

“Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes, featuring Adam Levine