night?”
He shrugs. “It helps me clear my head when I need to think. And there’s more privacy.”
I snort under my breath. “Too much fanfare during the day?”
He shoots a bashful smirk my way. “Noticed that, have you?”
A grin pulls at the corners of my lips. “You’ve been here, what, four years? I think everyone has noticed.”
He shakes his head, his gaze focused ahead of him. “I hate it. The attention.”
Surprise flits across my face. “You do?”
His gaze narrows as he stares off into the distance; the corners of his eyes pinching, and for a fraction of a second, he almost looks pained. “With all that attention comes expectations of me and what I’m doing with my life. I graduated high school, yet…I’m still here. In this small town I swore I wouldn’t stay in, no matter how much my family loves it.”
My heart cinches at the thought of him leaving again. He was gone for a while to community college a few towns over after he graduated high school, but he didn’t last long. His dad needed help in his automotive shop, and I heard through the grapevine here in town that his parents couldn’t afford the extra expense of college.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” He lifts a shoulder noncommittally. “That’s the problem. I considered football, but that’s not a plausible career. At least not anymore. College is out of the question. I guess the second-best thing would be to continue working at the automotive shop with my dad, but the thought of fixing cars every day for the rest of my fucking life? I can’t stand it.”
I fall silent. In all the times I pictured myself talking to him, I never thought the conversation would get so serious. I like that he doesn’t have it all together—that he has higher aspirations for himself. A part of me also feels bad for him because, at nineteen, one would think you have everything all figured out, but Endymion? He doesn’t even know who he is at this point.
Dread settles in the pit of my stomach once we turn down my street, closing in on my house. The walk was too fast. There’s never enough time when it comes to being with Endymion.
“Well…” I let out a breath. “Whatever you do decide you want to do, just make sure it’s something you love. Something that’ll make you happy. Reach for the stars, Endymion.”
We pause in front of my house, and I fidget before him, anticipation swirling through my veins as I wonder what will happen next.
Nothing apparently.
End smiles. “Thanks, kid. I needed that.” He lets out a loud yawn, jerking his head back toward my house. “Well, good night. And maybe stop walking around in the middle of the night, yeah? The crime rate might be low here, but that doesn’t mean everyone in this town is a saint.”
With that quick parting statement, he breaks into an unhurried jog. I can feel the moment between us slipping away, so much so that I begin to panic. Swallowing thickly, I call out after him, causing him to jerk to a quick stop.
“End!”
He turns, brows raised in question.
“I just wanted to say…Happy Birthday.”
He smiles then, and it’s the most beautiful sight. It settles in my stomach, causing warmth to filter through my veins.
“Happy Birthday, Selene,” he calls out, his gaze pinned to mine. I feel a current travel between us. It’s electric and damn near shocks me. He has to feel it, too. Right?
Severing the connection, he turns, and I’m left standing there, completely deflated as I watch his form disappear into the night.
Kid.
Would he ever see me as anything else?
Once inside, I head straight for the bathroom in the hallway. Flicking on the light, I cringe at my reflection. With long, boring, wavy brown hair, alabaster skin that makes me look like I’m a vampire, and a face that won’t stop anyone in their tracks, I can definitely see why Endymion isn’t exactly falling over himself for me. When I was younger, my hair had a lighter tint to it, more like my father’s dirty blonde, but as I’ve gotten older, the color has evolved.
Placing my hands on each side of the vanity, I lean forward and scrutinize every part of my face. Making comparisons between myself and every other girl he’s dated. My skin is smooth, like porcelain, which means my cheeks are always unnecessarily rosy. My brows, though shaped and plucked, are still dark and bushy. In my