I croaked, “Ye… yes. I think.”
I lied. I wasn’t good. I wasn’t even in the same hemisphere as good. My heart was riding on its own wicked version of a carnival ride.
“Come sit for a while.” The guy kept his hands on my waist and pulled me to the chair that I was sitting in before I… fell? Passed out? I wasn’t even sure what had happened.
“Did I…” I started asking, leaning my body back onto the leather chair. “Did I pass out?”
His smile was warm and inviting. I could feel myself getting lost in his features. His eyes were dark but so, so bright. They made me feel… lighter.
“Yeah, you did. But I caught you before you hit the ground.”
I felt my cheeks flaming and looked down at my lap. “I’m sorry. That’s so embarrassing.”
Unexpectedly, I felt his hand underneath my chin. He tilted my face up, my brown locks falling away from my face. “Fallon, don’t be embarrassed. It happens more often than not, actually.” He shrugged, taking his hand off my face.
“What’s your name?” I asked, voice all breathy…again. “Emmett?”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his tanned arms over his chest. “Yeah, I’m Emmett.” Then he grinned. My gaze zeroed in on his lifted, pink-colored lips, and my stomach dipped.
I smiled. “Thanks for catching me.” Then I chuckled. “And sorry for taking my shirt off.”
He laughed hard, uncrossing his arms. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had a girl apologize for taking her shirt off.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away, trying to keep my smile at bay. Why am I so smiley?!
“So…” Emmett said. “Do you want to see your belly ring or…”
I gasped. “Oh, yeah!”
My fingers brushed along my white shirt, feeling the soft cotton between my fingers. I slowly lifted it up, feeling my heart race in my chest with anticipation. My mouth gaped when I saw the shiny ring with the glittery pink ball lying just above my slightly red belly button.
I shrieked. “I LOVE IT!”
Emmett rumbled out a chuckle. “I’ve never seen someone love a belly button ring so much.”
I brought my attention up to his, teetering my lip back and forth between my teeth. That belly button ring was so much more than just a piercing. It felt like… rebellion mixed with a little bit of freedom. It was so sweet I could taste it on my very tongue.
After the conversation with Derek earlier and then the whole “let’s pick out yet another color scheme for your wedding, Fallon!” I decided I just needed to do something for myself. I was feeling weighed down. My chest was tightening with every breath and a sweat was breaking out along my skin. I just needed a quick out.
I wanted to be spontaneous.
And the first thing that popped in my head was, “Hey, let’s poke a hole in your belly button and call it a day!”
Alrighty then.
Of course, what would I do the next time I was in a bathing suit in front of my parents? *shrugs*
I guessed I could let future Fallon worry about that, but right now, I felt liberated. Like I was free to be me and no one else. I wasn’t sure how long the freedom would last, but for now, at least, I could bask in it.
I pushed my shirt down, covering my stomach, and peered up at Emmett. His eyes and dark features were pulling me in like quicksand. My eyes traveled up to his soft, chocolatey hair. The short waves laid flawlessly on his head, falling perfectly over to the right. His jawbone looked strong, like it was cut from stone. Just like Derek’s. But the difference between the two was that Emmett didn’t look so put together. He was casual in a sexy kind of way. Maybe it was the way his navy eyes twinkled with humor, or maybe it was the small, barely-there dimple that appeared on his cheek when he grinned. He was unintentionally attractive, and you could tell he didn’t have to lift a finger to look that way.
“The piercing makes me feel like someone else. Not myself,” I mumbled, still tracing my eyes over every inch of him.
Emmett sat back in his chair, pushing out his jean-clad legs to cross them at the ankles. “And why do you want to be someone else?” He eyed me very, very closely. It felt like I was underneath a magnifying glass.
I swallowed, feeling the dreadful future lurking over my shoulder. I didn’t answer him. Anything I would have said would have led to more questions. And to be honest, who wanted to open that can of worms? Oh, hey! I’m about to engage in a sort of arranged marriage, and it sucks, but I’m too afraid to be banished from my family to do anything about it, so… yeah. How’s your day?
“Quite the secret keeper, yeah?” he poked, darting his tongue out to lick his lip. My eyes automatically zeroed in on his mouth.