SILVER LININGS
Maryah
I finished almost-calling Krista for the fifth time and put away my phone with a sigh. If I would have told her about my dreams before I met Nathan, she might believe all this madness. But what could I possibly say now? Hey Kris, check this out. I saw this gorgeous guy I thought was my angel of death the night I almost died, and again during the fire. He keeps popping up in my dreams, and this weekend I found out he’s Louise’s son, Nathan .
How do you spell mentally unstable? M-A-R-Y-A-H.
How could the person I’d been dreaming about be real? Much less, be the famous Nathan, whom everyone put on a pedestal? Did my head injury make me psychic?
We were leaving for the Balloon Fiesta any minute. Would Nathan make fun of me for passing out? Or would he think I was a spaz and never talk to me again? For weeks I believed he was a gorgeous angel with divine powers watching over me, or trying to reunite me with my family. It was absurd, but I’d developed a glorified crush on him. How could I go from that to trying to make normal conversation? His first impression of me was my embarrassing fainting spell.
Faith bounded through the hotel doors. “You ready?”
I gripped the bench I was sitting on. “I think I’ll hang out here.”
“Noooo! Watching hundreds of hot air balloons launch into the sky is spectacular. You can’t miss it.”
“I’m still not feeling well.”
“Is this because you passed out? Are you embarrassed to see Nathan?”
“It was humiliating.”
She sat beside me. “Look at it this way, nothing you do today could be more embarrassing than falling on top of him.”
I bolted upright. “Falling on top of him? I fell on him?”
She gave a sympathetic giggle. “More like you fell forward, and he caught you.”
“Oh my god. Even more humiliating.”
“It was cute. He’ll never forget you, that’s for sure. So there’s a silver lining you can cling to.”
My fingers were bleeding from grasping onto life’s silver linings. They felt more like silver bullets aimed directly at me.
Anthony, Louise, and the rest of the gang walked out of the hotel toward the parking lot. Faith yanked me up off the bench. “Time to go witness some magic.”
∞
I could barely see Nathan when we approached. I stayed behind Carson, and his oversized sweatshirt blocked my view.
“Our balloon looked beautiful, Nathan!” Louise exclaimed.
“Helen will be proud,” Anthony complimented.
“Nice flight,” Carson added before walking away to talk to one of the crew members.
Nathan’s eyes locked with mine. I’d never felt so exposed, yet I couldn’t look away from him. Mikey’s cap had gone missing last night so it quadrupled how vulnerable I felt. I prayed Nathan didn’t notice the shorter section of my hair.
“Good morning, Maryah. How are you?” he asked.
“Fine, thanks.” I wasn’t fine. I was still in shock that my movie-star angel man was a real live human being. To top it off, he was the son of my godmother. He was talking to me, and looking more amazing than ever. I wasn’t even close to fine. I was freaking out. “Sorry about last night. I think I caught a bug or something.”
“No apology necessary. I hope you’re feeling better.”
I wrapped my sweater around me. I wanted to thank him for catching me when I fainted, but I didn’t want to remind him what a mess I was.
Faith broke the tension by punching his shoulder. She danced around, modeling her bright attire. “Notice I match the balloon?”
“Yes, so you do.” He returned her look of amusement.
Her clothes coordinated with the balloon’s shades of red, yellow, and orange. “We watched the Dawn Patrol from the hotel. Your balloon looked extra majestic against the sunrise.”
Nathan put on his sunglasses. “All compliments should be addressed to Jesse and Gina. They did all the work.”
A pretty brunette strutted up behind Nathan and squeezed his shoulders. “It’s not work when your crew chief makes it so fun.”
She wasn’t the girl I’d seen in the picture on his nightstand, but she sure was touchy feely with him.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Nathan asked me.
Dakota and Harmony had been standing on either side of me, but as if on cue they both stepped away. My cheeks warmed as I stammered a reply. “Yes—um—it was amazing.”
“This is Maryah’s first time seeing hot air balloons,” Faith said.
“Is that so?” Nathan stepped closer to me.
“I’ve seen them on TV before, but never in person.”
“Colorful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” My voice trailed off as I looked around at all the balloons. “I like the two kissing bumble bees.”
“Joey and Lilly Little Bee. They hold hands and dance through the skies.” Being so close to him was electrifying. My fingers and toes tingled.
“What’s the name of your balloon?”
“That depends who you ask. I fancied the name Aftermath, but Helen wouldn’t allow it. So its official title is Eternal Flame.” He didn’t have an accent, but I had to ask.
“Have you ever lived in England?”
For a second he looked shocked, but then he kind of laughed. “Not in this lifetime, no. Why do you ask?”
“You said you ‘fancied the name.’ My father was from England, and he said that a lot. You don’t talk like a normal American teenager.”
He seemed at a loss for words. I nervously back pedaled. “Aftermath sounds kind of dreary. Eternal Flame is much better.”
“Yes, the Aftermath leaves a qualm of distaste for most people I know.” His words had angry bite. Great, I probably insulted him. First, I criticize the way he speaks then I tell him his taste in names sucks. Would I ever stop alienating this guy?
Everyone else was chatting with each other. Their sunglasses hid their gazes, but I sensed them all watching us. Most likely they were waiting to see if I’d pass out again.
I jumped when Nathan pushed my hair away from my face.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Fire burned in my cheeks. I mumbled something resembling “it’s okay.”
Gina glared at me like we were kids on a playground and I had just stolen her swing. “Nathan, everything is taken care of. You ready to eat?”
He didn’t take his eyes off of me. “Where are my manners? Gina, this is Maryah. Maryah, allow me to introduce Gina, my friend , and fellow crew member.”
“Nice to meet you.” I offered a handshake.
She stuck her hands in her back pockets. “Hi.”
What a snob. Nathan glared at her then returned his attention to me. “Have you had breakfast?”
Gina let out a frustrated sigh. Part of me wanted to say no just to annoy her, but I chickened out. “We ate before the balloon launch.”
She gloated. “Looks like it’s just the two of us! We better get going.”
“I am famished, and we have a full schedule today.” Nathan leaned in close enough to make me tremble. He smelled like a mixture of mountain air, honey, and pears. The gods must have bottled up nectar from heaven and sent it to Earth for Nathan to wear. “I look forward to seeing you at dinner.”
“Sure.” I nodded skittishly, but didn’t back away from him. The tingling had spread to every inch of my skin. I’d never felt anything like it, and I didn’t want it to end.
“Enjoy the rest of your day.” He bowed, grinning one last time. His smile put the glow of the sun to shame. As he walked off with Gina, he glanced at me over his shoulder then stopped. “Jesse! Will you be joining us for breakfast?”
“Yeah! I’m starving!” Jesse jogged over to them. Gina’s body language oozed disappointment.
Good , I thought. What kind of girl throws herself at someone who has a girlfriend? But a pang of guilt filled my chest. Just standing close to Nathan left me all warmer than toast. If he made every girl feel that way then I couldn’t blame Gina for flirting with him.
