(RIVALS) The Upside of Falling ✔️

Chapter 16: Fresh Start

Becca

My lips were tingling. I reached up slowly, rubbing my thumb gently across my bottom lip. My head was hazy, blurred from the sensation of Brett's lips on mine.

Is this real? I thought.

My gaze shifted to my right, my eyes meeting Brett who looked just as bewildered as I felt. His presence pulled me back, assuring me that everything between us was very, very real.

And that scared me.

His eyes watched me with an intensity I had never seen before. Blue and bold and beautiful. Full of fire and passion so frightening that I couldn't look away.

But I did. I could feel myself falling and I needed to breathe. I stared into the darkness ahead of me, overlooking the city from my spot on the rooftop. It felt impossible that there was life beneath us. In this moment, it felt like Brett and I were all that existed; like we were completely alone, even when we weren't.

My hands yearned for his touch, wanting to reach out to him and take even more than he already gave. To feel his lips on mine once more, his hands roaming down, down, down...

Say something, I silently urged myself.

I turned towards him slowly, the intensity still burning in his eyes. His hair was a mess, sticking up wildly on his head.

I did that to him, the thought made me blush.

"What happens now?" My voice sounded uneasy. I fought the trembles that begged to rock my body. My mind and body were fixated on the feel of Brett, preventing me from thinking properly. I didn't want to think. I wanted him.

That should have been your first kiss, he had whispered.

I wanted that to be my every kiss. As long as it was with him. Only him.

He was watching me, his eyes searching every inch of my face. My question remained unanswered as he struggled to find the proper words.

Brett let out a deep breath, raking his hands through his hair to tame the mess I had created.

His eyes closed for a moment. I watched him, seeing the rise and fall of his chest. The way his muscles stood out so noticeably from under his t-shirt. I wanted to reach out, to trace the lines that decorated every inch of his body.

My gaze was resting on his lips longingly when his eyes opened. His mouth tugged upwards into a smile, as if he could read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted in that moment.

Him.

"What do you want to happen, Becca?" His voice was cool and calm, his eyes void of the passion that burned in them mere seconds ago.

I struggled to comprehend how he could sound so tranquil when every inch of my body felt like it was burning.

What do I want to happen? All I knew was that I wanted so much. And whatever happened, I needed Brett in my life. I wasn't sure how I could be without him.

What did I want? I wanted it all. But was that too much?

Or was it simply too soon?

My mind raced, struggling to answer his question and find the words to convey everything I was feeling. He watched me patiently, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. His face was a mask and I understood why: he was trying to hide his feelings, wanting me to make this decision based solely on myself and what I felt, not what he felt.