Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 19 Part 2-Ellie

*Beauty*

 My eyes were glued to Will as he tugged out his phone.

Oh my goodness Ellie, what were you thinking? What if he thinks you're a weirdo? What if he sees you?

Will's long eyelashes fanned his cheekbones as he blinked in surprise. Rapidly, he swiped the first screen. And, for a moment longer than any moment I'd ever lived through before, he stared.

Oh. My. Goodness. What is he thinking? What is he thinking? What is he--

Then he looked up.

Right into my eyes.

My heart stuttered and stopped.

And that's when it happened. Slowly, his lips stretched and a smile slid over his face. A smile that knocked the breath out of me till I was sure I was going to faint.

He had surpassed beautiful.

I couldn't hear anything but my pulse as I watched his fingers type rapidly on the phone.

Anticipation coiled in my gut.

A beep rang out from my phone. If I wasn't holding my phone so tightly, it would have slipped from my trembling fingers.

Hi. I see you too.

I risked a glance at Will. His gaze was still on me, a slight smile gracing his lips.

I couldn't breathe.

Do something Ellie, do something.

I like your jacket ;)

I texted back.

What the heck Ellie? That sounded totally creepy! 'I see you' then 'I like your jacket'? What are you, a stalker?

I remembered how I'd watched him jog every week for the last four years.

Ok, maybe I was a bit of a stalker.

Will glanced down at his phone. I bit my lip as I watched his eyes pore over the words.

My phone beeped a long moment later.

Thank you.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I nearly jumped when my phone vibrated again.

You look beautiful.

The words resonated in my head and red flooded my cheeks. Whether he'd said it before or not, that one word slammed the breath out of me every single time. That word I'd used to describe him for the last seven years.

I definitely couldn't live up to that.

I glanced up slowly and lost any breath I'd managed to gather into my lungs as our eyes met. The crystallized emerald eyes bore into mine, staring at me so intently I was sure I would spontaneously combust.

He looked at me as if I was something more than just the captain of the cheerleading squad. As if I wasn't just Ellie Kent who danced and did gymnastics.

He looked at me as if he could see it: the real me.

I wanted him to like me.

More than I'd ever wanted anything before.

Before I could even consider what I was doing, my fingers were typing the words. Hastily, I hit the send button.

Want to meet up?

I stared at the screen of my phone in anticipation, not daring to glance up. My heart pounded within my chest, sending nervous trembles up my spine.