Clips

Clip #3: The Bench

This one is kinda sad.

ALSO, all mentions of the Lunar Chronicles gives credit to Marissa Meyer.

Hope you enjoy!

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Leyla POV

I sat on the park bench, lost in my novel, the sounds of people and cars lost within my fantasies.

Okay, so I was thinking about my crush, too, which was very distracting. The monologues of my graphic novel would disappear into monologues of my own about said boy.

I shook out of my fantasies again and focused on the face of Linh Cinder in Wires and Nerves. Tried to focus on her words...

I eventually got back into the rhythm of the book, focusing on the story and all my favorite ships (Cresswell was my favorite). I was so deep into it that I didn't notice that someone had sat next to me. Or even how close they were to me, their head craning to look at my book....

"I've gotta say, this is not the genre I'd expect you to read," he said, scaring me out of my mind. He was pointing to a picture of the lunar wolf soldiers with an arm in their mouth, but I wasn't looking at the picture, I was looking at him.

Of course.

He was here.

Why wouldn't he be?

I could feel the redness spreading across my cheeks as I stared at him, unable to form intelligible words. He smiled a little and my heart stuttered.

He pointed to a figure in the book, and it was enough to snap my head away. I stared at the picture, confused.

"Who's that?"

"I-Iko. She's an android."

"Cool, she doesn't look like it."

I shook my head, still a little dumbstruck.

He gently moved my hand off the page and I flushed again at the sudden touch. He flipped through, pointing to Wolf and Scarlet.

"Who are they?"

"Wolf and Scarlet."

He flipped farther.

"Aww, they're engaged!"

I grabbed the book away from him, shyness gone for just a second.

"South Evanson! No spoilers!!"

He smiled again, and I quickly looked away before he could see that my cheeks were the same color as Wolf's favorite fruit.

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

I'd come here to get away from life, and I was barely able to conceal my emotions from South at the moment. And South noticed.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

My breath staggered. I won't cry. And won't tell him.

I took a deep, satisfying breath, and mustered a smile. "Nothing! Nothing at all. Just came here to read."

He raised an eyebrow.