Read True Love and Magic Tricks for Free Online Page B

without
even thinking about it, I throw my arms around him for a quick
hug.
    “ Hey,” I say, quickly
retreating in case that was too close too soon. His face is red,
but otherwise, he looks like he doesn’t mind my physical version of
“hello.”
    “ Hey.”
    “ Put me to work, Magic
Man.”
    He chuckles, tips his fedora, and a
bubbly sensation rises up my chest into my brain. He leads me
through his living room, down a hallway, past a bathroom, and to
the top of the basement stairs.
    “ Uh… I want to work on the
zig-zag box. I-it’s in my room.”
    “ Sounds good.” Sounds
nerve-wracking. His room. Nate’s room. No
big deal, Kaylee. No big deal. Calm your toes.
    As we get farther down the
steps, the smell of paint and wood filters through my nose. Along
with Fierce by Abercrombie and Fitch. That’s totally Nate’s
cologne. When I took a whiff of it in the last Cosmo it automatically brought
visions of grey eyes, dark hair, and suspenders.
    He opens the door at the bottom of the
stairs. I slide past him into the room, which is jam-packed. It’s
not a huge room, so I can’t believe how much stuff he’s been able
to get in here. His bed’s a twin, covered in simple black and white
sheets. There’s a 3000 piece or more puzzle he’s done of the Las
Vegas strip, glued together and framed along the far wall. There’s
a dresser that looks stuffed full, bits of clothes sticking from
the drawers. He has a three-shelf bookcase with one shelf dedicated
to card decks. A small card table folded up and stuffed by the head
of the bed. And the big six-foot vertical box, painted black with a
woman figure on the front. There are two holes for hands and a hole
for a face.
    “ Wow,” I say, running a
finger over the edge. “It’s like you’re that guy from Pitch
Perfect.”
    “ Haven’t seen that
one.”
    “ You should. It’s
hilarious.”
    He clears his throat and plays with
the rim of his hat. “Maybe after we practice we could see if it’s
on Netflix. If you wanna stay, I mean.”
    Did he just ask me out? Holy wow, I’m
counting it.
    “ I’ll text my dad and ask.”
I whip my phone out and shoot the text off, then circle around the
box to examine it—and hide my blush.
    “ Is this like a totally
legit zig-zag box?”
    He shakes his head and takes a step
toward it, leaning on the opposite side. “Those are pricey, so I…
well, I made this one.”
    “ Really?”
    “ Yeah, it’s uh…”
    “ It looks
awesome.”
    His lip twitches. “Well, Ryan and
Pop-pop—that’s Ryan’s grandpa—they did most of the handiwork. And
Lexie painted it.”
    “ She’s good.”
    “ Must be all that nail
polish painting she does.”
    I snort. Lexie’s nail color changes
daily. It’s one of those things that make me think she’s not
totally tomboyish. She just hangs out with the guys. “It’s cool
that they help you out with this stuff.”
    “ They’re my best
friends.”
    His eyes drift over the front of the
box, and my heart pounds thick and heavy.
    “ I’m jealous. I wish I had
friends I’d known since like, preschool.”
    “ Yeah, but sometimes the
ones you meet in high school get to see the real you, you know? So
maybe they last longer.”
    Butterflies are having a war in my
stomach as he looks over at me. For once in my whole life, I’m
totally tongue tied.
    He lets out a breath and shakes his
head again. His fingers wrap around the door on the box, and he
pulls it open. “Let’s see if you fit.”
    I settle my hand in his briefly as he
helps me in. Tingles zip through my fingertips, and they stay there
even after he lets go.
    “ Okay, so you’re gonna want
to squeeze tight to the side of the box.”
    “ Which side?”
    “ The left side.”
    “ My left? Or your
left?”
    “ Mine. No wait. Yours. No…
mine.”
    “ What ?”
    We both laugh, and he taps the right
side of the box. “Here.”
    “ Okay.”
    “ When I close it, suck in
your stomach as much as you can. Rotate your hips so the