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The Roots Beneath Us
-- EXCERPT: It surprised Piper when Boone’s skin touched hers. She wondered if he meant to be so close. Part of her liked it. Lying here with him felt comfortable even though she hadn’t been romantically attracted. Something about Boone seemed different than any other man she met. She felt safe in his presence. For a moment, Boone froze. He knew he should probably move his arm before it became awkward, but all he could do was stare through the trees at the stars even though he wanted to turn and look at Piper. Piper considered scooting over an inch to create space, but then as the moonlight filtered and the stars twinkled through the silhouette of hundreds of tree branches, she decided she was okay with Boone’s arm being pressed against hers. A couple of his fingers settled on hers delicately like a fallen leaf on the summer grass. “Boone, this is lovely,” she admitted. Boone began to breathe again although he didn’t know what to say. “It is,” he finally uttered. “You were right about this view. I think I could lie here all night.” Neither of them spoke a word for the longest time. They simply basked in the ambiance surrounding their lives at the present moment. Eventually Piper broke the silence. “Sometimes I try to count the stars.” Boone smiled in the dark. “That sounds fun.” “You’re fun, Boone,” Piper stated, wrapping her pinky around one of his fingers. She turned and looked at him. “You deserve this freedom.” Boone didn’t know precisely what freedom she meant, but he felt as free as the owls in the trees. The way her pinky wrapped around his finger made him more alive than he ever remembered. “Thanks,” he responded, slowly turning his head to meet Piper’s gaze. The clarity of her charming brown eyes surprised him, and once again he experienced that previous connection. Piper studied Boone’s green eyes. “No matter what happens, you never ever have to go back to her.” “I know,” Boone replied, trying his hardest to believe it. Suddenly he wanted to kiss Piper’s lips but couldn’t. He could write that on his journey list a thousand times but doubted he ever would, and right now he couldn’t muster up the courage. Baby steps, he heard someone on his shoulder say. Piper considered rolling onto Boone and kissing him gently. She doubted he would make the first move. Almost any other guy would have already jumped on top of her but not Boone Winters. He was scared and scarred but also a gentleman. This man had been taken advantage of so many times he understood the danger in crossing boundaries. She understood his delicacy and wanted to treat him with the respect he deserved, realizing most of the women he encountered probably jumped on top of him. Piper and Boone didn’t say much more the rest of the waking night. They just let things be. Mostly they stared at the stars. Their bodies didn’t move, not even their fingers, slightly intertwined like many of the branches above. It shocked Piper when Boone dozed off to sleep, but it made her glad to know he felt comfortable. She knew she needed to leave but hated to wake him, so she kept gazing at the stars and listening to the ocean, imagining he would wake up soon. As Piper listened to the steady rhythm of the rise and fall of Boone’s breath, the owls hooted, the sky glowed, and before she realized it, her eyelids collapsed, and sleep captured her body. The moon moved across the North Carolina sky. The branches slowly danced to the breeze blowing off the Atlantic Ocean. The critters went on about their night. Everything seemed completely peaceful, and then something unexpected happened. 
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