“Riley—”
“Nathan—”
We both stop and laugh. Omg, this is awkward. I have to get the words out now before they’re lodged in my throat forever.
“I’m totally crazy about you,” I blurt out, and lean back to gauge his expression. His eyes crinkle at the corners and he doesn’t try to stop me, so I push on. “I have been for…I don’t even know how long. You’re going to homecoming with Sophia, and I don’t know what that means for us, but I need you to know that I’m out of my mind over you.”
The last sentence comes out in a rush and I swallow hard, my nerves about to snap and unravel.
Nathan cocks his head. “You stole my speech. I’m out of my mind over you.”
“Hey,” Starling said. “Let’s look up, shall we? I mean, not physically. Keep your chins down, and all. But metaphorically. We can talk freely now. Which means you can listen to my plan for how we escape. We’re going to fly out of here free as dragons before too long.”
Leonore leaned forward. “Escape? From trained Malwish soldiers? With a full flight of fighters and a gunship? Captain, I love you, but you’re crazy. We’d be blown to pieces.”
Have you ever had that feeling… like you’ve been asleep for a really long time? For what seems like a lifetime. And you have crazy dreams. Things you didn’t even know your brain could ever imagine. But when you finally wake up… the dream isn’t over?
I've got no alibis. I'm responsible for everything. Now, I'm just tired and fed-up and sick. Nothing interests me. The whole world's gone crazy. I can't live the kind of life I want to live and I don't feel like living any other kind.