My Book Boyfriend: Simon Ross

MBB is a weekly meme hosted by the Unread reader---check out the intro post here

This week, I'm crushing on Simon from The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Now, some info about Simon....

• is 17
• "He was handsomer than I'd thought he would be, his hair the color of dark copper, his eyes an intense gray-blue with chips of light in them, like marbles"
• is an artist (painter)
• loves jazz
• likes The Great Gatsby
• is a romantic (as opposed to a realist)
• wants to backpack through Europe after graduation

"I'm Simon Ross," he said after a while." I don't know if you noticed me noticing you earlier. Noticing your dress. There's not a lot of elegance around here."

Simon lay back on his hands and stared up at the sky. "I had seen you. I was curious about you. And I tried to disarm you by flattering you. That's what I do when I'm intimidated."
"Intimidated?" I gave a little snort. I couldn't imagine any guy being intimidated by me.

"You looked so pretty in your white dress. Untouchable. And you were so guarded. Being a guy can be nerve-wracking, you know, Mia."  

Simon reached across the driver's seat and lightly stroked my cheek, still holding that devilish grin. "Welcome to the now, Mia. Sit back and enjoy it."

I told Simon that black holes were stars that had collapsed and died. And that they weren't empty at all but the densest form of matter known to exist, 
"So they're the opposite of what they're called."
"Yeah..." I trailed off. "Except that things fall into them And once something is caught in a black hole, it can't escape. A black hole keeps everything trapped inside, even light."
"Like you," Simon said softly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I angled my head so that I was looking up at him, at the dark lines of his face.
"You're beautiful, Mia. But you keep all of your light inside. You don't let it show."
...

"I'm not withholding anything from anyone," I said, after a while. "What you see is what you get. I'm not..." I trailed off. I was thinking about Corinne. And Gen. And Stacy. All those confident girls who outshone me.
"You are," Simon growled in his hoarse voice. His voice was so sure, so full of belief that I wanted to kiss him. "But you hold back. And that's okay." As Simon's lips met mine, I turned in his arms until my hands were at his neck, my fingers in his thick hair. "The rest of the girls out here are just shooting stars," Simon whispered into my ear. "They're on a crash course to nowhere. But you, my lady friend, you're a black hole. You've sucked me in, and now there's no escape."