* * *
“That’s not fair.” Carrie pointed from across the table in the cafeteria at what Nathan and I were eating. “Tree and I have to eat cafeteria food, and you two are eating gourmet sandwiches.”
“You can have half of my sandwich if you want,” I offered.
She raised her hand, shaking her head. “No, that’s okay. I’m only giving you shit.”
“Hey, tell Nathan what happened in class,” Tree said to Carrie and me.
I waved a hand at Carrie. “Go ahead and tell him.”
Nathan raised a quizzical brow, then shifted his attention to Carrie. I noticed the tightness in his eyes when Carrie told him what Ashley said to me.
“Ever since Zack asked Paige out, Ashley has been rude to her,” Carrie said.
I never thought about that before, but Carrie was right. It all started after Zack asked me out. But I still thought it was ridiculous for Ashley to be jealous of me. She had it made.
“Who is Zack?” Nathan asked, and I thought I heard an undertone of jealousy in his voice.
“Some cheese sucker,” Tree said, shoving a bunch of fries into his mouth.
“I never went out with him and didn’t really want to,” I told him offhandedly.
Carrie then went off into that story and what Ashley had done, before finishing the one that happened this morning. I picked at my sandwich, feeling awful now.
“She’s something else,” Nathan said. “And I think Samantha is right about her being jealous of you.”
“Me, too,” Carrie said, stealing fries off of Tree’s tray, smothering them in ketchup.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems silly to me.”
Nathan looked at Tree. “Can you point her out to me? Is she in the cafeteria?”
Tree glanced around, craning his neck until he spotted her across the room, in plain view. We followed his gaze and caught her looking at us. She quickly faced the other girls sitting at her table.
“That blonde girl over there, wearing the white sweater is Ashley.”
“Do me a favor.” Nathan leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Don’t be too obvious, but tell me when she’s looking this way again.” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. He licked his lips and positioned my shoulders toward him. I knew then what he was planning on doing and licked my lips as well.
“Oh, you’re bad.” Carrie giggled, catching on to Nathan’s devious plan.
“She’s sneaking peeks right now, but wait a minute,” Tree said, watching Ashley.
Nathan angled his body to me, facing in Ashley’s direction. He gently brushed my hair away from my face, making my heart sputter.
“That’s good.” Tree nodded. “She’s starting to look more.”
Carrie pretended to sneeze and watched Ashley through the curtain of her hair. “The whole table is starting to watch,” she reported, shielding her face with her hand.
Tree drummed his fingers on the table. “Okay, now.”
Nathan cradled my face in his hands, and his soft lips touched mine. His kisses were slow at first, but then they grew deeper and more passionate. I felt a barrier keeping his desires at bay though, and I knew why. But the outside world didn’t know that, and to them I imagined it to be like watching a romantic scene in a movie.
“Omigod,” Carrie whispered. “Everybody is staring at you, and Ashley is like totally jealous.”
Nathan pulled back and gazed deeply into my face. “I love you,” he said with such intense emotion that I lost my breath.
“I love you too,” I said, breathlessly.
“Some of the girls at Ashley’s table have their hands over their hearts and dreamy looks on their faces,” Carrie squealed with delight.
“Dude, that was cool.” Tree grinned.
“Normally I wouldn’t display such affections in a room full of students, but this time I had to make an exception,” Nathan said with a half-smile.
I took a sip of my Dr Pepper, feeling a sense of vindication. Carrie cupped her hands around her lips and mouthed the word “erotic” to me. She then trailed her tongue along her lips and made a silly face. I kicked her foot beneath the table and lifted the collar of my shirt over my mouth, stifling a giggle.
“What are you two laughing about?” Tree asked us.
Carrie bumped her shoulder against his arm. “Sorry, it’s a private joke.”
The bell rang, and I suddenly became nervous about the “old one.”
“Have you two seen Matt today?” I asked.
Tree shook his head, but Carrie nodded, and we stared at her.
“He came up to me after second period, wanting to talk. I told him I didn’t want to talk to him after what he said about you. He tried to explain to me why he said it, but I wouldn’t listen and told him to leave me alone.”
“If he gives you any shit, you better let me know.” Tree threw their trash away and turned to Carrie. A dark expression entered his face. He wasn’t playing around.
Carrie raised her eyebrows. “All right, but I think he’s harmless.”
Nathan touched my arm. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
I nodded and followed Carrie and Tree out the door, not wanting to leave him.
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 35