by C. L. Stone
Luke laughed. “I already know them. Most of them, at least.”
“And you’re still with Kota. And you’re here with me.”
His eyes subdued. “Yes.”
“Why do you think I’ll be different?”
“You don’t know them yet. You could still like them better.”
Something Mr. Blackbourne told me earlier caught in my mind. “We can’t worry about things that might happen,” I said.
Luke’s eyes fixed on me. “Sang.”
“Yes?”
His head tilted forward, close enough to my face that I felt his breath on my cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about it. About you ...” He whispered.
My heart stilled and I held my breath, worried I’d miss his words. I was afraid to speak, afraid to interrupt but when he paused, I was worried he’d change his mind and wouldn’t tell me. “What do you mean?” I whispered.
He took up one of my hands again, bringing them to his mouth. He pressed my fingertips to his mouth as if covering them. He kissed them.
I stiffened, afraid and enthralled at the same time. Luke just kissed my fingers.
“Remember when we all slept at Kota’s?” he said behind my fingers. “When we were in the closet together?”
I nodded slowly, drawing in a breath, unable to look away from his handsome face gazing back at me.
“I pulled you in with me, and you looked so nervous. It was dark.” He twisted slightly, finding the light switch and turning off the overhead lights. When we were cast into darkness, the room lit up with glowing stars painted into the wall. “Darker than this.”
I nodded but realized he probably couldn’t see me. “I remember.”
His fingers found my mouth in the dim light, the tips traced against my lips. The gentle touch left me trembling. “Playing that joke on the others wasn’t what I really wanted.”
My lips trailed along his fingers as I tried to speak around them in a whisper. “What did you want?”
He covered my mouth with his fingers and leaned in closer. His eyes closed.
So did mine. My mind blanked out.
I felt his lips through his fingers. He kissed them like he did the night we were in that closet. My heart sparked something sharply, enough that I felt my lungs needed air. Unlike the night in the closet, where I was giggling and knowing the others were opening the door, this time there was nothing to interrupt. I felt every movement of his lips.
He pulled back, his fingers retraced my lips and brushed away toward my cheek. He cupped my cheeks into his palms. The palms were soothing, and his fingers massaged at my skin. “I was going to move my fingers,” he said. “At the last minute, when I knew you were close. I was going to move my hand.”
“Luke ...”
“I was going to steal a kiss,” he said. The glow of the stars above our heads outlined his face now, and while it was difficult to see his eyes, he focused on me, enough to drown me where I sat next to him. “I wanted to steal you away from them by kissing you first, and do it right in front of all of them.”
There it was. Everything I was worried they were trying to do, only I didn’t quite understand. Luke wanted me? “You didn’t,” I said.
His lips tightened in the corners. “No.”
“Why not?” Whoa. What was I asking? I made it sound like I wouldn’t have minded. He was talking about stealing me away from Kota and the others. Part of me was curious, though. I really wanted to know.
Luke’s eyes widened, his palms at my cheeks drew me in an inch closer. “Because I didn’t want you to hate me. You’d said earlier you didn’t think someone should be forced to kiss someone. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want me to.” He brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my fingertips one at a time. “I don’t want to trick you, Sang. Not now. I didn’t want to steal a kiss. I don’t want our first kiss to be like that.”
My breath escaped me again. He was thinking about a kiss. “What do you want it to be like?”
His mouth popped open. He beamed. “You mean you’re not mad at me for wanting to steal you?”
“How can I be mad about something you didn’t do?” I asked. “I mean, you changed your mind. It’s not like you did it and now you’re asking me to forgive you.”
He laughed. “Forgiveness and permission, huh?”
I didn’t understand, but I made the mistake of nodding, as if I knew what he was talking about.
He smiled at this, settling back into the bean bag chair. He tugged me along with him. His fingers threaded through my hair, pressing my cheek to his chest. He nuzzled the top of my head with his cheek. “Where would you want our first kiss to be?”
I blushed, afraid to answer him. It was like admitting I wanted him to and I didn’t even know what it would mean. Would kissing him mean I couldn’t kiss anyone else? Nathan already kissed my hand. I almost kissed Kota ... or maybe I didn’t. Even in the dim light, I worried he could sense my embarrassed face. “I don’t ... I’m not sure.”
“I was going to say inside Kota’s closet, but that’s probably a terrible place,” he said. “I mean, what would we tell everyone?”
“Maybe at the diner,” I suggested. “Where we first met.”
“Ah. Yeah. That’d be good.” His fingers combed through my hair, and traced down along my neck. “One night, we’ll work super late. Maybe there’s a lingering crowd. You’d be frustrated with the register that stopped working. I’d have a rough table, with kids that are whining. People are yelling at both of us to hurry.”
“This sounds ... amazing,” I said, not hiding my surprise. Did that sound romantic to him?
He laughed. “Maybe someone gets frustrated with you, drops cash into your palms to pay and walks out. You’re about ready to fall apart and quit and walk home.”
“I wouldn’t quit on you,” I said, convinced that was true.
“Hang on, I’m getting to the best part.” He pushed his cheek to my head. “I’d find you. I’d come over to the register.” He pulled back from me, picking my head up in both palms, glancing into my eyes in the dim light.
My heart thundered. My fingers found his lips, covering his mouth like he’d done to me before and my mind catching on to his vivid imagination. “People would be watching,” I said quietly. “Wondering if you’re about to fire me or start yelling.”
His eyes locked on mine. “I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. I’d jump the counter to get near you.”
I brought my fingertips from his mouth to mine, covering my lips. “I’d back up against the wall to give you room.”
“I’d follow you,” he said, he drew close, his lips hovering over my fingers covering my mouth. His breath caressed my face. “I’d hold you like this, meaning to say something positive to keep you there. Then I’d get lost in those crazy eyes of yours. I’d tell you how I needed you now.”
I lost the comment I had prepared, something funny to retort. All that escaped my lips was a soft exhale. When I sucked in another breath, the air was filled with his sugar and vanilla scent.
He bent his head, closing his eyes. He kissed my fingers over my mouth. His lips parted, caressing my hand, warming. My eyes closed through their own will, my lips parting and slack against my own fingers. It wasn’t a direct kiss, of course, but my heart flipped in my chest. It was more intimate than Nathan kissing my hand.
He kissed my hand again, and slowly backed his head away, his eyes slits as he gazed at me. “I need you, Sang,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t,” I whispered through my fingers, terrified to move. I didn’t want to mess up and ruin the moment. “If you want me to stay ...”
“I want you, Sang,” he said, his voice strengthening. “Stay with us ... with me.”
The way he said it sent me spiraling with worries. This was what he wanted from me all along. He really was worried I’d leave. Was it because he thought someone from the Academy, the others who would work there and meet me, could ever sway me? Didn’t he realize
how grateful I was to them?
The phone in my bra started to buzz to life. With him so close, he felt it, too. I kept my hand over my lips, and my free hand pulled the phone out. It was a call from North.
My eyes widened. I pushed the button and held the phone to my ear. “Yes?” I said through my fingers.
Luke leaned in like he was going to listen, but his lips found my hand again over my mouth.
“Where’s Luke?” North demanded.
Luke grinned as he kissed my fingers. I had to back my head away from my hand to respond to North. “Right here,” I said. Literally.
“Why doesn’t he have his phone? I tried calling,” North bellowed. “Give him the phone.”
I held the phone out to Luke. “It’s for you.”
Luke groaned, backing off of me to sit back. He put the phone to his ear. “What?”
I couldn’t hear what North was saying, but he sounded angry. Luke wasn’t responding, only listening. He glanced at me occasionally. I gave him puzzled looks but he only shook his head.
Luke readily agreed with North and hung up on him, rolling his eyes. “We’re supposed to go to sleep. And I’m not allowed to take you shopping again.”
“While we’re being watched?” I asked.
“I think he meant ever.”
I pouted. “That’s not fair. We didn’t do anything.”
“I know,” Luke said. He pushed a palm to his forehead. “He’s not always Mr. Sunshine of course, but he’s been worse than usual lately.”
“Is he okay?”
“I don’t know.” Luke dropped his hand from his face and reached to snap the light on. “But I hope he gets over it soon. I might not be able to take it.”
I sighed, following Luke back out into the bedroom. I wondered if it was my fault. Maybe I’d been waking him up early with asking about dreams too often.
A BRIEF ENCOUNTER
Friday morning, Luke shook me awake. “Sang, you’re dreaming.”
I groaned, rolling over. “I know,” I said. I pushed my face back into the pillow. I’d hardly slept all night and the one point I did sleep, it felt like I did nothing but dream.
“Come on. Get up and tell me about it.”
I grumbled, sitting up and pushing the covers back. Luke sat cross-legged on the bed. He held his arms open. I absentmindedly crawled into his lap, grateful for a cozy spot to wake up in. “I don’t want to tell you,” I said. “It’s pointless.”
“Tell me anyway,” he said. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his cheek to my forehead. “Please?”
I sighed. “I dreamed there was a big wolf trying to get me. I was running through some building to get away.”
He cupped my cheek in his palm. “Did he get you?”
“Almost.”
“But he didn’t,” Luke said. “Did I wake you in time?”
I nodded.
Luke smiled. He picked up my hand, bringing the fingers to his lips. He kissed my knuckles. “I saved you.”
I wanted to resist, but my lips betrayed me, curling up at the corners. “Yes.”
“Good,” he said. He focused on me, pushing my fingers to my own mouth. I stilled, and he leaned in, closed his eyes, and kissed my fingers while I pressed them to my mouth. He backed away, smiling. “I like saving you.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Luke ...”
He nudged me to get up. “Let’s get going before we’re late and Kota comes in after us.”
The thought of Kota had my heart pounding again. It seemed every moment I was getting closer to disaster. Luke was nearly kissing my mouth. I wondered about the next time someone would ask for a date, or find out about the kissing.
If Kota only knew ...
I took extra care in the bath that morning, shaving, scrubbing clean every part, and washing my hair in the special shampoo Gabriel had made for me.
While the evenings had finally been cooling off a little, the days were still very warm. I put on one of the nicer dark skirts, and matched it with a pink T-shirt Gabriel had said would go with it.
I found Luke downstairs, already dressed and waiting with my bags in hand. He beamed at me, his eyes sliding across the clothes and he seemed to approve. “Ready?”
I was about to say yes, when I stopped. “Do you think Kota would mind if I asked Marie if she wanted a ride?”
“Of course not.”
“Let me go ask.”
I stumbled back up the stairs again, knocking softly at Marie’s door. “Marie?”
I heard mumbling.
“Do you want a ride to school? You can come with us.”
There was more mumbling. I wasn’t sure what she was saying but I waited, hesitant to leave her alone and have her miss school again.
The door swung open. Marie wavered in the doorway, combing her fingers through her hair into a ponytail behind her head. The blue T-shirt she wore looked like the same one she’d had on yesterday. “Why do you all leave so early?”
“We get there before it’s crowded and the parking lot is full,” I said, relieved she was up. “Would you like a ride?”
“I said yes,” she grumbled. She ducked back into her room again, grabbing her book bag. “Let’s go.”
Despite what Luke said, I was nervous walking out to Kota’s car waiting in the driveway and wondered if he would be upset that I’d asked Marie without actually talking to him first.
Kota didn’t miss a beat. He popped out of the driver’s side quickly, opening the rear side door.
“Morning,” he said, looking at Marie first, but his eyes slid to me, beaming. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” I said. In an effort to keep Marie from getting nervous, I slid into the middle. Luke sat on one side, Marie on the other.
Nathan sat in the front passenger seat. He twisted to look back at us. “Everyone good?”
I nodded, buckling in. Luke’s leg casually pressed to mine, but Marie seemed to make an effort to avoid touching me despite the crowded back seat. I didn’t totally mind. I wanted to get along with her, but honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d touched her. That was a little too much for me right now.
The car ride was quiet, which was unusual. Kota normally asked us if homework was done and a number of other things, possibly to keep us awake. At school, Marie hopped out quickly, mumbled something and headed inside.
We stood together outside Kota’s car, watching as Marie walked ahead of us toward the building.
“At least she’s here,” I said.
“It might not be a good thing she is,” Nathan said. “She might tell Danielle what’s going on.”
“Can’t worry about it now,” Kota said. He found my hand, tugging me along.
When we got inside the school, I fell in behind Kota and Nathan as they started talking. They shoved open the doors to the courtyard.
Rocky and Jay stood just inside. They turned toward us. They both wore orange football jerseys over their T-shirts.
Rocky’s eyes fixated on me. “Speak of the devil.” His smile broadened as his eyes slid down over my clothes. “Love the skirt.”
I smothered a cold shiver. They’d been talking about me? I glanced at Kota and Nathan for help.
“How’s it going, Rocky?” Kota said. “I hear you’ve got a good chance to win the football game tonight. Should be a good first game.” His tone was friendly, but there was a hint behind it that he was forcing the niceties. It was enough to get my skin to prickle. Rocky might have helped us out once when we were in a fight, but I didn’t think any of the guys trusted him completely.
Rocky turned his attention on him and shrugged. “The first couple of games are always the toughest.”
“It should be interesting,” Jay said. His smoothly shaved head made his broad jaw and facial features that much more intimidating. What struck me about him was how cold his eyes were, as if he didn’t really care much about anything. “We’ll have to see if Silas and North will be able to pull their weigh
t.”
“I’ve seen them play before,” Kota said. “When it matters, they’ll step up.”
“We’ll see,” Rocky said. His eyes floated back to me. I steeled myself so I didn’t end up cringing behind Kota. “You’ll be at the party tonight?” Rocky asked me.
Was he talking about the same one Silas wanted me to go to? “I … think so.”
“We’ll be going,” Nathan said, side stepping until his arm was pressed against mine.
Rocky and Jay perked up with interest at this. “Silas said she was going…” Rocky started to say.
Nathan stood his ground, but he had his eyebrow cocked, curious, but aware he might have just messed up whatever Silas had said. “I mean Sang’s going and Kota and I will probably be there, too. I think it’s all the same party, right?”
Rocky shrugged. “Don’t know of another one.” He glanced back at me and winked. “See you there.” He stepped forward, clearly intending to walk past us, except he made a point to walk between Nathan and me. I stepped aside to give him room. Nathan hadn’t budged. I hadn’t moved fast enough to give him room and Rocky ended up bumping into me. As he did, he leaned in a little. “Can’t wait.”
THERE’S CUTE,
AND THEN THERE’S TOO CUTE
Most of the morning was quiet. I didn’t get called to the office, and Mr. Blackbourne had me go over more memory exercises. This time it consisted of looking at photographs and scanning quickly for details and relaying the details back to him. It seemed pointless, but I trusted him, so I did my best.
At lunch, we assembled out in the courtyard. Since there was a game tonight, all of the football players were in orange jerseys, including Silas and North. It was odd to see North wearing anything but his usual black, and the required uniform they wore to school. I honestly couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
“Stop staring,” North said, for the third time that day. He sat on the bench opposite of me. He smoothed his hand over the numbers on the front. “I keep thinking I’ve ripped it.”