by Hotcheri
I put my hand up to stop his long winded explanation, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it. “No, I didn’t mean are you serious about Principal Herman hating you, I meant are you serious about getting expelled?”
I knew he had to be, but I still wanted confirmation. To me, even though Luke had been Dalton’s bad boy, he had appeared untouchable. His dad was on the school board, for Pete’s sakes! They couldn’t really expel him, could they?
My heart sank as he reached into his full backpack and pulled out an official Dalton School envelope with our school crest on the front. He handed it to me.
“The proof is in the letter. Trust me, I didn’t forge it.”
I skimmed it then looked up at him, knowing I had a worried look on my face. What was Luke gonna do now? More importantly, what was his dad going to say once he found out?
“Have you told your dad yet?” I asked nervously, scuffing the toe of my boot against the concreted floor.
Luke’s lips twisted in a cynical smile and he shook his head. “Hell no. Can you imagine? He’s gonna go crazy!” He ran a hand through his windswept hair, shooting me a cute side glance. “I just- I guess he’s heard by now but I don’t want to deal with it till I get home.”
“What were you expelled for?”
Luke heaved a huge sigh. “Fighting.”
“Oh, Luke...” I couldn’t believe it. Why’d he been fighting? He knew full well that Principal Herman drew the line at fighting, and he almost always suspended and expelled fighters. Luke must’ve known he was on thin ice, so why...?
“It’s okay, trust me.” Luke slid both of his hands onto my shoulders and drew me closer, squeezing them slightly. “If I had to get expelled for anything, I’m glad it was for this,” he said. The reassuring tone of his voice and the confident manner in which he spoke did nothing to alleviate the sadness I felt knowing that my friend had gotten kicked out of school. Poor Luke.
Blinking back tears, I looked up at Luke. “What’s the bad news?”
Shooting me a crooked smile, Luke said, “I beat up Ahmed today.” Okay, this is definitely turning out to be a trippy day. My mouth dropped open as Luke continued. “I knew I shouldn’t be smiling about it, but the ass deserved it.”
“Luke- I- you’re joking.”
He had to be playing games.
Matter-of-factly, Luke pointed to his cheek. “Where’d you think I got this from?”
Realization slowly set in. “Wait- you got expelled because you beat up Ahmed?”
“Bingo.”
Feeling dull-witted with all the different info that was pouring in, I asked, “Why were you fighting with Ahmed? He used to be your friend!”
“Key word is ‘used’,” Luke told me, not seeming too upset about anything. Actually, I appeared to be more worried about the whole situation than Luke himself. Continuing, Luke said, “He’s a mega douchebag, and he should be glad I didn’t mess him up more.”
I scratched my nose. “But- how’d the fight happen?” I asked curiously. “He didn’t want to talk to you, remember? Who swung first?”
A guilty light shone in his eyes as Luke pointed to himself. “Me.”
I sighed, looking up at him. “Luke...why?”
“Because- he was talking shit!”
And that’s always a good excuse to start a fight. Boys will be boys, alright.
“But Luke- Ahmed’s always running his mouth about something or other!” I should know, I spent tons of weekends at the El Hamed’s penthouse. “You know this, and you always brush it off! Why’d you snap now, knowing you were on your last strike?”
A slight smile on his face, Luke reached out to touch my cheek. “Because he was talking shit about you, and I wasn’t going to have it.” He shrugged, once again managing to look incredibly adorable as he gazed at me. “Maybe I could’ve handled it differently but I just did what came natural, I guess.”
Mouth dry, I managed to croak, “Talking about me? Why?”
I thought Ahmed and I had gotten past – whatever animosity he had towards me. I mean, ever since the gala he’d made a point of saying ‘hey’ to me whenever I passed him in the school hallways. What could he possibly have said to laidback Luke that would have sparked a fight? Do you really wanna know, Celsi?
“Because he’s a tool.” Luke squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I took care of it. I fought for your honor and I won.”
In a daze, I whispered, “You got expelled just because Ahmed was talking about me?”
“It’s no biggie.”
Look at him, looking as pleased as punch.
“Yes it is!” I wrung my hands. How could I make him see just how serious this was? Getting expelled was a big deal! Other schools wouldn’t touch you if you had a tainted record. “Your dad is gonna be furious and it’s my fault!”
Luke shook his head, looking uncharacteristically serious. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I’m the one who hit him. If I recall, you weren’t even at school today.” He gave me a cute smile. “There’s no way this is your fault.”
“Yes, it is,” I whispered, looking up at him. “If he hadn’t been talking about me, would you have beaten him up?”
Getting a bit carried away there, ain’t you Celsi? He would probably have beat Ahmed up if he’d been talking smack about anyone!
Not.
My heart thumped as Luke hesitated. The voice in my head was right. I really didn’t mean that much to Luke, I was just reading too much into the whole situation. “No. probably not.” A wry smile. “But I guess it just goes to show- I hate when people say negative stuff about you, CiCi. Ever since we started talking- ever since we’ve been friends, you’ve been nothing but sweet to me and - nobody’s gonna talk shit about you when I’m around. Seriously.”
Sounding (and feeling) like all the wind had been knocked out of me, I managed to say, “That’s sweet of you, Luke, but I’m not worth getting kicked out of school for.”
Simply and sincerely, Luke said, “To me you are,” as I blinked up at him. Oh no he didn’t just say that. “Don’t worry. School’s overrated anyway.”
“Your dad would beg to differ.” Oh God, what would he do when he found out that an insignificant ghetto girl was ultimately responsible for his son getting expelled? “Luke, you’re going to be in so much trouble!”
“I know.” Luke shrugged. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me. I fished it out. Aunt Kelly.
Luke’s Point of View.
As CiCi talked on the phone with her aunt, I obsessed about what we’d just been talking about. There was no way I was gonna tell her what really went down between Ahmed and me, or about the jealousy I felt when Ahmed started talking his ‘I could have Celsi whenever I want’ crap. No sir.
“Okay auntie. I’ll be home pretty soon. Um, Robyn just made nachos. Sure. Okay. Bye.”
She hung up and slipped her cell phone into the pocket of her hoodie. “Luke, I have to go soon or Aunt Kelly will get suspicious. Not that I’m doing anything wrong, but-.”
I nodded to show that I understood, even though I didn’t want her to leave just yet. There was just something about her that made me feel- happy.
“I’ll give you a ride,” I told her, slinging an arm companionably over her shoulder. “And this time, I’ll park up a block.”
CiCi’s shoulders shook as she laughed, the sound of her laugh making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Shazia was so right it was ridiculous. I was so into CiCi that I felt giddy and I’m the kind of guy that never feels giddy for anyone and anything. Yet as CiCi turned her face up to look at me, my heart skipped a beat and I felt- giddy. “Thanks, Luke.”
“No problem,” I said in a voice that was almost a whisper, staring down into her beautiful face. The bruises were fading slightly, but it still made me wanna punch Nate out.
We walked into the elevator, which was empty and I pushed the ‘down’ button.
“I sti
ll can’t believe you were fighting, what if something had happened to you?” CiCi said. I turned to her- she was leaning against the back of the elevator, her arms folded across her chest and a stern expression on her face.
I knew she was talking about the aneurysm. “I’m not going to live my life being scared,” I said honestly, moving to stand right in front of her.
She went off on another tangent, shaking her head and making her sweet smelling hair fly out. “I’ve got to do something about this,” she said, the determined tone of her voice reminding me of Faith.
I scratched my head, confused for a quick second. What were we talking about? That strawberry scent was making me lightheaded! “About what?”
CiCi pursed up her lips. I licked mine, my heart thudding in my chest as I stared down at her. I wanted to kiss her so bad, but I couldn’t. Willpower. Don’t mess up your friendship. Don’t do it! “There’s gotta be a way to get Principal Herman to backtrack on his decision.”
“What, you mean re-enroll me?” I laughed out loud. “Hell no, he’s glad to finally be rid of me.”
“He said he owed your dad a favor,” CiCi reminded me, looking thoughtful. “Maybe if your dad calls in that favor-.”
I shook my head, seeing what she was getting at and sensing a fail. “On my behalf? Not gonna happen.”
“Stop being negative, Luke,” CiCi snapped, frowning at me. “I’m trying to help you out here!”
“I know,” I said, squeezing her shoulder. “But as far as this whole situation goes, as soon as I have surgery, I’m off to the UK. Probably military school or some shit. So I might as well make the most of the here and now.”
“Don’t give up so easily,” the motivational speaker in training said. “You can appeal! Get Ahmed to admit that he- pushed you too far and it was partially his fault. Maybe he’ll change his mind and suspend you instead.”
I laughed again. There was no way Ahmed would back me on this. The snitch couldn’t even look me in the eye when we were called to the principal’s office. And to think for a while he’d been the closest friend I had. “Ahmed hates me right now. I almost broke his nose! He’ll never agree to that. Just- drop it, CiCi. I’ll be okay.”
“We can try,” CiCi said, her eyes glistening with tears. “You don’t know what will happen unless we...”
I stared down at her as she continued to talk frantically, my eyes on her moving lips. God, I wanted to kiss her. But I, Luke Astor, was scared. Scared at how she might look at me after. I didn’t want to ruin what we had, but I also didn’t want to go through my life wondering what might have happened. Also, if I really was living just for the here and now, this was a perfect example of here and now. Right here, in this elevator, I wanted to kiss Celsiana Sawyer. Just because.
“...And anyway, Tamara Jordan appealed against her expulsion when she was caught with Coach Peele, remember? I just think-.”
CiCi’s monologue ended in a sharp gasp as I lowered my head and tentatively brushed my lower lip against hers.
I could feel her heart thumping through the layers of our clothing, feel her body heat rise as I kissed her, running the tip of my tongue over her full bottom lip. She let out a shuddering breath as my arms trailed down to her hips. My hands encircled her waist as I backed her up against the elevator wall, loving how her lips felt on mine.
She tasted exactly how I expected her to taste. A hint of strawberry Chap Stick and something else that was pure CiCi.
I kissed her softly because I knew her lip was still slightly swollen and I didn’t want to hurt her. All of a sudden, CiCi started kissing me back, nibbling tenderly on my bottom lip as I sucked on her top lip, making her shiver in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck, our bodies molding together as she drew me closer, her fingers tangling in my hair. Her teeth grazed my lip, making me groan quietly as I pulled back from her lips, the world almost spinning because this was just too good to be true.
Wonderingly, CiCi opened her eyes and goggled at me as I took a step back, knowing exactly what I was about to do. “Luke- what was- what just-?” she spluttered as I stepped back to the elevator control panel and hit the emergency stop button. The elevator slid smoothly to a halt and I turned back to CiCi, loving her wide eyed innocent face as she stared up at me. “Luke-?”
All I wanted to see CiCi happy, make CiCi happy, and kiss CiCi senseless. And that was never gonna happen if she was gonna keep on talking.
Lowering my head down to hers, I whispered in her mouth, “CiCi, for the love of God. Shut up.”
And then I kissed her again.
CHAPTER 24
this is what dreams are made of.
Celsi's Point of View
My mind was a flurry of jumbled, unconnected thoughts as Luke pressed his lips against mine again, his hands cupping my face tenderly.
This had to be a dream. It has to be. I mean, look at it from my point of view, if you will. One second I was talking, (non-stop, granted, but still) the very next second, Luke had me pressed up against the elevator wall without so much as a 'by your leave' and my mind was trying to tell me it was really happening? Luke was really kissing the living daylights out of me?
Nuh uh. I must've been tripping out because there was no way my body was pressed against Luke's as I ran a hand through his soft, dark hair like I'd been wanting to do since… well, forever, really. And yet, despite my confused mind trying to confirm what was going on with cool, calm logic, the fact remained.
The elevator's stopped and I'm kissing Luke Astor!
And he was really kissing me now, leading me to firmly co-sign the idea Faith had put into my head ages ago. Luke was a good kisser, gentle and attentive. He caressed my cheek lightly with one hand as he sensually sucked on my lower lip. I trembled involuntarily as he cautiously worked his mouth over mine, slowly and softly darting the tip of his tongue out to brush against my lips, as if to feel me out. His other hand slipped down to my waist, which was good due to the fact that I was starting to feel lightheaded (can you blame me? Can you?) and my legs were shaky. But thankfully, Luke's arm snaked around my waist, keeping us pushed close together.
His lips were so soft against mine as his teeth nipped teasingly at my top lip and then suckled the pain of the bites away. Cautiously, I kissed him back, impulsively grasping the belt loops on his jeans and pulling him even closer to me. I could feel his heart beating fast through my hoodie. At least I'm not the only one who's into this. Though if he wasn't, he wouldn't have made a move on me, would he? Shut up, common sense. It almost took my breath away when Luke's tongue brushed tentatively between my lips as if he was asking me if this was okay with me. Oh, trust me, Luke, it's more than okay.
Shivering more with delight and anticipation than with anything else, I parted my lips, letting Luke's talented tongue slide into my mouth, exploring. He licked my teeth as both his hands came to rest on my hips, the simple yet sexy act causing my toes to curl. His tongue touched the tip of mine, overlapped it with his own. I tensed up; the intimate touch eliciting a strange but pleasurable feeling in my whole body that I'd never even guessed existed. Oh, my God...
I let out a small whimper as Luke's tongue twirled around mine while his hands stroked my sides slowly. No wonder Joanna had trouble letting him go! Who would have guessed that Luke could handle his business so capably- mmm...
All coherent thought ceased as Luke moved his tongue unhurriedly and sensuously around mine, making me totally melt into his arms. With a slight suck, Luke brought my tongue into his warm, wet mouth, leaving me completely breathless.
Everything else disappeared and there was only me and Luke and the exquisite feeling of his lips on mine, kissing, sucking and teasing.
A sudden loud ringing noise that seemed to be originating from the elevator itself shattered the illusion that time had stopped for Luke and I. He backed up, breathing hard as he stared dazedly at me, licking his kiss swollen lips. He looks so hot. Sluggishly, I started to raise my hand up to my own, stopping it in
mid-air and pointing at the elevator phone.
"I think- I think it's coming from there," I said, my voice sounding as dazed as Luke looked.
Clearing his throat, Luke said, "I'll get it," in a husky voice. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to add something, then shook his head and loped to the phone. "Hello? Yeah. No, we're okay. I'm sorry, I just- yeah, I get it. We were just talking, so I thought- uh-huh. I understand. I will. Sorry. Okay, bye."
A sheepish grin on his face as he turned around, Luke said, "Apparently, stopping an elevator at the Empire State Building backs up human traffic like nobody's business." He grinned sexily as he pressed the emergency button to start the elevator. "Who knew?"
"I could have told you that," I said, trying to maintain my composure after that kiss. Act normal, Celsi, he's coming back! How was I supposed to act? Were we gonna talk about it? Was he gonna kiss me again? What was I supposed to do? So many questions and not a single answer.
The elevator jerked back to life as Luke made his way to stand beside me. This time, he didn't kiss me, but instead slung an arm over my shoulder and hugged me to him.
"Hey, you know what?" he whispered in my ear, his hot breath making my ear tingle. In a good way.
Boy, you need to stop.
"What?" I whispered back.
"Today turned out to be pretty awesome, pretty much thanks to you."
I could barely breathe. Did this mean we were gonna talk about the kiss? "Oh, yeah? What did I do?" I asked, trying to sound flippant.
Grinning down at me, Luke kissed my forehead lightly before saying, "You helped me strike two things off my list."