My heart pounded. Just the sight of him roused something in me that I never expected nor wanted to discover. I pushed open the door and stepped outside.
“Maby.” He looked away from the sky and met my eyes.
“I’m fine.” I crossed my arms. “You can go now.”
“Okay?” He stood up and walked toward me. “You missed dinner.”
“I wasn’t hungry.”
“I don’t buy that. I’ve seen you eat cheesy nachos.” He crossed his arms as well as he stared at me.
“What does it matter? I just didn’t want to go to dinner tonight.”
“Is it because of earlier?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned. “Because of getting caught in the rain with me?”
“Why would it be?” I shook my head as I glanced away.
“You know we both feel it, Maby.” He caught my hand just by the fingertips and held it loosely. “But I don’t want to be the reason that you don’t come to dinner. I don’t want you to think that you can’t be around me.”
“I just needed a breather.” I closed my eyes as the warmth from his touch seeped into my skin.
“To get control?” He wrapped his hand tighter around mine. “This isn’t something you can pin under your thumb, Maby, it’s much more wild than that.”
“Wild?” I couldn’t help but smile as I felt a jolt of electricity carry through me.
“It’s the right way to describe it, isn’t it?” He leaned close, his eyes still seeking mine. “Unpredictable, uncontrollable.”
“You’re not making this any easier on me, Ollie.” I pressed my hand against his chest and gave him a solid push back.
“I have no intention of making it easy.”
His eyes remained locked to mine, his hand still wrapped around mine. He caught my other hand before I could pull it away from his chest and pressed it there.
“Why not?” I stared at him. “After what happened with Shauna, how could you want this?”
“You’re not Shauna.” He swallowed hard as he squeezed the hand he held against his chest. “I’m not the same person I was when I was with her either. This is a new time, a new experience. I tried to fight it too, Maby. I really did. I had no intention of coming here and stumbling into you, but here we are.”
“Here we are.” I frowned as I studied him. “What are we going to do about it?”
“I’m going to start by taking you to dinner.” He smiled. “Because I know that you’re starving.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” I met his eyes. “Maybe it would be better if we agreed to just stay away from each other.”
“That seems pretty impossible, considering that we’re literally living in the same place.” He tipped his head to the side. “Maybe the better solution is to spend so much time together that we get sick of each other. That might work, right?”
“Maybe.” I frowned.
“So dinner?” He offered me his arm.
“We don’t have permission to leave campus.” I hesitated.
“I got permission.” He raised his eyebrows. “Any other excuses?”
“I guess not.” I reluctantly wrapped my arm around his. “I am pretty hungry.”
“As you should be. We had quite an adventurous day. Look at me, rescuing you again.” He patted my arm as he led me toward the gate of the school. “I think I’m getting pretty good at this hero thing.”
I cringed. Maybe he was right. Maybe being around him and his inflated ego would help take care of the ridiculous crush I’d formed. If I spent more time with him, I was sure to see that he wasn’t the right person for me.
We walked the short distance to a small restaurant.
As we reached the door, I pulled back some. My mind flashed back to the meals Jennifer and I had shared there. I could hear her laughter as we fought over the last slice of pizza.
“If you don’t like Italian, I’m sure we can walk a block and find something else.” He met my eyes.
“No, this is fine.” I cleared my throat as I stepped inside.
Chapter 18
Greasy pizza and wings filled the table within a few minutes of our arrival. I found myself smiling more than I’d expected.
“How do they taste?” Oliver picked up a wing and sniffed it. “Smells hot.”
“Tastes hot.” I grinned as I took another bite.
“I’m trusting you.” He eyed me as he took a bite. “I haven’t gotten used to the food around here yet. But this is pretty good.”
“Delicious.” I sighed as I took another bite. He wasn’t wrong; I was starving. But the gnawing feeling in my stomach was far more than that. I’d felt it before—when I was ignoring something I knew to be true.
As he reached across the table and took my hand, I felt the world around us vanish, just like it had when we’d stood together in the rain.
“I want you to take me to your favorite place again—just us this time.”
“It’s not my favorite place anymore.” Though I was tempted, I didn’t pull my hand away. I wanted to feel what it was like to just let him hold it.
Immediately, warmth spread through me.
“Why not?” He searched my eyes. “What happened there that changed that?”
“A good friend of mine told me a secret and not long after that she disappeared.” I shrugged. “It’s a great place to tell secrets.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is. I’m sorry you lost your friend.” He squeezed my hand. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“No, I want to show you my new favorite place.” I pulled my hand free of his and stood up from the table.
“Okay, that sounds good to me.” He stood up as well and left some cash on the table. “Should I get us a taxi?”
“No need. My favorite place is back at Oak Brook.” I smiled as I led him out the door.
When he took my hand again, a surge of happiness rushed through me. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. Maybe it could be wonderful if I just let it be.
“Please tell me it’s not going to be a classroom.” He laughed as he followed after me. “Your favorite place is not allowed to be school.”
“And why not?” I glanced over my shoulder at him and grinned. “Don’t worry, it’s not a classroom.”
“Then what is it?” He fell into step beside me.
“It’s a secret place, a sacred place.” I ushered him through the gate and noticed a flicker of light as a guard shined his flashlight in our direction.
“Hurry.” Oliver steered me away from the light.
“You didn’t get permission, did you?” I frowned as I dodged the attention of the guard.
“Not technically, no.” He cringed as he broke into a run and tugged me along behind him.
“Not at all, you mean?” I pushed him between two buildings, into the darkness that the alley provided.
“I just wanted us to have a good night.” He met my eyes.
I gave him another firm push until his back was against the wall of the alley. As I stared at him and my heart pumped with a mixture of excitement and fear, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to tell him how irresponsible and reckless he was.
Instead, my hands lingered on his chest and kept him pinned against the wall.
“Are you having a good night?”
“The best.” He murmured his words and started to push up against my hands as he reached for me.
“Stay.” I pushed him back again, then draped my body over his. As my cheek brushed against his, I ducked my head into the curve of his neck just in time to avoid the beam of the flashlight that shone down the alley. “Be still,” I whispered to him as his arms wrapped around me.
All at once, I was enveloped by him, something that I’d fantasized about. It felt so much better than I could have ever imagined. My entire body tingled as warmth spread to the very tips of my toes. I heard the guard walk away.
I knew the danger had passed, but I didn’t pull away and neither did he. Instead, his arms tightened
around me. His lips lightly touched the strands of my hair that covered my ear as he spoke to me.
“Don’t ask me to let you go, Maby. Please.”
The warmth of his breath coasted across my sensitive skin as his body remained curled around mine. He spoke so softly that I almost thought I’d imagined his words.
When he pulled away, I thought maybe I had, because he looked down the alley instead of at me.
“I think he’s gone.”
I stared at him, stunned and uncertain what to think of what he’d said to me.
“Ollie.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” He turned back to face me, though leaving some distance between us. “I screwed up again. I never should have lied to you.”
“It’s not that.” I touched his cheek. “I mean, I’d rather you didn’t lie to me. But I still want to show you my favorite place. Do you want to see it?”
“Yes.” He took my hand. “Absolutely.”
“This way.” I led him down the alley to the next section of buildings and past them until we reached another part of the campus that was rarely used. The buildings in this section had been slated for storage, and one in particular had been claimed by me.
As we neared it, I turned to face him. “If I show you this, you have to promise to keep it a secret.”
“I promise.” He stared at me intently.
“I mean it. It’s not just my place. It’s a place for all my friends to go—to get away from everything. You’re one of us now, Ollie, but I need to trust that you’re going to keep our secret.” I looked into his eyes. “Can I trust you?”
“Yes.” He breathed the word as he stepped closer to me. “Always, Maby. I will keep your secret and I’m glad to be considered your friend.”
Friend, I reminded myself. Friend—just keep it like that. Don’t think about his arms around you, don’t think about his lips against your hair. Just focus on the friendship.
“Okay, let’s go inside.” I smiled as I turned the knob on the door.
Opening the door to the hideout never got old to me. It always felt like coming home. Between the cushions piled up in the middle of the floor, the curtains hung up in strange places, and Apple’s artwork on the walls, I felt surrounded by the people I loved and trusted the most.
“I know it probably doesn’t look like much.”
“It looks like you.” He pulled the door closed behind us.
“Like me?” I laughed as I turned to face him.
“Full of love.” He slid his arms around my waist and looked into my eyes. “Welcoming and warm.”
“Is that what you think?” I felt that surge of warmth again and this time the tingling spread to my lips.
“It’s what I know.” He tipped his head toward mine. “I know I haven’t made the best impression since I arrived. I know I gave you a bit of a hard time. I’m sorry for that. You scared me.”
“I scared you?” I raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“When things ended with Shauna, I thought I’d never be okay again. But the first moment I saw you, I felt this spark.” He frowned, then shook his head. “I didn’t think it was possible.”
“Is that what you felt when you met Shauna?”
“It was ten thousand times stronger than what I felt when I met Shauna. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.” He rested his forehead against mine and spoke in the same soft whisper he’d used earlier in the evening. “I feel it now.”
“So do I.” My eyes fell closed as my mind swam with dizziness. I no longer wanted to be careful, I didn’t care about my rule about not dating in high school, I didn’t care about his not being over Shauna.
All I cared about was how close our lips were, so close that I could almost feel the warmth that emanated from his. All I had to do was lift my chin and tip my head. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode.
Chapter 19
The growl of an engine right outside the door broke the magic of the moment just as my lips neared his. I pulled back and looked toward the window. Headlights shone outside the building. I put my finger to my lips as I looked back at Oliver.
He nodded, then remained perfectly still.
The engine idled for a few seconds, then the vehicle turned and drove back the other way.
“They’re looking for us.” I frowned.
“They’re gone now.” He wrapped his arms around my waist again—this time from behind me—and touched his lips to the back of my head. “We can relax.”
“We should get back.” I turned around in his arms to face him. “Sneaking around is one thing, but missing curfew, that’s another.”
“Those rules again.” He sighed as his gaze moved across my face. “Can’t we just get back to thirty seconds ago? I think we were in the middle of something.”
“I think we were too.” I caressed the curve of his cheek. “But maybe it’s good that we got interrupted.”
“Why? Why is it good?” He cupped my cheeks and looked into my eyes. “I don’t think it’s good at all.”
“Ollie, all of this is wonderful. I can’t say that it isn’t. But it’s also surprising and I feel like I’m trying to catch up.”
“Is this your ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech?” He sighed as he let his hands fall back to his sides.
“No, it’s not that.” I caught his hands and held them tight. “It’s my ‘let’s take this slow and see where it goes’ speech. Let’s not rush into anything.”
“I’m not sure I can be patient.” He frowned as he studied me. “I’m trying. I swear I am. But I’ve never felt this kind of draw before. I know you’re scared. I don’t want you to give up before we even have a chance.”
“I won’t.”
“You’ll run from it.” He pulled me closer. “You’ll talk yourself out of it.” He dipped his lips close to mine. “Why can’t we just let it flow?”
My lips ached as his drifted just past them. I rocked forward on the tips of my toes a moment too late to kiss him.
He took a sharp breath, then sought my lips again, this time with determination.
I pulled back as my mind swirled. “Ollie.” I winced. “Please, I need you to be patient with me.”
“I will.” He pressed his lips against my forehead instead. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what I’ll be.” He leaned back and looked into my eyes. “I’ll play by your rules, Maby, but the moment you want something different, all you have to do is tell me. Will you tell me?”
“Yes.” As he leaned back, I met his eyes. “I promise.”
“Good.” He brushed his hands back through my hair and sighed as they came to rest on my shoulders. “I never expected this. I fought my father so hard when he insisted I get away for a while. Now all I can think about is how grateful I am that he insisted.”
I smiled at his words, but they also reminded me that he wouldn’t always be here. He still wanted to go back to England and he’d come here to escape heartbreak. How could anything possibly work between us?
Just let it flow, I reminded myself. Just see where it takes you.
As we walked back to the dorms, I felt such a sudden urge to speak to Jennifer. I wanted to tell her about Oliver, my racing heart, and the almost kiss. The urge shifted into pain as I realized that I couldn’t.
“Maby, are you okay?” Oliver paused at the bottom of the stairs that led to the girls’ dormitory.
“I’m fine.” I forced a smile.
“You’re not.” He frowned as he looked into my eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Just missing someone.”
“Your friend?” He shook his head. “What happened between you two?”
“It’s a long story.”
“One I’d like to hear.”
“Another time.” I smiled again, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Get back to your dorm before you get into trouble.”
“Good night, Maby.” He caught my hand and brought it to his lips for a light kiss.
“Good night, Ollie.” I headed up the stairs to my dorm room. Still, I wondered what I was getting myself into…
When I opened the door, I heard Fifi’s subtle snoring. At least I wouldn’t have to give her an explanation. Once I was safely in my own room, I sat down on my bed and closed my eyes. Already I regretted not kissing him. Why hadn’t I just gone for it? It was what I wanted, it was what he wanted. What harm could it do?
I closed my eyes as I remembered another night. The night I tried to talk Jenny out of seeing a boy I didn’t like.
“What harm could it do?” Jennifer had laughed as she’d sprawled out on the bed beside me.
“He’s a player, Jenny, and he’s irresponsible.” I had sprawled out on the bed beside her. We stared into each other’s eyes.
“But when he kissed me, it was like the ocean and the moon—”
“And the birds and the bees? Bees sting, remember?”
We’d stayed up all night that night. We’d argued some, laughed some, even cried some. But in the end, she still wanted to be with him and no warning from me could stop her.
“Maybe I just didn’t try hard enough.” My chest ached at the thought. “Maybe I just didn’t say the right thing.”
I picked up my phone and began to look through hundreds of pictures of the two of us. My dislike of her new boyfriend had driven a wedge between us, but it hadn’t been enough to keep us apart. I’d promised her that I would help her however I could, but one day she was just gone. Not a word, not a goodbye, not an explanation.
“We were supposed to take on the world together, Jenny.” I sighed as I looked at her picture. “Now I have no idea what I’m doing. Now I know what you meant when you talked about him. I know how it feels.”
I set my phone down and lost myself in the memory of Oliver’s arms around me. Could it really be love that I was feeling? It was certainly more powerful than anything I’d ever experienced before. But was that just because it was new? Because it was different? Because of that dreamy accent that made everything he said sound so enticing?
I remembered how harshly I’d judged Jennifer—my best friend, my sister—when she’d tried to explain how things could go too far, how she could make such a big mistake. I’d been selfish.
Worth the Wait: A Young Adult Sweet Romance (Oak Brook Academy Book 4) Page 8
