by J. L. Weil
Winding through the cafeteria, the smell of milk cartons, fries and all things greasy enveloped the room. I spotted Tori at our table with Austin.
“Hey,” I greeted, throwing my bag over the back of my chair while taking my seat. I’d been prepared and primed for the interrogation coming my way. They were both concerned about me, and would want to know what crazy juice I’d drunk yesterday.
I barely had my butt in the chair, when the seat in front of me pulled out and was filled by none other than the dark and mysterious Gavin.
My heart thumped at the sight of him. “What are you doing?” Having him suddenly appear every time I turned around was grating on my already frazzled emotions. There was no downtime to calm the effect he enticed.
At his arrival, Austin and Tori both froze mid-bite and gawked. I hadn’t been given the time to fill them in on the events of the soap opera I was living. My plan to spill my guts at lunch was now nixed.
“Eating lunch,” he responded, meeting my glare with a mischievous grin. He held my eyes longer than comfortable, but I couldn’t look away. It was Gavin who finally turned to Austin and Tori. “Hey, I’m Gavin,” he introduced, dazzling them with a smile.
Austin still had his mouth agape, looking star-struck. Tori, thankfully, had the decency to smile in return, instead of looking like a goon.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. Why did he make me forget myself? “Austin, Tori, this is Gavin. We met, umm…” I stumbled to find a reasonable explanation without sounding like a dork, “…ran into each other yesterday in the parking lot,” I managed. The admission caused a faint blush to crawl on my cheeks as I remembered our meeting. So much for not sounding like a dork.
Tori’s inquisitive gaze burned at my side. I shifted fretfully in my seat. No doubt there would be a lot to answer for when the two of them got me alone. Gavin was not the kind of guy you forgot to tell your best friends about. Gavin’s husky voice broke me out of my thoughts. “It was sort of a hit and run.” His twinkling eyes met mine as an uneasy cough escaped my mouth. As bad as the joke was, it felt wicked, sharing in something only the two of us understood. I found it impossible to be irritated with him. But it didn’t last long.
The moment was ruined by none other than Rianne. She strolled by, trailing a finger on the table and angled at Gavin. “Hey hottie.” She all but purred her words. “Sure you don’t want to join me?” she invited, batting her fake lashes. If I had to guess, I would say that just about everything about her was fake. Her obvious flirtations made me want to gag. Lucky for her, I hadn’t eaten yet.
“I’m good here.” He didn’t even spare her more than a polite glance, which she couldn’t possibly understand. Boys didn’t ignore her. Not that I blamed them, she did look like Barbie’s slutty twin. Her fire-engine red skirt barely covered her ass, and the black top was low enough to be outlawed at Hooter’s.
“You’ll change your mind.” Her utter confidence made me nauseated. I’m sure she couldn’t imagine what Gavin saw in me and my friends. She was popular and probably thought she was doing him a social favor, a once in lifetime opportunity. She teased her honey blonde hair between her fingers. Rianne had been bullying kids at our school far too long.
Looking directly into my eyes, he replied, “I doubt it.”
A genuine smile broke out over my face and was mirrored in his. Next to me, I could hear the low snickering of my friends. In an attempt to slam me, her sweet flirty tone turned down right sour and nasty. “You better watch yourself,” she threatened. Apparently, being rejected didn’t bring out her bright side.
I really didn’t want her to destroy the mood we had going again, but I couldn’t let it go. “Suck it,” I cheerfully snapped. Classy, I know. The damage was done, best to just go for it. Never do anything half-ass—my new outlook on life.
Rianne flipped her hair over her shoulder and sauntered to her clique of followers. A glimpse of her black thong peeked over the top of her skirt as she swayed her hips with more oomph than necessary.
Gavin laughed low in his throat. “That was fun.”
I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. His idea of fun and mine didn’t even come close.
“Is your life always this entertaining?” There was a hint of expectancy in his voice.
My friends sneered. Okay, I was prone to weird things happening around me, and I did have what I would call an explosive anger issue, but that didn’t mean my life was a freaking side show.
I glared their way. “Hardly,” I muttered.
By the time lunch ended, I’d picked my way through what food I had. My appetite was on the fritz. Tossing the remaining in the trash, I glared at Gavin and took off after my friends.
Walking side-by-side, both Austin and Tori’s interest was piqued beyond control now that we were alone. They stared at me, gleaming, waiting for me to dish.
I rolled my eyes. “It was nothing. I ran into him when I left yesterday. Literally. End of story.”
“Wait…he ditched yesterday?” Tori asked, putting together the facts.
“I guess.” I was reluctant to admit.
“He oozes trouble,” Austin commented like it was hot.
“You’re telling me,” I grumbled under my breath.
“You better not let that slip away, babygirl,” he hollered as we split off to our separate classes.
The final bell sounded, piping into the classrooms during my French lesson and interrupting my traveling thoughts. Shuffling into the halls, I weaved my way between the cluster of eager kids ready to kick start their weekend.
Gavin was leaning casually up against the wall by my locker, one leg over the other. His stance was lazy and relaxed. Shifting my gaze to his face, I skimmed the sharp angles that defined his jaw line. His black hair was edgy, with strands framing his searing sapphire eyes. Those eyes were thickly fanned by dark eyelashes. Gazing into the pools of blue, he was staring at me, his mouth upturned in a smirk. Mesmerized, he played with the ring glittering at his lower lip.
“So you made it through the whole day.” His lips split into a knee-shattering smile.
I stared hard after him as he walked away, and I was left with a bewildered expression on my face.
“Damn,” I murmured, silently praying I wouldn’t behave like a blubbering idiot the entire school year.
Dazed, I stumbled my way to the parking lot.
Chapter 6
Every other Saturday, I went into the shop at noon and stayed until closing. With Halloween around the corner, the displays and floral coolers were abundantly filled with the vibrant colors of fall—burnt oranges, deep reds and golden yellows. Tiger Lilies, marigolds, chrysanthemums and pansies showcased the majority of the collections.
There were the traditional spooky arrangements in shades of black and orange, sprinkled with glitter or ghostly accent pieces. The shop also stocked specialty items. Scattered between the floral designs were mystical figures, seasonal decorations, and artwork from local artists.
Homecoming just so happened to be this weekend. The orders for corsages and boutonnieres over the week had piled up and were ready for pickup. With everything going on the last few days, the school event never even crossed my mind. In my distraction I had missed all the décor and posters littering the school. Not that it made a difference.
Homecoming, or any other school function for that matter, really wasn’t my thing. It was no surprise I was relieved to be working.
The commotion of the event made the day fly by, especially, the last few hours before the dance began. I manned the counter, helped with customers and rung up sales. There were also two other part-time employees besides myself who helped out. Today it was just the two of us, and I had about reached my limit of baby’s breath, roses, and dyed carnations. I was clueless to why my peers matched the flowers to the exact shade of their shoes or dress. Sadly, very few actually knew my name or that we attended the same school.
Missy Walters was one of the last to come in. Her sun-bleached hair was
curly and cascading prettily over her exposed shoulders.
“Are you here to pick up a corsage?” I sweetened my voice like I hadn’t uttered the phrase a hundred times before.
She nodded, sending her bouncing curls for a wild ride. “For Walters,” she added, unaware I already had her corsage in hand. She wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.
“Do I know you?” Her voice was fit for a little girl, all cutesy.
“Umm…yeah, I think we have Interior Design together, fifth period,” I replied offhandedly as I tied a ribbon on the box of her corsage.
She popped her pink gum and giggled. “Oh yep, that’s it. You sit in the back row.”
Correction. I sat in the second row, but for her it was close enough. I don’t how she heard herself over all the snapping of gum, so I nodded in agreement.
“Well, thanks for the flowers.” She smiled when I passed her the package.
“Have fun tonight,” I called as she headed for the exit, unsure she heard me over the gum smacking.
“Sure thing, you too.” Her voice was over bubbly, like her gum.
Oh loads, I thought mockingly. I had big plans for tonight that involved the snugness of my bed and the current Nora Roberts book I was reading.
The chime on the door rang near the end of the night while I was wiping down the counter. We had an hour left before the shop closed, but most everything had been cleaned, straightened and restocked. I stopped what I was doing to greet the customer, absently tucking a hair behind my ear.
“Hi, is there something—” The rest fell from my lips. Tingles danced down my back, and then I realized who came through the door.
Gavin, in his dark jeans, strolled across the room to where I stood behind the glass counter. The clatter of his half-tied boots echoed at his approach.
“There is something you can help me with.” He reached the counter and stood in front of me, leaning a hip against the glass.
I ignored his words. “Are you stalking me?” I was stunned by the fact he was standing in front of me.
“Not precisely the greeting I was hoping for.” He leaned in, smiling at me with teasing eyes.
“So you are stalking me?” I smiled back. I hadn’t the first clue how to flirt. Instead I was left with lame responses.
“No, actually…”
And that was all I needed for my mind to go off on a tangent. What if he’d come in to buy something? I assumed he was here for me, but what if he wasn’t. Maybe he was here to pick up flowers for homecoming. It was late—but not enough so he couldn’t still go to the dance. My heart sunk at the image of him dancing with another girl. He might be new here, but he would have no trouble finding a date. Hell, it was possible that Rianne had asked him. She made her interest overtly clear at lunch.
He watched me as my mind ran through the entire horrible scenario before finishing. “…I wanted to ask you something.”
I swallowed back the large lump that suddenly formed in my throat. “Sorry, long day.” I pasted on a smile, yielding. Internally, I scolded myself to be as polite as I could be. “Are you picking up an order?” I assumed, trying to keep my voice even and the disappointment from it.
He played with the hoop on his bottom lip—absently twirling it. “No.” His brows drew together at my assumption. “But I was hoping you were almost done here?” There was a touch of hesitancy to his voice, completely out of character for his normally cocky attitude.
Wide-eyed and tongue-tied, I went all spacey. He had to stop doing that to me.
“I was hoping you could show me what people do for fun around here,” he continued, after I failed to have a coherent response. I never even heard my aunt return from the backroom in the middle of his invitation.
She smiled brightly over his shoulder at me as she made her way around the counter. Gavin straightened slightly at her approach. His gaze went from mine to hers.
“Hi, I’m Clara—Brianna’s aunt.” She grinned at him sincerely. “Are you a friend of hers?” She was fishing for information, more specifically if he was something more than a friend. I couldn’t blame her inquisition. A hot guy in the shop asking me on what could be misconstrued for a date was a rare commodity. Or in my case…unheard of.
Not giving him the opportunity to give her false hope, I quickly recovered and cut in. My aunt didn’t have a judgmental bone in her body. Everyone got an equal chance until you deserved otherwise. But I think her genuine acceptance caught Gavin a little off guard. Well, I assumed that was why he looked at her cautiously, like she might toss him out at any moment.
“He just moved here,” I lamely answered with more volume than I meant to. I took a quick breath. “We met a few days ago at school.” This time I lowered my tone but raced my words. The whole situation was making me jumpy.
“Hmm…” My aunt pursed her slightly grinning lips, no doubt picking up my odd behavior.
This wasn’t going at all as I would have hoped. Not that I had even a second to think about what was happening here.
“I was just asking Bri if she would be willing to show me around town. That is, if you don’t mind?”
She raised her brow at the nickname, and I could see her internal mind making all kinds of wrong assumptions. “Bri would love to.” She excitedly agreed on my behalf.
“I could drop her off at home afterwards. I’ll make sure it’s not too late,” he added.
“Perfect, she’ll be ready in a few.” She took my place behind the counter, gently nudging me into action.
What?
I will?
How had everything had spun out of my control? They were talking as if I wasn’t there or didn’t have a say in the matter. Maybe I didn’t want to go. Totally not true, but at the least, I should be the one to say yes or no. I mean, the idea of spending an entire evening with Gavin was both elating and frightening. The fireflies in my belly began their dance.
“I haven’t finished—”
“Don’t worry. I got it covered. Go. Have fun,” she rebuked, interrupting my protest.
I wasn’t against going out with Gavin; I didn’t know anyone who would be. I was just slightly infuriated about being sneakily maneuvered.
I eyed her, letting her know I wasn’t happy about being finessed. “I’ll be ready in a minute,” I mumbled.
Surrendering my fate, I headed to the backroom. I did what I could with what I had. With haste, I ran a brush through my hair, reapplied my eyeliner and mascara, and coated on my favorite strawberry-flavored lip gloss. Thank God we don’t have uniforms at the shop. I just wore whatever. Today, it was a black halter and jeans. At least they made my butt look good. Halle-freaking-lujah for small favors! Digging through my bag, I pulled out a pair of silver dangling earrings and fitted them in the holes.
This was the best I could do, under the circumstances.
Walking back into the shop, I saw he was casually chatting with my aunt. They both looked toward me at my approach.
“Ready?” He lifted the brow with the sterling bar in it.
I nodded and waved good-bye to my aunt. She mouthed have fun and grinned from ear-to-ear.
He led me to a sleek and shiny car that probably cost more than my aunt’s and mine combined. Coming around to the passenger side, he opened my door. The gesture was completely sweet, unexpected, and made me extremely self-conscious.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
He drove an old-school black ’69 Charger. At least that was what he told me. It looked like it was straight out of the showroom. It wasn’t the kind of car I imagined he would drive. I’d envisioned him on a motorcycle, something more daring, but once the engine roared to life, thundering with the powerful rumble, I got the appeal. I buckled in for what proved to be a very fast ride.
The radio was on low, pumping an alternative band. His interior was clean and smelled of leather and exotic woods. If someone had told me last week I would be going out on a Saturday night with an extremely drool-worthy guy, I would have asked them what
kind of crack they were smoking. Honestly, I figured I wouldn’t date until I got to college. There would be a fresh batch of hotties who wouldn’t know me, a whole world of opportunities.
Look at me now— I was on my first almost real date. Hold the presses.
“Where to?” He looked over at me for direction.
He was so asking the wrong person. “There really isn’t anything fun to do here,” I reluctantly admitted. I didn’t want him to know how boring my life was.
“In that case, I guess we’ll have to make our own fun.” He smiled devilishly at me from across the seat. “What’s open late?”
That grin was going to get me in trouble. I was sure of it.
Chapter 7
We ended up at a little coffee shop near the edge of town that I went to often. Caramel macchiatos had become a self-indulgence I took at every opportunity. Taking a seat in a quiet section near the back, we sat opposite of each other. The place had a scattered array of patrons sipping on steaming mugs, tapping away on laptops, or sucking on frozen concoctions, gossiping.
There were multi-colored hanging lights casting a low glow, giving a secluded atmosphere. Each table had three tea light candles flickering in unruliness.
Upon sitting, we were greeted by a young girl— Carla, according to her nametag. She couldn’t have been much older than me, and her eyes were glued on Gavin. Invisibility wasn’t a foreign feeling. Her uniform was a little tight, and I was afraid she was going to fall out of the top.
I folded my hands on the table, watching her soak up the sight of him. Stealing a glance, I noticed a strange spark about Gavin’s eyes. They were normally pools of deep blue, but this was something else. Blinking to clear the glare of the soft light above, he turned and asked what I would like. Whatever I thought I saw was gone.
“Caramel macchiato,” I said on auto-response, still wondering what just happened.
