Sweet Harmony

by A. M. Evanston

  "Your heart beats really fast," she whispered.

  "Not always," he said.

  It took her a moment to realize his heart was beating quickly because she was there.

  She didn't make a habit out of cursing the universe or fate. She'd always believed that life was what a person made it and that blaming the world made it easier to have an excuse not to act. Now she was changing. She wanted to curse the universe for making her leave Daniel.

  There's a first for everything, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The next morning, Annamarie awoke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring. She glanced at Daniel who was still at her side. The alarm clock's shrill scream made him mutter under his breath, but he didn't wake up like she had. After she shut off the alarm, she saw that Boris was already awake and eating a power bar.

  "Good morning," she whispered.

  The man nodded at her and chewed slowly.

  She struggled out of bed and opened her dresser. She was in the middle of pulling out her uniform when two strong arms wrapped around her waist and yanked her back into the bed. It took her a moment to realize it was Daniel.

  "What are you doing?" she asked.

  "What does it look like?" Daniel sounded like he was half awake. "I'm pulling you back into bed. Go to sleep."

  "You have to go to class," she said. "Mrs. Carmichael only excused you from school yesterday."

  Plus, I don't want you listening in when I talk with my dad on the phone.

  "You don't have to go to school today, so I don't want to either," he muttered. "I want to stay here with you."

  The only reason she didn't have to go to class was because she was being removed from the school roster anyway.

  "You should go," she said. "I don't want you to fail because of me."

  "I won't fail." He buried his face into her hair. "Unlike a certain someone, I'm a straight A student. I've never failed a subject in my life."

  Somehow it didn't seem fair that Daniel was gorgeous, rich, and smart. She was in the bottom rank of every class. That's only because you never study, whispered a dark voice in her head. Probably if she spent as much time studying as she did making trouble, she'd be a straight A student too. She grumbled, if only because she hadn't seen Daniel pick up a book either.

  "What's the matter?" Daniel asked. "Are you in awe of my superior intelligence?"

  "What superior intelligence?" She picked up a pillow and hit him over the head with it.

  "Ouch." Daniel released her and gave her a dirty look. "What happened to the sweet girl who begged me to sleep in the same bed with her last night?"

  She had to fight the urge to plug her ears like a little kid.

  "Is the mighty toilet girl speechless?" he asked.

  "Go to class," she said. "I have Boris to look after me."

  The last thing she wanted was for Daniel to get detention.

  "Somebody is supposed to be with you all the time. Don't you remember the schedule I made?" Daniel yawned. "I'm a firm believer in schedules."

  "The schedule says that Jaiden watches me in the morning." She stared at him pointedly.

  "It may say that, but Jaiden isn't here." Daniel climbed out of bed and stretched. "Plus, I have a lot to think about. I have to figure out how to convince your dad not to take you out of the academy. I'm not going to let him steal you away from me even if I have to superglue you to the wall."

  "I have Boris." Her stomach sunk at his second comment. She was leaving whether he superglued her to the wall or not. "And you should think in class. You aren't going to plan much of anything if you spend all day napping."

  "Do you really want me to go to class that much?" Daniel sighed.

  "Yes." She crossed her arms. "If you lose your class rank, riches, and good looks, all you'll have to rely on is your cynical personality."

  "Ouch." Daniel clutched his heart, but he was grinning. "Fine. I'll go to class on one condition."

  She didn't like the way he was smirking.

  "What's the condition?" If he asked her to do something weird, she'd kick him.

  "Kiss me goodbye," he said.

  "What?" Despite how hard she tried to fight it, her face burned.

  "Kiss me." Daniel pointed to his lips.

  "No." She couldn't even look him in the eye now.

  "Okay." Daniel flopped back on her bed and pulled the blankets over his body. "A day off it is."

  She'd never be able to talk to her dad in peace at this rate. It wasn't like she was fantastic at talking in code either. If she tried, her parent would think she was nuts—well, more so than he already did.

  "Fine." Even the thought of what she had to do made her palms sweaty and her stomach churn. "I'll kiss you goodbye."

  "Really?" Daniel was out of the bed again within seconds. "Great."

  He stood in front of her, awaiting his farewell kiss. The problem was preparing to kiss somebody was different than anything else she'd ever done before. It didn't help that Daniel's eyes were alit with laughter and that Boris was watching everything.

  "I'm waiting," Daniel said, smirking.

  "I'm getting ready." She hit him in the shoulder. "It would help if you would stop staring at me. Close your eyes or something."

  "I want to watch you," he said.

  "Daniel, do you want this kiss or not?" she asked sinisterly.

  "I suppose I'll shut my eyes just for you." Daniel winked at her and then finally did as she'd asked.

  Now that Daniel was no longer staring at her with his bright blue eyes, it was a little easier. Unfortunately, the butterflies were still raging a war inside her stomach and her brain melted into unidentifiable sludge. You can do this, she told herself. It's just a kiss. It's not like you're slicing off your finger or something. Okay, thinking of chopping off body parts had not been a good idea. Now she was queasy on top of everything else.

  "At this rate I'm going to miss all of my classes anyway." Daniel opened one eye.

  "Shut up." She wrung her hands.

  This was just like jumping into the Pacific Ocean. The water itself was wonderful—after she got over the frigid first jump. Before she could chicken out, she placed her hands on Daniel's hips and plunged into the churning water. After she pressed her lips against Daniel's warm ones, she took a step back, shaking. That hadn't been so bad. The guy opened his eyes.

  "That was the kind of kiss you'd give your Great Aunt Tilly," he said.

  Not in her family. She hadn't even seen her parents kiss in years, which probably explained some of her family problems.

  "I'm sorry my kiss wasn't good enough for you." She was miffed. Kissing him had taken a lot of courage, dang it!

  "I never said it wasn't good enough." He placed his large hands on her shoulders. "I just hoped it would go something like this."

  Before she had time to react, Daniel pressed his lips to her own. The boy's mouth was hungry as he tangled his fingers in her hair. She was losing her sense of thought. All she could do was smell Daniel's sweet skin and feel his warm mouth moving against hers. This kiss was of a completely different caliber than the one she'd given. When the guy pulled back, a hallelujah chorus serenaded her mind.

  "That was a goodbye kiss." Daniel grinned, his blue eyes sparkling as he touched her cheek. "I'll be thinking about you while I'm in class. I'll be back at lunch, so don't you dare eat without me."

  "B-bye." Stupid stammer.

  Long after Daniel was gone, her lips remained warm and her body tingled. She'd be remembering the kiss throughout the rest of the day. But that was a problem…Talking to her dad with that experience on her mind was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

  ****

  At ten minutes until ten, Annamarie flashed a nervous smile at Boris. It was almost time for her to speak to her dad, but she didn't really want the bodyguard listening in. After all, he worked for Daniel and could report everything said to his boss. That was why she had to go to the b
athroom. It would echo a little during the conversation, but at least she'd have some privacy.

  "I need to go to the restroom," she said, glancing at Boris.

  She headed for the door.

  "Okay." The man moved to follow her.

  "You aren't coming in with me." She'd kick him in the privates before she'd allow him to do that.

  "I'll wait outside in the hall like I've always done in the past," he said. "I won't intrude unless it's absolutely necessary."

  She'd forgotten he usually waited in the hall. Normally she wasn't so jumpy when lying. Stupid Daniel. She blamed his kiss. She'd spent the last two hours in a state of intoxication—she'd had too much Daniel and now she was staggering around like a drunk.

  After she went out into the empty hall—all the other girls were in class—Boris followed behind her to the restroom door. She paused, fingering the cell in her pocket.

  "I may be awhile," she said. "I haven't really been able to go lately, if you catch my drift."

  Boris stared at her, unmoving. The guy really needed to get a sense of humor or at least buy himself a dictionary. Words were a good thing.

  "I'll be back." She walked into the bathroom and headed to the stall in the back.

  The minutes ticked by as she stared at her phone. Come on, Dad. There was only so much time a person could spend in the bathroom. Boris was bound to become suspicious. Finally, at one minute after ten, her phone rang. She answered it.

  "Hey," she said.

  "Annamarie!" her dad cried. "Why haven't you been answering you phone? I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past couple of days."

  "I've been busy," she whispered. "Ugh…I think you know why."

  "Yes." Her dad sighed. "Why didn't you tell me what was happening to you? I thought when you begged me to come home you were just trying to get out of going to the academy. I had no idea that you were in danger."

  "Well, you know me." She let out a nervous laugh, glancing at the door. "I always manage to piss somebody off, so I'm always in danger."

  "I'm sure you know this already, but I'm removing you from the academy. I'll fly down in two days," her dad said. "I would have come right away, but my manager has been a real thorn in my side about finishing tomorrow's concert."

  "Okay." Goodbye, Daniel. She blew out a sigh.

  "That principal at the school is a piece of work," her dad muttered. "Even after everything that happened, she didn't want me to remove you from school. Believe me, I was surprised. Your last three tutors were begging to be let off the hook after dealing with your antics."

  "I know." She chewed her bottom lip, trying to erase Daniel's kiss from her mind.

  "Annamarie?" her dad said.

  "Yeah?" She leaned against the wall.

  "Are you shaken up about all of this?" he asked. "Right now, you don't sound much like my daughter. You haven't yelled at me or ranted about how strong you are."

  "I'm okay." Liar. You don't want to leave the school.

  She found her hesitation about leaving the academy ironic considering the fact she'd begged her dad to take her home only a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, even though she was reluctant now, she had to keep Daniel and Jaiden in mind.

  "If you're sure." Her dad sounded suspicious.

  "Yeah, but I have a favor to ask you," she said.

  "You aren't going to ask me to buy you a weapon, are you?" Her dad was on edge again. "It's like I said after you saw that five thousand dollar medieval sword—the answer is no. I worry enough about you and Yuri wrestling without you having weapons too."

  "It's nothing like that. It's something small." She ran a hand through her hair. "When you come, let's leave right away, okay? I want to be out of this school as fast as possible."

  That way she'd be less likely to run into Daniel.

  "Is it because of that Nathan boy who's after you?" Her dad's voice was soft. "Are you still in danger? Mrs. Carmichael assured me that you'll be safe at school at least until I come to get you."

  No way could she tell him the truth about why she wanted to sneak away from campus. Besides, she didn't think he'd believe that two guys liked her enough to fight over her. She could scarcely believe it herself.

  "People here aren't too fond of me, so I want to leave fast." It wasn't exactly a lie. Half the student body was rooting for Nathan to finish his hit job. "I'd just prefer if I got out of here with as much dignity as possible."

  "Is it that bad?" He groaned. "I've really messed up with you, haven't I? I thought that by sending you away from the paparazzi, you'd have an easier time dealing with what your mom did. Now it's even worse. Will you ever forgive me for all the mistakes I've made over the last couple of months?"

  Lately she'd come to realize mistakes were too easy to make.

  "It's fine, Dad," she said. "You had good intentions. Besides, I know you probably needed the time away from me. I look like Mom, so you'd be reminded of her every time you see me."

  "You look like her, but that's all," he said. "I've never known two people to act less alike in my entire life."

  "Yeah, I'm more like you on the inside," she said. "Do you want to know something funny? When I was younger, I used to want to be like her. I would have given anything to have more of her personality and less of mine. Now I'm glad I'm more like you."

  "Okay, seriously, what happened to my daughter?" he asked. "You just paid me a compliment and you aren't even trying to smooth over the fact you blew up the kitchen or put fake mice on the staff food table."

  "I guess we all have to grow up eventually, Dad." She chewed her nails again.

  "Yeah, I suppose we do." He sounded almost sad. "Don't grow up too much, though. I've missed your loudness and your troublemaking. It'll be good to have you home."

  "It'll be good to be home." That wasn't a lie. She would miss Daniel and Jaiden, but it would make her happy to see her family.

  "Annamarie!" Boris yelled from outside the bathroom.

  Uh-oh.

  "I'm almost done," she cried back.

  "What's going on?" her dad asked.

  "Sorry, Dad," she said. "Somebody is waiting for me. I don't have much time."

  "All right." Her dad paused. "Do you want me to come get you right away instead? I can change flights. I think you need me more than the city of Toronto at the moment."

  "I'm still your karate chopping daughter," she said. "I can wait two days."

  "If you're sure," he said. "I'm still worried."

  "Don't be. I'll be fine," she said. "Have a good concert and I'll see you soon."

  "Bye," he said.

  "Bye."

  She hung up and stared at her phone. Two days. That was all she had left with Daniel. She'd better make the time count—and try not to die in the process.

  ****

  That afternoon, Annamarie lingered next to Daniel as Boris stood in the corner of the room. She stared out the window, taking in the scenery. The grass was showered in the golden light of the sun. The leaves on the trees were a bright green, announcing the coming of summer. Students headed from lunch to class. I can't believe I'm going to miss this place. She blew out a sigh.

  "What's the matter with you?" Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist. "You aren't the type of person to mope and sigh like that. You're the type who threatens to kill people for no reason whatsoever."

  It took her a moment to recover from the sudden physical contact. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to being touched by him. Not that she'd have the chance to become used to it with her leaving in only a couple days.

  "I'm just sleepy," she lied. "A certain somebody snored so loud last night I'm surprised the walls weren't shaking."

  "Hmph." Daniel wrinkled his nose and stepped away from her. "You think I'm a bad sleeper? You stole the entire blanket and cocooned yourself."

  She whirled around to face him.

  "You're worse than me," she said without hesitation. "You keep tossing and turning. So annoying."

  "You kick
and punch. What, do you do battle in your dreams too?" Daniel asked.

  "Well, you talk in your sleep." Last night, she'd heard him mumbling about hamburgers.

  "Whatever. Take a look at this." Daniel seized the bottom of his pants and pulled them up to his kneecap. A large purple bruise marred his otherwise perfect golden skin. "I got this when you tried to push me out of bed."

  She opened her mouth to respond, but the shrill ring of the school bell interrupted her. The bell meant it was time to head to class. Daniel groaned.

  "I suppose you want me to go to class, right?" Daniel looked to her for a response.

  Now that her phone call with her dad was over, she half wanted to ask Daniel not to go. Unfortunately, she knew he should attend class—and Daniel would never let her hear the end of it if she asked him to stay with her anyway.

  "I guess you should go," she said.

  "Fine." Daniel blew out a sigh. "I'll be back around three. Jaiden has a free period for his last class, so he promised he'd come keep you company at one-thirty. You should only be alone for two hours."

  It would be good to talk to Jaiden. She had to find a way to ease the tension between her and him.

  "I'll see you later," she said.

  "There is one last thing." Daniel grinned at her.

  "Yeah?"

  Before she had time to gather her thoughts, the guy stepped toward her and pressed his lips against her own. The two of them melted together. It was sheer magic. Tingles spread from her heart out to her limbs. Daniel's mouth was warm and sweet, probably because of the chocolate he'd just eaten. It was amazing how she could fight with him one second and be so immersed in his arms the next. What was wrong with her? How could her heart be filled with such precious feelings so quickly? By the time Daniel pulled back, her brain was mush again.

  Considering Daniel's superior smirk, he knew what effect he had on her.

  "If you like kissing me so much, I could stay and we could—"

  She picked up his backpack and hurled it into his chest. "Scram."

  "Touchy, touchy." Daniel pulled his backpack on. "There's no reason to be ashamed of liking to kiss, you know."