by SC Alban
“Oh, yes, of course, no problem. I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Michaels. Now, get to work, and good luck,” she managed to say before bustling away to the next kitchen.
Jay slid out of his jacket and threw it on a nearby desk. He walked to our kitchen’s sink and rolled up his sleeves. Taking his time, he washed his hands and dried them on the towel hanging on the hook. I stood unmoving, shooting invisible daggers at him as he tied on his apron, completely unaffected by my death stare.
His apron seemed to be made from a completely different material than mine, though they both came from the class cabinet. Where mine was rough and itched any exposed skin, his looked soft and well worn. It was covered in white puffy clouds with little airplanes and fit him perfectly. It fueled my irritation. Only he could make such a ridiculous article of clothing look fashionable. My heart fluttered, but I willed it to stop.
Don’t fall for distraction.
“Were you actually with Principal Higgins?” I asked.
“Um…no. But how else would I be able to get O’Dowd off our backs?”
I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right.
“Okay, yeah, I get that. But still, where were you? We’ve lost like ten minutes—”
“Relax, Megan, you worry too much.”
He casually slid into position at the cutting board and worked on the salad. My insides fumed. He still hadn’t answered my question, but I was willing to let it go until we caught up. A sudden thought snapped me back to panic. Crap! Amadeo. I scoured the other kitchens but saw nothing. A few more seconds and my pulse began to slow. Okay. This was good. Maybe he went back to wherever he’d been hiding the past few days once he saw I had things to do. Of course. That had to be it. Not wanting to waste any more time, I grabbed the roasting pan and raw chicken to start on our entrée.
“So, you seem pretty flustered,” Jay said as he chopped. “You weren’t worried about me, were you?”
“Are you for real?” I turned and glared at him. “Do you seriously believe I was worried about you? Like, as in personally? Jesus, Jay, you really are stuck on yourself.”
“Geez, chill.”
“Chill? You want me to chill?” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down to avoid attention. How could I chill? Only he could make me feel like an uptight loser while wearing my best butt jeans, which he hadn’t even had the decency to notice. It infuriated me. “The only thing I was worried about was how your absence was going to totally screw me over. I have worked too hard to fail, and there’s no way a guy as pompous as you, no matter how good-looking, is going to mess it up for me. I will pass this assignment. Got it?”
Heat crept up my neck and spilled into my head, my ears swooshing at the sudden change in temperature. I blinked, surprised at my reaction. Usually, I kept everything in, but something about him standing there, assembling the salad perfectly…in that apron…hit a nerve.
He stopped chopping and lifted his head. “You think I’m good-looking?” Even with his back turned, I could sense him smiling.
Kill me now.
Anger fled the scene in zero-point-one seconds as a wave of embarrassment crashed down. I stared at his back, mortified by my admission. Good-looking? Obviously. But how could I have let that slip out? I stood still and prayed he would drop it. No such luck. After my silence stretched on for longer than the value of pi, he looked over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth tilted up devilishly.
“Is there anything else I should know about how you feel about me?” he asked before he resumed chopping the lettuce. “Wouldn’t want a guy like me to screw it up by not having all the information.”
“Actually, yes, there is,” I answered. The initial embarrassment had faded, and I quickly determined the only way to get rid of it completely was to return to the reason for all this. Besides, I had no intention of letting him off the hook. “Where were you?”
His shoulders stiffened.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” His voice had an edge to it.
“No, I’m not. Jay, we’re partners, here. I deserve an explanation. At the very least, I’d like an apology for putting me in an awkward position.”
He took a deep breath and faced me, leaving his salad on the counter.
“I had to be somewhere,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. He was one cocky jerk if he thought he could blow anyone off whenever he pleased with only half answers for an excuse. Well, no more. I was tired of it. Narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms, I let him know I was not going to be placated that easily.
“Okay, okay. I had to do something for my family, and I just lost track of time. That’s all. No big deal. Look, I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Hmm,” I responded.
I glanced at the clock. With little more than an hour left and not wanting to take any more chances with time, I nodded.
“Fine…for now,” I said shortly. “Now can we please get this done, on time, before I seriously freak out?”
“You mean this is the normal, not freaking out you?” he teased. Though his posture was not fully relaxed, his playful banter showed me he wasn’t as tense. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You’re in charge,” he said as he spun around back to work.
A sweep of red caught my peripheral vision, and I snapped my attention to the front of the room. What was—my jaw dropped as Amadeo sat atop Ms. O’Dowd’s desk. Oblivious, our teacher sat in her chair and flipped through a cooking magazine.
“No,” I mouthed and shook my head, trying to subtly wave him away. Amadeo just smiled sweetly and winked before knocking a pile of papers off Ms. O’Dowd’s desk. The woman looked up, her mouth open in surprise as the papers floated down to the floor. Getting up, she collected them and placed the stack back on her desk. My tongue doubled in size as Amadeo caught my gaze and lifted his eyebrows. Oh God, no. He reached out toward the pile and smiled, indicating his intentions.
“Um, excuse me,” I said to Jay, rushing up to the front of the classroom.
“Huh?”
I watched in horror as Amadeo’s fingertips slid the pile towards the edge of the desk. I bounded up the aisle.
“No!” I said, this time loud enough to catch Ms. O’Dowd’s attention.
Too late. With more force than before, the cupid pushed the massive stack of papers into the air. I froze and watched, speechless as the papers sprinkled around me like confetti.
“Ms. Cooper,” Ms. O’Dowd said in a voice that caught the entire class’s attention. “What is the meaning of this?”
Laughter echoed in my ears as the last of the papers glided to the floor.
“I-I…” I stuttered. Amadeo popped out of sight.
Ms. O’Dowd narrowed her eyes. “Ms. Cooper,” she said sharply. “Pick this all up at once and go back to your kitchen before I send you to the office.”
Ohmigod.
This wasn’t happening. I choked on the air as I looked around the room. Everyone’s eyes darted to their projects to avoid mine.
“Well…”
“Yes, Ms. O’Dowd,” I mumbled.
I knelt down and began collecting the papers. Amadeo popped up at my side.
“See? No one can see me,” he said, smiling. “Just you.”
“Fine,” I barely whispered. “I believe you. Can you just please go back to my house, and I’ll be there after school.”
“What was that, Ms. Cooper?” Ms. O’Dowd said, leaning over the side of her desk.
“Nothing. Almost done.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, but didn’t say anything more. She settled into her chair, her attention back to her magazine. I released a quiet sigh. Thank God. Now to get rid of Amadeo.
“Can you just leave?” I said in a voice that was barely a whisper.
“I don’t know; human school is more fun than I thought,” he said, joy bubbling out of his mouth.
“Please, Amadeo. Please,” I implored as I picked up the rest of the papers.
>
I must’ve looked extra pathetic, because he scratched his head and nodded.
“Are you gonna help me?”
“Yes, okay. I’ll do whatever you want,” I hissed. “Just please go.”
Amadeo smiled. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“When?”
He pressed his lips together and tilted his head. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
“Okay, fine. What time is—”
He popped out of sight. Was he always gonna just disappear in the middle of a conversation like that? I took a deep breath and slowly stood. I placed the papers back on Ms. O’Dowd’s desk, and after getting another pointed glare from her, I walked back to my kitchenette.
Jay stood by the sink, amusement in his eyes.
“Wow, that was—”
“Shut up,” I mumbled.
“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands in mock surrender.
We got back to our work in silence.
“It’s just that—”
“Jay…” I warned.
He chuckled to himself and continued chopping. Not surprisingly, without Amadeo skulking around the classroom, the rest of the meal preparation went smoothly.
“Seems like we’ve got this final in the bag,” he said after he washed some dishes.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, looking around. Despite my little outburst earlier, we were actually a bit ahead of schedule. With our newfound downtime, I decided to poke around. “So, do you ever think you’ll give me a real explanation about this morning?” I said, pulling the finished chicken out of the oven.
“I thought we dealt with that. What else could you possibly want to know?” he asked as he cut a slice out of the berry tart and plated it.
“Honestly? I guess I’d just like to know exactly what was so important,” I said in a cool voice, though I could feel my frustration growing. I clamped down on it before it got too out of control.
“I already told you, no reason in particular,” he said. “I just had some personal family stuff I needed to take care of.”
I sensed tightness in his voice. Was he nervous? Was the untouchable, unaffected Jay Michaels avoiding the conversation? Was he that bothered by my questioning?
“You know, Megan, if I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect you liked me. Always wanting to know where I am and stuff,” he said with a smile. “Hell, if you missed me so much, you could have just texted. Asked me to send a selfie or something.” It was blatant baiting, and I fell right for it.
“Of all the arrogant, idiotic, self-indulgent—” I threw out my arms in frustration. My fingers brushed up against the roasting pan sitting on the stovetop. “Ow!” I pulled my hand close into my chest, my fingers throbbing from the pain.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” He was immediately at my side.
I clutched my singed fingertips with my good hand and prayed the tears welling up would stay back.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Though my words said one thing, my voice said another as it cracked mid-sentence. He tilted his head and gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe me at all.
“Here, let me see.” He reached out to take my injured hand.
“No, I’m fine, really,” I insisted. He gently touched my hand. “Ow!”
“I barely touched you; stop being such a baby. I need to see if it’s a bad burn. Should I get Ms. O’Dowd?”
“No!”
“Then let me see.”
I pursed my lips and continued to resist.
“Look, either let me take a look, or O’Dowd can come over and inspect it.” He turned to the front of the class and opened his mouth.
“Okay, fine. Whatever,” I said. “It’s not a big deal, though.”
The pain in my fingers was throbbing, but considering the alternative, I offered them to him and, after a quick examination, he led me over to the sink. Turning on the cold water, he thrust my fingers under the running tap. Careful to avoid touching the burned area, holding only my palm, he turned off the water and pulled my hand from the sink. We stood inches from each other as I watched him bring my hand closer for further inspection.
“Well, I don’t think it’s a serious burn. Probably just superficial.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, just caught me off-guard.”
I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it fast. His gaze rose to meet mine, his hazel eyes darker than usual, alluring. He brought his lips together and softly blew.
My lips parted, and a small sound escaped my throat. Goosebumps erupted over my entire body the instant his cool breath touched my fingertips. I couldn’t pull away. The faintest glint of something I almost recognized, but couldn’t quite place, sat behind his eyes as we stared at each other.
The wall around my heart tremored as I began to fall further into the warm, green-brown pools, as they called to me, pleaded with mine, and told me secrets they hadn’t told anyone before. They begged me to understand. I fell deeper. What did he want to share with me? A single brick fell away from my heart’s wall.
Would it be horrible to let him see just a bit in return?
“Jay, I…uh, I…can I tell you something?” I whispered.
He nodded.
My breath caught as I almost grasped what his eyes were saying to me. “I—”
The class timer dinged, snapping us both out of the trance. I yanked my hand away and took a step back, immediately putting space between us. I glanced around the busy class and was surprised at how noisy it was. Hadn’t we been alone just moments before? I shook the feeling away.
“Did you want to tell me something?” he said, his eyes still searching mine.
I swallowed and forced a smile. “Um, yeah. I just wanted to ask if you would mind grabbing the chicken.” I held up my hand. “Because of my fingers.” Back to business. Nothing to see.
His shoulders dropped. His eyes darted away and instantly raised their protective shield. He nodded and turned to the counter. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”
With the last minutes of the final flying by, we had just enough time to place our dishes on the counter and wait for Ms. O’Dowd to take inventory. I stayed as far away from him as I could in our kitchenette, which now seemed four times smaller. Finally, Ms. O’Dowd clapped her hands to draw our attention.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, please step out of your cooking area. Kyle Peterson, don’t think I don’t see you garnishing that tiramisu.” Stacey grabbed Kyle’s arm and yanked him out of the kitchen.
We all waited just outside our kitchenettes for Ms. O’Dowd to check us off. Clipboard in hand, she took her time fully assessing each meal, taking small bites of each dish, and asking each partner questions about ingredients and preparation. My hands suddenly became clammy. I wiped my palms on my apron as I looked over at Jay. He was flipping through his phone. The boy that had cared for my fingers, the one who had lowered his defenses, was long gone. My heart sank as I picked up the fallen brick and replaced it in my heart wall. What had I been thinking, getting wrapped up in a stupid moment?
“How are you so calm?” I asked as he leaned back against the counter, placing his phone in his back pocket and sliding both hands into his hoodie.
“Because I can be, doll,” he responded, winking at me.
I gritted my teeth and counted backwards from ten. So annoying. Had I really thought something was hidden in those eyes?
There was something. You almost had it.
I pushed the thought away with the only tool I knew could quiet it—anger.
Shut up!
“Did it ever occur to you not everyone is born knowing the privilege you have in your life? Some of us can’t afford to mess this up. I blew the mid-term, okay? And have been barely hanging on with every assignment after that. If I don’t get at least a B- on this, I’m screwed.” My voice was hot as the words slid out from between my teeth in a sharp whisper.
“Relax, Meggo, we got this,” he said, though I sensed my words had gotten to him.
&nb
sp; “Don’t call me that. You have no right,” I said shortly, my voice rising.
Sasha and Stuart from the neighboring kitchen turned our way. They huddled close together, their exaggerated whispers causing others to peer in our direction. Oh no. Thanks to Amadeo’s little stunt earlier, they probably already thought I was losing it. I refused to be the center of the gossip ring. Not again. Not when it was hopefully my last day. Instantly reining in my emotion, I lowered my voice and glowered, “You have no right.”
My tone must have gotten his attention, because he looked directly at me. For the second time, our gazes locked.
I gasped at the openness of his expression and fell into his eyes. Was all that arrogance only a cover? I could swear there was something else there. I could almost see it. Something hidden deep, something I refused to believe…until now. Someone else was behind the façade.
My mind wheeled. Had I completely misjudged him? He was still the Jay everyone knew, but…different. More familiar, though I couldn’t quite place how. His eyes were sad, yes. But there was more, way more. I took a step back, startled at what I saw, and leaned on the counter. He dropped his gaze and examined his shoes.
When he looked back up, my heart plummeted. Once more, the semblance of feeling was gone. What the hell? How could he be one person one second and someone completely different the next? It was so…
Him.
I closed my eyes. Who was I kidding? Jay was just Jay. Stupid hope. It always led to disappointment. I made a mental note to put that emotion on my hit list right below love.
“Fine, Megan,” Jay said through tight lips, a forced smile on his face.
I may have mistaken what I had seen, but he wasn’t going to intimidate me. Two could play at that game.
“Thanks, Jay,” I replied in the same tone.
“Well, it’s good to see you two know each other’s names, considering you hardly spoke one word to each other the entire time. Not a very good show of teamwork,” Ms. O’Dowd interrupted, suddenly appearing at our kitchen and already making notes on her clipboard. Crap. My stomach plunged. “However, your presentation is lovely, and…” she continued over a couple bites of food, “the chicken is quite nice. Cooked perfectly.
