Chapter 8 #2
He led me down a vacant hallway in the opposite direction of the school’s cafeteria.
His hand had yet to release mine. It wasn’t soft like Brandon’s.
I could feel calluses and his fingers were long.
The tops of his hands weren’t completely covered.
He had a bird with its wings out as if it were mid-flight.
It took up the space on his hand above his thumb and forefinger.
He had the words Be Free written down the side of his forefinger.
One half of a butterfly wing was on his middle finger, and the other half was on his ring finger.
Along the outside edge of his hand and down the side of his pinkie, he had something else written in cursive I couldn’t make out.
None of them had color. Just dark ink on light skin.
The contrast reminded me so much of charcoal on white paper.
I curled my fingers, holding his hand back.
He glanced at me. I was prepared for him to pull away.
He didn’t. Instead, he led me down another vacant hall.
We only got halfway down it when we heard voices.
He stopped us to listen and then quickly dashed into an alcove that framed a door to an empty biology class.
He pushed me up against the door and pressed his front against mine, hiding us from view.
His arms framed my head. I tilted it back so I could see his face.
He was already staring down at me. Each inhale I took pushed my breasts against him more.
For a split second, I thought about holding my breath, but for some reason I forgot how to do that.
I forgot a lot of things. All I could think about was him. His smell. The firmness of his chest.
He was giving me that rush again. My whole body was buzzing with the feel of it.
The voices grew louder and closer. It sounded like a group of girls.
Not that it mattered. The reason to care about them was just another thing I forgot.
As we continued to stare at each other, I just wanted to know if he was as affected as I was.
I couldn’t tell. Apart from his tight jaw, his face was schooled.
“Roe,” I breathed, unsure why. It wasn’t as if I could ask him how he felt about me right then. I wasn’t thinking clearly. All I could do was just feel.
He dipped his head, brushing his cheek against mine as he brought his lips to my ear. “Shh.” His whisper was so soft and gentle. “We don’t want to get caught.”
I closed my eyes as my whole body shivered and broke out in goosebumps. He felt it. How could he not? One of his hands slid down the door and cupped my upper arm.
Without thought, the hand that wasn’t holding my library book fisted his burgundy blazer. My body didn’t stop there in its act of betrayal. I arched slightly against him, bringing even more of our bodies closer.
With his mouth still so close, I heard his breath hitch. “Lottie,” he exhaled, his lips brushing my ear. That sent another shiver through me. His hand on my arm tightened as his soft voice let out a curse.
I could just barely hear the voices of the group of girls grow distant as if they were heading down a different hall or walking into a classroom. Too quickly, the hall became vacant.
I opened my eyes as Roe pulled back until he could see me.
His gaze bounced all over my face, undoubtedly taking in how affected I was.
His eyes eventually landed on my slightly parted lips and stayed there.
Gone was the schooled expression. I could see what he wanted.
I wanted it just as much. His hand on my arm slid up and over my shoulder.
When his touch reached the spot where Mother had hit me with the rolling pin, I winced, ruining the moment.
His hand disappeared and he backed away from me.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean—” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “I forgot about your shoulder. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
With the distance between us, the fog that had taken over my brain seemed to lift. “I think I should be the one apologizing.”
The things I wanted him to do with me in this very public space still urged me to close the distance between us, to ignore how much of a bad idea that would be.
I forced myself to consider if he even wanted to take part in what I wanted from him.
He was giving off signals like he wanted to kiss me, but I could have read him wrong.
Embarrassment and guilt eddied in my stomach.
“I shouldn’t have…” Crap. How do I say I shouldn’t have acted like I’m hormone-ruled and tried to come onto him?
“Shouldn’t what?” he asked. “Shouldn’t because of him or because you think I’m not interested?”
“Are you interested?” That question took flight before I could even finish processing everything he’d said. I shouldn’t have asked. It was wrong.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “That doesn’t exactly answer my question.”
I ran a hand down the front of my uniform, smoothing away nonexistent wrinkles. “It’s a given I shouldn’t be around you because of him. Yet here I am.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I pointed out.
He still didn’t. Instead, he held his hand out to me. “We better go before someone sees us.”
I didn’t demand he answer. It felt like we were playing a game to see who would be the first to admit the truth. I pushed off the door and slid my hand into his. It was a tame act, yet it felt very intimate.
He laced his fingers with mine and took the lead once again. We snuck through the school until he brought me down the small pathway behind the football field’s bleachers. It was off season. So the field was empty. It was quiet and isolated.
As we walked behind the bleachers, heading toward an equipment shed, I took in the chain-link fence that walled the edge of the school’s property. It was so close, I was tempted to run my fingers over it as we walked.
“Why did you bring me all the way out here?” I asked.
Roe opened the equipment shed’s door. I found it odd it was unlocked. When I was able to peek inside and saw that it was pretty much empty, I understood why.
Roe pulled out a folded-up chair. It was the only one in there. As he unfolded it, he said, “I come here when I want to get away from everyone.” He gestured for me to sit.
I hesitated for a second but sat down. It reminded me of a camping chair. “It’s a long walk.”
“But it’s worth it when you want to hide and be alone.”
I stared up at him from my seat. “Are you offering your hiding spot to me?”
He shrugged. “If the library doesn’t work out anymore, you can come here.”
“Then you won’t get to be alone,” I pointed out.
He smirked. “I don’t think I’ll mind being alone with you.”
There was so much to take away from his words that it made my mind race as much as my heart.
I stood. “The lunch hour is almost over.”
“Why don’t you head back first?” he said, and as I went to walk by him, his hand grabbed mine again. “Do you have your phone?”
I pulled it from my blazer’s pocket. He took it and sent a text before pulling out his own phone from his pants pocket and looking it over. He handed my phone back to me. “You have my number now.”
I stared down at the simple emoji he had sent himself.
“Is that another real smile?” he asked.
The corners of my mouth quickly dropped and made me aware that I had, indeed, been smiling.
He looked like he was trying not to laugh as he watched me. “Maybe next time I’ll get you to smile at me.”
I put my phone back in my pocket. Just before turning to leave, I said, “I’ll enjoy watching you try.”