Resonance – By Monica Ross #6
That’s when a deep voice broke the basement silence.
"Where’ve you been, Math Doodles Girl?"
I froze, hands poised over my keyboard. I knew the subtle roughness in that voice, the way it wrapped around my nickname like a caress. I lowered my hands to my lap and turned in my chair.
Lobo stood at the end of my aisle, his gray hoodie replaced by a faded Broken Wing shirt that made my heart stutter. Was he wearing it to mock me? To show he'd known who I was all along?
"I figured you'd return to the library eventually." He came closer. "Analyzing flow patterns in the basement instead of the study room?"
I curled my hands into fists under the desk. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you." Another step, then he stopped, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Really." My voice came out flat. "There’s something called text messaging. Maybe you should try it."
"Can’t. I saw some asshole grab your McLaren hat, so I went after him.
We kinda got into it and security threw us and a few other people out of the concert.
My phone got smashed in the scuffle.” He dropped his backpack, pulled his phone from his pocket, and turned the shattered screen toward me.
"It still kind of turns on, but the touch screen's dead and the SIM is damaged.
I couldn't respond to your texts or look up your number. "
I stared at the ruined phone, then noticed the greenish-yellow bruise on his jaw.
"I’ve tried the study room every day. Kept hoping you'd show up. Remembered you were part of SAE, and reached out to them, but no one would give me your phone number. Can’t blame them, really.
I’d probably do the same thing if some weirdo was asking about my friend.
” He shrugged. “I was walking past the stairs just now and heard the drum fill from ‘Storm Break,’ and felt like a dumbass for not checking the stacks. "
"You asked around about me?"
"Yeah." He dragged a hand through his dark hair. "I need to apologize."
"You don't have to —"
"I do." He crouched beside my carrel, putting us at eye level, and the sincerity on his face was heartbreaking. "Soraya, I'm sorry I couldn't let you know everything was okay. Sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. And I'm really sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to hide who you are."
Pretty sure my heart came unstuck at that moment. "I wanted to tell you, Lo. At the coffee shop, in the car. I almost did, so many times."
"What stopped you?"
"You looked at me like I was just me. Just Math Doodles Girl who organizes her napkins and gets excited about drag coefficients." I picked my thumb cuticle. "Not Karst Wilk's little sister who might be useful to know."
"Soraya." The way he said my name made me look up. "I literally learned Formula One physics to impress you. The fact that your brother's a legendary drummer? That's just... I mean, it's cool, yeah, but I don’t really care, and it’s not why I spent six weeks working up the courage to talk to you."
"No?"
"No." He smiled that crooked smile I adored. "I talked to you because I couldn't stop watching you bite your lip when you solved equations. Because you’re the prettiest nerd I’ve ever seen. Because you wear that McLaren cap like you’re daring anyone to question your love of F1."
“But—"
"But nothing. I totally dig Broken Wing’s music, but I didn’t know or care that Karsten Wilk has a sister.
So I was confused when that chick freaked out next to us.
By the time I got my ass in gear, you were disappearing into the crowd.
When I saw that douche grab your hat, I got pissed off that he touched you, so I went after him.
I— Wait.” He opened his backpack and fished out my McLaren cap.
“Here. I got it back for you.” He pushed back my hood and settled the cap on my head.
Stunned, I reached up and straightened it, then gestured toward his jaw. “Did you take a punch for this?”
“Maybe.” His crooked smile flashed, sunshine I needed. “I got in a few good ones too.” He ran a hand through his hair again. "But when I couldn’t respond to you, I thought I'd blown my chance with the coolest, smartest, most beautiful girl I’ve ever known."
Oh my god.
"You didn't," I whispered as my unstuck heart beat double-time.
Lobo's eyes dropped to my lips, then back up. "No?"
I shook my head. He reached out, cupping my face with one hand, his thumb brushing my cheekbone. I leaned into his touch, and then he kissed me, soft at first, like he was asking permission.
I granted it, sliding my hands into his hair and pulling him closer.
The kiss turned hungry. Lobo hauled me up from my chair and pressed me against the stacks. Books rattled behind me as his hands slipped under my hoodie, skating over bare skin. I gasped against his mouth, and he took advantage, deepening the kiss until I felt it in my toes.
I snaked my fingers under his shirt and traced the lean muscles of his back. He made a sound low in his throat that sent desire spiraling through me.
"We probably..." I managed between kisses, "shouldn’t..."
"Get kicked out of the library?" His lips traced down my neck. "Don’t care. Got kicked out of a concert for you. Worth it."
"Lobo..." But I didn't pull away because he was pressing me into the shelves like I was the air that he needed to breathe.
A door slammed somewhere in the stacks. We jumped apart, panting hard.
I tried to steady my breathing, aware of the flush in my cheeks. I’d thoroughly mussed his amazing hair and rucked up his shirt on one side.
"Wanna get out of here?"
"God, yes." I started gathering my stuff, hands trembling. "My place is in Santa Monica, but my housemate?—"
"My apartment's closer, and my roommate's at his girlfriend's all week."
I pulled him down for one more quick kiss that turned not-so-quick until someone coughed nearby. We broke apart, laughing.
"Think you can handle being with Karst Wilk's little sister?" I asked, trying for teasing but unable to hide the vulnerability beneath. “It can get intense.”
Lobo laced his fingers through mine. "I went to war for that girl’s McLaren cap." He raised our entwined fingers and kissed mine. "And I’d do it again ’cause she’s the sexiest little nerd I’ve ever seen."
That had me blushing and smiling as we headed for the stairs. “Says SEG.”
“Seg?”
“Sound Engineering Guy, who’s the SEGsiest nerd I’ve ever seen.”
He barked a laugh, and it might’ve been the best sound I’d ever heard .
Outside the library, the late afternoon sun turned everything golden. I paused at the bottom of the steps, tugging Lobo to a stop beside me.
“Lo, if you’re with me, there’ll be other shitshows like last Saturday. Wingnuts can be out of their fucking minds."
He traced circles on my palm with his thumb. "Yeah, I got that. But I'm not in this for backstage passes or drum lessons." He pulled me closer. "I'm in it for the girl who needs five napkins for one pastry and geeks out about aerodynamics."
"And sound wave theory?"
"Especially sound wave theory." He kissed my forehead, then tugged my hand. "Come on."
I followed. "Gonna apply some downforce?"
"And show you some shift points."
I laughed. Yeah, my lady parts liked the ride he was promising.
As we walked, Karst's ringtone chimed my phone.
Probably checking on me again. But for once, I didn't feel the weight of being Karsten Wilk's sister.
Not with Lobo's hand in mine, not with the memory of his kisses still tingling my lips, and definitely not with the promise of more waiting behind his apartment door.
I was just Soraya. Math Doodles Girl. And that was exactly who Lobo Palacios wanted me to be.
THE END