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“Nothing,” I replied, offering him a big smile. “I’m grand.”
My brother didn’t look convinced. In fact, his tone took on an accusatory note when he turned his attention to the boy sitting next to me and snapped, “What did you do now?”
“Me?” With a half-eaten lollipop hanging out of his mouth, Gerard stared blankly back at my brother. “What did I do?”
“That’s what I’m asking,” Hugh bit out. “What did you do?”
Gerard’s brows creased in confusion. “Today?”
“To my sister, asshole,” he shot back, gesturing to where I was sitting. The moment he did that, everyone’s attention flicked to me. Lovely. “She’s upset and I know you have something to do with it, Gibs.”
“You’re upset?” Concerned gray eyes landed on mine. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I forced a laugh and tugged on the sleeve of my jumper. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“See?” Katie coaxed, patting my brother’s shoulder. “Calm down, big brother. You’re overreacting.”
The look Hugh gave her assured me that he didn’t think he was overreacting, but he did drop it.
Thank god.
After a few moments, everyone returned to their conversations and lunch, but a pair of silvery-gray eyes continued to watch me. “What?” I forced another laugh and nudged him with my elbow. “I’m fine, Gerard. Stop looking at me like that.”
He didn’t stop looking. Instead, he twisted in his seat, giving everyone sitting around the table his back, while giving me his full attention. His tone was low and serious when he asked, “Did I do something?”
Yes. “No.”
“Claire.”
I smiled back at him. “Gerard.”
Catching ahold of the underside of my chair, he pulled it toward him, causing my legs to slide between his thighs. “Did I do something?” he asked again, leaning in close as he spoke, eyes focused entirely on my face. “Talk to me.”
I smiled sweetly. “About what?”
His nostrils flared and I knew that he was tasting a healthy dose of his own medicine. “That’s not fair.”
I could have argued with him. I could have thrown a tantrum and demanded he confess his undying love for me right here in the lunch hall, but I already knew how he felt. Gerard’s love for me wasn’t something I ever needed to question. It was his unwillingness to offer me more that plagued my every waking hour.
“I’m going to say yes to Jamie,” I blurted out and then held my breath while I waited for his reaction. I wasn’t serious. I had no intention of going out with Jamie, and I wasn’t typically a goading girl—meaning that I didn’t cause unnecessary drama to get my way with boys. But I was growing weary of Gerard’s pretenses and felt like this might be the push that he needed.
He stared at me for a long beat before a smile spread across his face. “No, you’re not.”
The way he said it, so confident and self-assured, instantly had my back up. “Oh yeah?” I narrowed my eyes in challenge. “Who says I already haven’t?”
His smile faltered. “Tell me this is a joke.”
“Nope,” I replied in as breezy tone as I could muster. “No joke. In fact, I was just about to tell Jamie the good news, but I figured I’d give you a heads-up beforehand.” Shrugging nonchalantly, I added, “You know, just in case.”
“Just in case,” Gerard deadpanned. “Just in case?”
“Yep.” Nodding, I offered him another forced smile, while my heart hammered violently in my chest. “Just in case.”
“Well then.” Leaning back in his chair like I had slapped him, Gerard folded his arms across his chest and called my bluff. “You better hurry up and catch him before he leaves.” He inclined his head to where Jamie was standing in line for lunch. “You know.” He shrugged just as nonchalantly as I had before adding, “Just in case.”
“Fine.” The wave of rejection that washed over me had my pride forcing me to stand up and say, “I will.”
“You do that,” he called after me.
