Milo shakes his head. “She’s bad enough.”
I bite into my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling. Why is it this brother saying these words? Why can’t Kai see Tabitha for who she really is?
“I dunno,” I say, straightening up. “There has to be something good about her. Kai wouldn’t be with her otherwise.”
Milo clears his throat and gives a slight nod. He lowers his head, giving his attention back to the page.
This is so awkward. I want to hang out with Kai and the other guys. I want things to go back to normal. Hanging with Milo is such a drag. But then there are those moments where it feels like I could dive head-first into a friendship with him. Ugh. I gotta nip those moments in the bud as soon as they bloom.
Being friends with Milo? Not a chance.
Milo lifts his head and catches me staring at him. “Are you stuck?”
“Huh? Umm, no. I mean, yes, actually.”
Milo drops his pen and leans over the table. “Where are you up to?”
“Could you explain this section to me? I’m not sure if I’m getting it.”
Milo grins. “Whoa. You’re up to there already? Nice job.”
“Oh, umm, thanks.” Why am I blushing?
Milo gets up from his seat and rounds the table. I mumble some useless sounds, leaning away from him. He sits beside me, regardless.
As he explains the symbolism of this quote, I get a whiff of his cologne. Is that sandalwood? Whatever it is, it’s delicious. The smell, that is, not Milo. I’m not thinking Milo is delicious. Oh my gosh, why am I convincing myself? I know I’m not into Milo. Now I’ve missed his explanation.Again.Oh, man. He’s gonna think I’m so dumb! Ugh. Why can’t I just pay attention instead of being distracted by this dang boy?
“Got it?” he asks dubiously.
“You saw me glaze over, didn’t you?”
A breathy laugh puffs out of him. “You actually looked a little freaked. I know the language they use sounds daunting, but when you translate it into modern English, it gets easier.”
“Can you go over the motivation again? Slower?”
He smiles. “Sure.”
Okay, Jamie, stop thinking about how good he smells. Look at the page. Oh gosh, there are his perfect hands that put mine to shame. Is it bad that a boy has better nails than me? Although, according to Kai, I’m not even a girl.
Jamie!Pay attention!
I clear my throat, blink hard, and focus on Milo’s words. His sweet, melodic voice that somehow makes all this hard stuff makes sense. My heart throbs and my skin heats as I focus on his deepening tone. I swallow hard as he taps the page.
“Got it?” he asks, hopefully.
I smile and am sure I’m now in full blush-mode. “Yep. Thank you so much.”
“Anytime. You’ll get this stuff. You’re not dumb.”
Is he in my thoughts, or did I say that aloud before?
“You keep looking freaked out,” Milo comments. “Chill, Jamie. It’ll all work out.”
I swallow again. “Okay. Thanks.”
Milo moves back to the opposite side of the table, and I exhale hard.Geez, I feel like I’m sweating. Why do my thoughts keep going down this road? Is it purely because I’m stuck with Milo? That can’t be it. I’m with the other boys all the time. But hanging with them is by choice. Is that the difference?
It doesn’t even matter what my first choice is anymore. My free afternoons are supposed to be at the skatepark with the guys or finding somewhere to kick a soccer ball around. If I have to stay with Milo, I might as well try to make the best of this.
