Me. I’m the crazy person, clearly, because I am worried.
Girls like Rose chew boys up and spit them out. I’ve seen it so many times: the mean girls taking advantage of the nerdy, quiet guys.
Hell, that’s why Jordan always said he was so protective of me. I was the Gavin in those situations, and the guys who were nice to me were only doing it for their own benefit.
Crap.
I look from Nolan to Titus and finally up to Julian, who still holds me firmly in his lap. That’s not what this is, right?
“Eat,” Julian says, pulling me from my mental spiral as he nods down at the table in front of us. “I grabbed all your favorites.”
I look down at the tray and find that he did, in fact, get all of my favorites. There’s mac and cheese, a little bowl of mixed fruit, and a piece of BBQ chicken pizza with no less than three cookies.
I’d been worried about the pizza at first; it looked questionable, and I’d only ever had cheese or pepperoni during tournaments, but it might just be the best thing ever.
I devour everything, unable to let anything go to waste; it’s just too good.
It’s not until I’m finished and lean back into Julian’s chest that I remember I have an audience, and embarrassment creeps in.
“Did you want more?” Julian asks right in my ear, and I hear the slight chuckle in his voice.
“No!” I say with much more force than I intended and cringe.
Why am I like this?
“I mean, no, thank you. I’m full.” Which isn’t a lie; I couldn’t eat another bite if I tried, at least not without exploding, but I probably could have had better manners while eating. Not to mention the idea of seconds still makes my skin crawl; the portions here are huge, which is enough.
“Well, if you're done, I think it’s about time for me to teach you another lesson in fencing.” He’s moving before he even finishes his sentence. Climbing up off the bench with me still in his arms as if it’s no trouble, and I’m torn between being offended and wooed, that is, until his words register.
“Hey! I’m a good fencer,” I argue, glaring up at him only to find him smiling down at me with a smirk that says he knew what he was doing when he said that.
Something Julian was not ready for, if the way his jaw hit the floor was anything to go by.
Full of surprises.
That’s what he said, and it’s played on my head on repeat for days.
I’d never been praised for what I can do or achieve; it was expected, not nourished into me.
Jerk.
“You are,” he says with a nod, but still his eyes tell a different story.
I purse my lips in annoyance, and he doesn’t waste a moment before he leans in to press his lips to mine, stealing the air from my lungs.
Kissing Julian is…
Everything.
“Which is why I enjoy beating you.” There it is, that snarky little bit he just couldn’t let go. I knew it was coming, and honestly, I can’t even say much because he’s great.
I’m not exactly trained in fencing; I only ever practiced with Jordan, and I’m not sure Jordan could have beaten Julian either.
“Watch it, Blue,” I grumble and glare at him, which is how I see the way his pupils blow wide, and his nostrils flare as his smirk takes on a devilish gleam.
He sets me down before he twirls me around to face him, leaning in so that we’re nose to nose, and I nearly go cross-eyed looking up at him.
“Say it again.” His voice is low and husky, washing over me and making goosebumps erupt on my skin while my mind short-circuits.
