Page 26 of See You in Your Dreams

It’s easy to lose myself in his sharp green gaze, and I’m not sure how long passes before he finally breaks the connection, shifting to prop his back against the edge of the table and gaze at the towering oak.

“It’s not so bad. I didn’t really have many friends, so it’s not like I left a lot behind.”

“That sounds lonely.” I turn to face the same way as him, a tingle racing up my leg where it brushes against his.

He subtly shifts away, putting a couple inches between us. “I learned a long time ago that it’s easier not to get too attached to anything. Or anyone.”

Conversation lapses after that as we eat our lunches, lost in our respective thoughts. Ash’s words run on repeat through my head. No matter what he says, he’s not the loner he pretends to be. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have invited me over to see Onyx. Or to come out here and eat lunch with him.

Whether he wants to admit it or not, he clearly yearns for more connections than he has. And while I have my own set of friends, my own family, my own exceedingly busy schedule, I’d happily find time somewhere to be that for him…if he lets me.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I check it to find a text from Cat.

Cat:You can’t spend every lunch cooped up in the library!

Me:I’m not. I’m actually outside eating lunch with Ash today.

Cat starts and stops typing several times. When her message finally comes through, I read it and snort, fighting a faint blush I hope Ash doesn’t notice.

Cat: Wow. Already ditching your friends for this guy? Your obsessive crush must be getting serious.

Me: It’s not obsessive!

Me: Or a crush.

Me: He’s just a cool guy in need of a friend. That’s all.

Cat: Yeah, sure. Have fun with your not-crush!

Muffling a groan, I tuck my phone away. Thank God Ash had refused to come with me to Mr. Simon’s room. I can only imagine how much worse Cat would’ve been grilling him in person. Perhaps that particular meeting is best saved for a future point in time.

Far,farin the future.

I glance over to find Ash with his notebook out and pencil in hand, sketching away like he had that first day I’d run into him in the hall. I can’t really see his drawing from my current angle, and it seems invasive to peek without permission. No matter what Cat might think, I amnotobsessive.

Instead, I take the opportunity to study Ash. He really is handsome, especially when he lacks his trademark scowl. The long, lean lines of him, with his pencil gripped in his elegant hand while the muscles in his arm flex and his bangs hang over his intelligent eyes, strike the perfect picture of an artist.

All right, so maybe I wasn’t entirelyhonest with Cat about thecrushpart.

Ash must sense my gaze on him because he looks up, some of his tension returning as he meets my eyes. “Sorry to zone out like that. Sometimes when I’m drawing, it’s like the rest of the world ceases to exist.”

Is that why he’d looked so peaceful?

The thought fills me with a profound sadness. Had losing his parents so young left him that closed off from the rest of the world?

“It’s cool,” I say. “I get like that too sometimes when I’m helping Dr. Jenkins with the animals.” I hesitate, but my curiosity gets the better of me, and I hold out my hand. “Can I see?”

I’d worried he might scowl or sneer at the request, but I hadn’t expected him to blush. I’m so used to seeing Ash the picture of confident indifference that it takes me a moment to register that he might actually be feelingshy.

Shrugging, he passes the sketchbook over.

It’s open to a sketch of the nearby oak tree. I’m not sure exactly what I’d expected, but I suck in a breath as I study the shadowed lines. “Ash, this is incredible!”

His blush deepens as he averts his eyes. “It’s okay for a first pass. I usually go more for artistic renditions than realistic depictions like this. I know the trunk is a little off, and I can’t quite get the shading on the upper branches right.”

I search the exquisite drawing, but no matter how hard I look, I can’t spot the imperfections he apparently sees. Maybe it’s because I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. Or maybe, as I’d already suspected, Ash is simply too hard on himself.

“If you say so. ButIthink you’ve got a keen eye. It’s like you captured the tree’s essence, you know?”