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Do it now. Just say it.
I have to mentally tell myself that five more times before I actually glance up at Blaise and open my mouth.
“Yo, dude …” I start, but then trail off as my gaze collides with his.
His eyes are glittering with amusement. “Not into football players, huh?” He lightly bumps his knee into mine.
That cocky little shit.
All sorts of comebacks bite at my tongue, but Jaxon interrupts me before I can say any of them.
“So, who wants to take section A?” he asks as he flips through the packet.
I want to be annoyed that he interrupted my chance to give Blaise my ever so awesome excuse as to why I allowed his leg to rest against mine for several minutes, but the truth is, I don’t have one.
The truth is, I kind of liked his leg resting against mine.
I’m so screwed.
I need to get my head out of lust land and focus on important stuff. What I need is to go back to following my rules, even if they can’t apply to me taking off after I graduate. But following my rules is still a good idea. It’ll keep me out of trouble. Because the last thing I need is more trouble in my life.
Yeah, Blaise and I need to just be friends.
No dating. No more kissing. No more flirting. And no more flutters.
Of course, as I silently make these vows to myself, it gives me zero confidence that I’ll be able to pull it off as Blaise’s arm brushes against mine and those stupid flutters appear again.
46
HADLEY
After class,I rush out of the room without saying a word. Not that I think I can avoid Blaise. No, I may need his help. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow my heart to get all fluttery over him. I need a time-out so I can get my shit together.
“Hadley, wait up!” Blaise calls out as I hurry down the crowded hallway.
I don’t slow down. Instead, I quicken my pace.
“Had,” Blaise says. “Wait a sec. I need to talk to you about something.”
Taking a deep breath, I slow down and let him catch up with me. “What’s up?” I ask, pretending to be chiller than I am.
That’s what I’m good at—being calm when I’m really not. It’s part of the reason Axel let me off so easily. Well, easily in his eyes.
Blaise falls into stride beside me, worry creasing his brow. “I was going to ask you the same question.”
“Nothing’s up with me,” I reply, hugging my books to my chest.
He gives me a disbelieving look. “If that’s true, then why did you run out of the classroom like it was on fire? And then ignore me when I called out your name?””
I lift a shoulder. “I don’t want to be tardy to my next class.”
He chews on his bottom lip, studying me, not paying attention to where he’s walking, yet the throng of people part a path for him. “Is this about what happened last night? About the …?” He glances around then lowers his voice. “About the kiss? Because I know you have a no-dating rule and everything. And I don’t think we’re dating, but—”
“It’s not about that,” I cut him off with a partial lie. What else am I supposed to say? Yeah, the fact that we kissed—twice—is messing with my heart and it’s scaring me? Like I could ever actually admit that aloud.
“Is it about the knee thing then?” he asks, leaning closer to me. “Because I promise I was just teasing you.” He rakes his fingers through his hair and lets out a loud exhale. “I really don’t think that you letting me press my knee against yours means you like me.”
He’s being nice, and it makes me feel like I’m walking on a tightrope. My legs are all shaky and my brain is struggling to decide if I’m going to fall.
