AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My ears, on the other hand, they have a mind of their own. I have no clue what she’s rambling on about. It’s something to do with chemicals in the brain and the way they respond to certain stimuli.
Or at least I think that’s what she said.
But I’m honestly not paying a whole lot of attention to anything other than her lips, her mouth, and the adorable way she sways back and forth on her feet as she reads, pausing between the paragraphs, and so, it seems the finer points of today’s session are a little fuzzy.
“Are you listening to me?” she suddenly asks, closing the textbook with a loud whack.
“Yes,” I lie.
She cocks her head to one side. “What did I just say?”
It seems I’ve ruffled her feathers. I think I like feisty Sienna.Hot.“You just said… this whole session would be a whole lot more interesting if we take it out into the garden. It’s a lovely day out, that’s what you just said. The sun’s shining, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. Why yes, Miss Jones. I couldn’t agree more.” Jumping to feet, I hold out my hand. “Shall we?”
“Sit down, Kael.”
She glares at my hand like I’ve got a nasty case of herpes. Well, that’s rude. I withdraw my hand, batting my lashes instead. “Aw, please Miss,pleasecan we do our class outside today. It’s not fair; all the other kids get to go play outside. Why do we have to stay indoors?”
Sienna bites her bottom lip as if she’s genuinely trying not to laugh, or maybe she’s just genuinely considering my request. She glances out the window, her favorite pastime, hesitating for a few moments as she contemplates everything I’ve just said. When she turns and looks at me again, there’s a little less fire in her eyes.
“Fine, let’s get out of here.” She places the textbook down on her desk and grabs her handbag. “A bit of sunshine might do us both a world of good.”
A part of me is shocked that I actually wore her down. “It’s a date.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not a date.”
“It’ssortof a date.”
“It’s not a date in any way.”
“Fine, it’s not a date. But it’s an outing together where we’ll be sitting on the grass and getting to know one another better. So it’s kind of like a picnic.”
“It’s not a picnic.”
“Shit, Jonesy. Have it your way then, but just for the record, you’re no fun. You know that right? ”
A tiny smile curls the corner of her mouth. “You’re not the first person to tell me that. Get in line, Jenkins.”
She walks toward the door and I hurry after her before she changes her mind.
Kael
Hands clasped firmly behind my head, I lay back on the freshly mowed lawn, stretching out my legs, warm sunshine and fresh air on my face. Real air. City air, yes. But at least it’s not air-conditioned air, and I didn’t realize how much I missed the feeling of fresh air filling my lungs.
A car horn sounds beyond the garden wall, traffic building, the heavy sound of an engine, and then an airplane flies overhead, leaving a thick white scar across the otherwise cloudless, blue sky.
Sienna is sitting on the grass beside me, her legs crossed beneath her, her long skirt pulled down over her knees, hands resting softly in her lap.
I roll over onto my side, propping my head up with my hand. “So, if thiswasa date—”
“It’s not,” she says dryly, looking down at me. A warning look. A look that says, the line’s right there, Kael. See it. Don’t you dare cross it.
“I’m just saying, if thiswasa date,” I hold one hand up in the air, silencing her before she can protest. “I’d be interested to know what Sienna Jones likes to do on a date. Do you prefer going to a fancy restaurant, or are you a takeout kind of chick? Do you like going to the movies, to concerts, plays, or do you prefer chilling out at home in front of the television?”
Sienna stares down at me for a moment longer, her fingers playing mindlessly with the grass surrounding us, and she picks up a few strands. “I like doing all those things,” she eventually says, and I like that her voice is so close. “Being taken out is always nice, but lazing around in sweatpants with a good movie is just as nice.”
“What would be youridealdate?”
Sienna’s teeth work her bottom lip as she thinks it over, taking her time, looking out over the lush garden. She smiles, but her smile isn’t playful. It’s dreamy, like she’s imagining she’s somewhere else. I’m glad I’m already on the ground because that smile levels me in so many ways. There’s no way I can stand up to that.
