AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hide my grin against his bicep at the way he sounded when he said it. “She is. Her name is Becky. In fact, she gave us a new TV show to check out. It’s called Veronica Mars. Have you seen it?”
His body relaxes next to me. “Yeah, it’s about a hot chick who kicks the arse of everyone who messes with her.”
“Want to watch it with me?”
We pause at the car park, and he turns to face me, tilting my chin up so he can see me. “I’d watch that PS. I Love you if it meant spending time with you.”
His words do things to my body that I don’t understand. This is another moment I will lock away, so I can remember it forever.
I can’t look away from him, stuck in a trance of lust and desire. I unconsciously sway forward, my eyes drooping at the look he gives me.
A car honking nearby has us pulling away, the moment between us breaking. He grunts something under his breath.
“Did you say something?”
“I said, let’s go get popcorn.” He smiles, opening the car door for me.
I watch as he moves around the front of the car, his lips moving like he’s talking to himself. I look away, out of the window. I want him to want me. One minute I think he’s hot for me, the next, I feel like he sees me as a sister or one of the guys. Not that he talks about girls to me. He actually keeps that part of his life private.
As he gets in, my eyes catch a shadow moving in the trees near the path to the English building, and instantly, I’m alert and uneasy. I sit up, moving forward in my seat to get a better look, but before I can point out the moving shadow to Banner, it disappears like it wasn’t even there. I blink, scanning the area for any sign of him, but don’t see anything.
Every instinct in my body is screaming at me of the danger. I feel like I’m being hunted, like prey waiting to be slaughtered.
As we head out of the carpark, we drive past Mr. Flint, who is standing next to his car, his door open and ready to get in. When he sees me, he grins, before saluting me. I turn away, focusing on the lines in the road.
I know I’m going to have to tell Banner about him sooner or later, but not right now. I just hope he doesn’t get mad when he finds out I’ve kept something from him.
CHAPTER NINE
After a night of restless sleep, I’m struggling to pick my feet up. Lake and her boyfriend, Max, are due here any moment. I’m tired, cranky, but also excited to see my best friend.
“We’re going to head out to give you some privacy,” Mark says, as he grabs his car keys and coat.
“You don’t need to go. This is your home,” I tell him, guilt twisting my stomach at him feeling like he needs to leave.
“It’s yours, too,” he states, his brows pinching together. “We’re going to grab a late breakfast, then head out to meet up with some friends for a birthday.”
“I know it is.” I hate seeing the hurt look on his face. This has been the first time I’ve felt at home in a while. “And if you’re sure. I don’t have class tonight, so I’ll see you later.”
He leans over to kiss my cheek, Levi coming to do the same to my other. I laugh, swatting them both away.
“We’ll see you later,” Levi tells me, winking.
I smile back, watching them leave before running to the bathroom and banging on the door. “Hurry up, they’re going to be here any minute,” I shout to Banner. We got up late due to me tossing and turning. Banner tried to get me to talk about what was bothering me, but I couldn’t tell him about Mr. Flint, or the feeling I keep getting that someone is watching me.
“Finished,” he shouts, before I hear the tap turn off. Seconds later, the door opens, and he walks out wiping his mouth on a towel, grinning at me. “Stop stressing. It’s going to be fine. It’s Lake, for Christ sakes. You two were joined at the hip.”
We were. “But that was years ago. Now, we’re practically strangers. I’m nervous—and I want her boyfriend to like me. She loves him.”
He takes my hand, pulling me away from the bathroom and into the front room. “First of all, years could pass between you and you’ll still meet up and act like you saw each other yesterday. Friendship like that doesn’t just end. Not real friendship, anyway. Secondly, who gives a shit if her boyfriend does or doesn’t like you. It should be him worrying about you liking him. Stop panicking over nothing.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “I’ll try. Do you want another cup of coffee?”
He grimaces. “Uh, no. And I think you should lay off the caffeine for a while,” he declares, lowering his head to watch my feet.
I stop tapping my foot on the carpet, wincing. “Yeah, maybe that last cup wasn’t such a good idea.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “You think?”
