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I snap out of my focus to face my very own stalker; guess that explains where he’s been. I look back at the painting and nod. “Yeah, I could see that. Is this yours?”
“Yeah.” He takes a step closer to me.
“Isn’t that a littler morbid though?” Sandy asks, looking at the painting with her nose curled.
The guy shakes his head. “No. I wanted to show how even something gruesome can look beautiful in the right context.” He takes another step closer to me.
He’s so close now that I can feel the heat of his body. I look up into deep blue eyes that suck me in. I feel like I’ve fallen into a trance. Something about this guy feels familiar. His hair is black and rests at his chin. The way he’s looking down at me makes his hair fall around his face. Sharp features decorate a pale face. He looks like he gets about as much sun as I do, but his naturally pale skin makes it more prominent.Beautiful.It’s the only way I can think to describe him. His lips curve up to reveal his slightly pointier than normal canine teeth. “You think I’m beautiful or my painting?” he teases me.
I thank my genetics for not making me a blusher. “Both,” I squeak out and then silently curse myself for not just telling him I think his painting is beautiful, not him.
I go to face palm, not taking into account how close we’re standing, and end up bashing my forehead against his chest. “Now would be a good time for the earth to split open and swallow me,” I murmur to myself.
My whole head vibrates when he laughs and I realize I’m just standing here with my head pressed against a stranger. Jerking away, I look up at him with wide eyes. “Sorry!” I shout way too loudly, gathering even more attention than we’ve already gotten.
Well, I guess now I know I’m awkward around guys I think are cute. I look down at my toes, hoping that keeping my eyes off his face will make me calm back down. A pale hand with small splatters of paint is held out between us. “I’m Zane Monroe.”
Somehow, my hand ends up clasped in his without any conscious thought. “Viv Russo,” I tell him, making the mistake of looking up at him again.
Then we just stand there holding hands and staring at each other. His deep blue eyes take in every inch of my face, and I take the opportunity to do the same. His hair frames his face, feathering out at his chin. He’s got one side tucked behind his ear, but a few strands still hang down. His lips are a pale pink that makes me think of strawberry starbursts. I wonder if they would taste as sweet. I wouldn’t mind giving my first kiss to him.
A soft cough makes me look over my shoulder at Sandy, who’s just watching this with a morbid fascination, like she’s watching a fatalhighway accident. “Umm, we need to go if we’re going to make it to the coffee cup thing.”
My face feels hot as I turn back to Zane. It takes way more effort than I would like to admit to pull my hand away from his. He leans forward before I can even say goodbye and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Here’s my number. Text me. Tonight.”
I feel his fingers dip into the front pocket of my jeans as he pulls away. His heart is pounding at the pulse point of his neck. Nodding, I turn away from him before I do something ridiculous, like going up onto my tiptoes and pressing a kiss against his racing pulse. Sandy grabs my elbow and leads me out of the building, giggling the whole way. “You’re so blushing right now,” she snickers.
I slap my hands against my cheeks. “I don’t blush,” I disagree, even though I can feel the heat against my palms.
“Well, you do now,” she says, pulling me toward the Student Plaza. “I so thought you two were going to kiss. Do you know that guy?”
I can’t tell her that he’s been following me—and by extension, her—all week, so I just shake my head. “No, that was the first time I’ve met him.”
Sandy looks at me with wide eyes. “That was some serious chemistry. Do you think you’ll run into him again?
I rub my palm over the pocket he pushed a piece of paper into. “He gave me his number.” Sandy squeals in happiness and throws her arms around me in another one of her bone-crunching hugs. I’m starting to get used to them and the frequent contact. “Come on. I want to make a coffee cup. It’ll be better than using disposable ones,” I taunt her, knowing her love for protecting the environment. She falls for it and we hurry to the Plaza in silence.
Lying in bed at night, I stare at my phone. I already programed Zane’s number into it. It’s just a burner that Enzo got me. The phone is a generic brand smartphone he bought at a convenience store three hours away from home in cash. I put the sim card in and powered it on as soon as I left the state. I didn’t reach out to Enzo, though. He’ll do that if there’s an emergency.
I stare at the screen, trying to decide what I should say to him. I’ve never talked to a guy like this. I mean, I’ve texted guys before, but none that I thought were too damn beautiful to exist. The blank text box looked out at me mockingly.If you act confident, nobody will doubt that.
Viv
Hey.
It’s Viv.
We met earlier. I don’t know if you remember.
I stare down at the phone. What is wrong with me? I should have just left it atHey. This just seems clingy. The phone vibrating in my hand makes my heart pump faster.
Zane
I remember. You’re kind of hard to forget.
Viv
Good. Good. You did tell me to text you.
