Laney (9 page)

“Say you’re sorry or I will make you sorry,” Oliver sounded furious. I shuddered at his tone, my eyes still wide. Ashton struggled, but it did him no good.

Zoey started to tug on my hand. I turned my attention to her. She looked unsteady. “Zoey, are you okay?” I asked.

“I feel weird. Something doesn’t feel right.” I helped her to sit on the ground and crouched beside her, trying to adjust myself just right so as not to show my underpants. Maybe none of our daiquiris had been virgins.

“Just breathe,” I told her. “Remember to breathe.”

She took several steady breaths and I returned my attention back to the middle of the street where Oliver still had Ashton pinned to the ground. He was close to his face and I couldn’t hear what he was saying. Ashton looked enraged and terrified at the same time. Ashton muttered something I couldn’t understand and Oliver swiftly stood, pulling Ashton to his feet as he did so with what seemed like no effort; then he let go of his arm.

Ashton brushed himself off and looked in my direction—not directly at me. “I’m sorry, Laney.”

I just nodded once, resisting the urge to flip him off.

Ashton glared at Oliver and Carter as they walked back toward us.

“That was really unnecessary, you know,” I said, as he walked up to us.

“No one should talk to you, or about you, like that. Ever!” he said, holding his hand out to help me up. I hesitated. He’d scared the crap out of me, not literally, of course; but I also felt so safe with him, like he’d never let anything hurt me—including himself. I took his hand and he pulled me off the sidewalk. I stood, my eyes meeting his beautiful green ones.

“Thanks,” I said quietly.

“Any time.” Just the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile. He stared at Zoey for a moment then asked, nodding toward her, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” she said.

“Can you walk?” he asked her. No one else was talking. I think maybe we were all in a little shock. Our new friend (Oliver) had just displayed some serious self-defense moves. Ashton had always been the strong, take-charge one—granted, his skills were rarely used for good.

“I think so.” We helped her up. She swayed a little, steadied herself, and then seemed fine.

We walked the rest of the way home quietly. I fell into the rhythm of my flip-flops again—
flip, flop, flip, flop
…

We said goodbye to Zoey in the apartment parking lot, where her car was parked, and then headed upstairs. Carter helped Kiera into our apartment, telling her he’d help her clean up her knee. As I started to go inside, Oliver grabbed my hand and tugged at it. I turned to him and he smiled his breathtaking smile. He pulled me back toward the steps.

“Will you sit with me for a while?” he asked in the sweetest voice imaginable.

“Of course.” Who could say no to that?

We sat in silence beside each other on the top step for a few minutes.

Oliver leaned forward, resting his elbows across his knees. “Laney, I’m sorry if I scared you tonight,” he said quietly and sincerely.

I didn’t know how to respond, so I just said, “Thank you again for dealing with him.” I leaned back on my elbows and looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful night.

“I can’t believe you dated that guy,” he said.

“Dated?” I sat up straight. “In what twisted universe did you get that idea?” I was defensive. “I went on one date. One!”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. I misunderstood,” he apologized and looked at me sideways with a little smile.

I leaned back on my elbows again and steadied my breathing.

“That dude’s a flaming idiot,” he said with a chuckle.

I laughed out loud, not necessarily at what he said, although it was completely true, but at how he said it.

Over his shoulder, he gave me a crooked smile. My stomach dropped and my laughter died. Our eyes locked and he turned his body toward mine. He leaned toward me, resting a hand beside my elbow to hold himself up, and my heart rate accelerated.
Holy crap! He’s going to kiss me!
Then he stopped.
What the…?
He stared into my eyes, only inches from my face, his expression blank. Then he smiled seductively and focused on my lips. My stomach dropped again and my heart was beating so loudly it sounded like it had moved up into my head. He leaned in closer. I closed my eyes, ready to feel his lips on mine, and then I felt it—he kissed me on the cheek.
Freakin’ tease!
I opened my eyes as he pulled away. I was confused and a little irritated.

“It’s late,” he said. His expression seemed a little hurt. He stood and held a hand out to help me up. He gently pulled me off the step. “I’d better get going.” He kissed the back of my hand. I couldn’t find words to speak.

“Until next time, Laney,” he said softly. Then he backed away with a smile that made my whole body quiver. I stared after him, still at a loss for words. He gave me a little wave just before he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to go, heading in the direction of his apartment.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
What the hell? That was a whole lot of build-up for nothing.

I went inside, passing Carter and Kiera on the couch without a sound. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them staring at me as I walked by. I drifted into my room, closing the door behind me.

I mindlessly changed into my jammies, not bothering to do anything else. Exhausted, I climbed into bed with the night’s events stirring around in my mind, especially that kiss on the cheek and all of the build-up to it. I really wanted that kiss—the real one…

Chapter 12 - Movie Day

Too early Saturday morning, Kiera busted into my room and onto my bed, jolting me awake.

“They’re coming over!” she squealed.

“What?” I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes.

“Carter and Oliver. They’re coming over.”

Without thinking, I flung the covers off of me and jumped out of bed. I frantically started to dig through the pile of clothes on my floor.

“What are you doing?” she asked, planting herself on the edge of my bed.

“I have to get dressed.” I shot her a “duh” look. “Hey, why are you still in your jammies?”

“They’re not coming yet. Later today,” she said, very matter of fact. “I’m just really excited.”

Relieved, I dropped to the floor in my clothes pile.
I really should put these away
.

We spent the day cleaning the apartment, studying, and getting ready. The “getting ready” part probably took up most of our time. Kiera got me caught up on what was going on in English and she was able to help me get caught up with my Biology class, too.

I had called Aunt Lilly to let her know I’d come home next weekend instead. She seemed disappointed, but tried to be understanding. I may have stretched the truth a bit. I told her that I needed to study. It wasn’t a total lie—studying Oliver was still studying—however, I was never going to get my new underpants washed at this rate. Using the apartment’s community laundry wasn’t an option if I ever wanted to see them again; that was how I ended up needing underpants in the first place. Some freak was wandering around out there in my panties. I just really hoped it was a girl.

I heard my phone beep. I had a text:

Please forgive me. I can’t make it. Is tomorrow okay? Oliver

I stared at my phone and sighed with disappointment.

“What’s up?” Kiera asked.

“Oliver just canceled,” I said quietly, still staring at the message. “He asked if tomorrow is okay.”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” she said cheerfully.

I responded to Oliver’s text:

Tomorrow’s fine. ~ Laney

I wanted to say more. I wanted to know why, but it wasn’t my business, so I just added him into my contacts.

A few minutes later, Carter came by and asked if we wanted to go get something to eat. I passed. Kiera, on the other hand, jumped at the chance to spend more time with Carter. I think I even caught a glimpse of some hand-holding as they walked out the door.

I put my hair up into a ponytail, washed my face, and got into my jammies. I heated up leftover enchiladas and popped in one of my favorite Leo movies—
Romeo and Juliet
. About halfway through the movie, my cell phone beeped with another text:

How was your day? Oliver

An uncontrollable smile spread across my face.

Mellow. Yours? ~ Laney

Could’ve been worse, but it could’ve been better too.

Hmmmm…interesting and vague.

As I tried to come up with a response to that, he sent another message:

Would you still like to get together tomorrow?

Yes (:

Great! See u tomorrow—the 4 of us, your place for a movie?

Yep.

I wanted more than that. Kiera got alone time tonight; I wanted some, too. I pouted a little.

Until tomorrow—Goodnight. Oliver

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t think of anything. I was happy at the thought of seeing him tomorrow, but I still wanted that alone time.

I returned my attention to the movie and snuggled under a blanket on the couch.

The next thing I knew, I was awakened by giggles and whispers. It was dark, with just the blue glow from the TV lighting the room, and a hint of moonlight streaming in through the front door. Kiera was standing in the doorway with Carter just outside. They were close, he was whispering into her ear and she was giggling. Then they were quiet, really quiet. He pulled her into him and kissed her. I shut my eyes tight. I did not want to see this, or hear it. I pulled the blanket over my head and covered my ears. Please make it stop or at least make them notice I’m here.

My mind wandered to the kiss I didn’t get from Oliver, the thought of his cool lips on my cheek, the look in his eyes when I thought he was really going to kiss me.

When I opened my eyes, it was morning. I must’ve fallen asleep while fantasizing. You’ve gotta wonder what kind of dreams that brought on. Too bad I didn’t remember them.

I sat up and stretched. That’s when a fantastic idea popped into my head. Payback!

I busted into Kiera’s room yelling, “They’re coming over!” and jumped onto her bed only to find she wasn’t alone.

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” I screamed, running from the room.

Kiera called after me. She was behind me instantly and, thankfully, fully clothed.

We were in the living room when I spun around on her. “Holy crap, Kiera! What did you do?” I whispered intensely. I was shocked and surprised. I also felt a little like an idiot.

“Nothing.” She looked guilty.

I put my hands on my hips and gave her a good long glare. I wanted details—but not too much.

“Honestly, Laney. Nothing happened. Other than he kissed me,” she said, beaming.

I was happy for her and we held in a very excited and long-coming squeal.

“We fell asleep talking. We would’ve been on the couch, but it was taken.” She gave me a look.

“Oh,” I said quietly. Then I broke into a smile. “He kissed you?” I kept my voice low.

Her cheeks flashed pink and she smiled so big it made her nose crinkle. Then Carter peeked his head out of Kiera’s room.

“Is it safe to come out?” he asked, sounding a bit embarrassed. “I’m gonna go, Ladies,” he smiled shyly. “I’ll see you in a couple hours.” He bolted for the door.

With Carter gone, the squeal was no longer contained and I got kiss details—not that I hadn’t seen some of it first hand, but Kiera didn’t need to know that.

The boys arrived in the early evening. Oliver was sporting his sunglasses.
Damn, he’s gorgeous.

Kiera and Carter headed off to the kitchen to make popcorn, leaving Oliver and me in the living room. I sat in the center of the couch and playfully patted the seat beside me with a smile. He made an amused noise and my favorite half-smile appeared on his lips. He hooked his sunglasses to the collar of his shirt, and sat beside me, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. As we waited, I tried my hand at a little small talk—though we all know I wasn’t good at it.

“Popcorn smells good,” I said. See? That was the best I could come up with. I sucked at this
.

“Sure, it’s alright, but your perfume smells better. What are you wearing?” he asked, looking at me sideways with a little smile.

“I’m not wearing anything,” I said, mentally going over every item I’d applied to my body in the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t recall anything that would stand out.

“Oh, maybe it’s your shampoo.” He looked quickly to his hands and started picking like he had something in his nail. They looked pretty clean to me.

“So,” I hesitated, “where were you yesterday?”
Ugh!
I wish I would’ve worded that differently, but I don’t think I could have managed to not sound nosy or lame.

He glanced at me with a crooked smile. Looking back to his nails he said, “I was at my sister’s. I thought you were going to your aunt’s.” His eyes met mine.

“I’m going next weekend, instead.”

“You guys want some popcorn?” Kiera asked, as she and Carter came in with two bowls.

“Sure,” I said, taking a bowl.

I offered some to Oliver. “No thanks,” he said, as he sat back in the left corner of the couch with his arm stretched out across the back behind me.

“See, he doesn’t eat!” Carter said with a laugh.

“Ha, ha,” he mocked. “I just don’t like the way it feels on my teeth.”

“So, what are we watching?” Carter asked, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

“
Twilight
,” Kiera answered.

“What? You’re kidding, right?” Carter whined.

“Oh, stop it,” she said, giving him a playful smack on the arm. “We haven’t seen it yet.”

“Let’s leave it that way,” he said, sitting back and pouting.

“Aw, come on, Carter. We’ve been wanting to see this one and you know I can’t watch it with Lilly,” I added.

“Whatever.” He tried not to smile. Like he cared what was on. He would probably be too focused on Kiera, anyway.

Kiera started the movie and I sat back against Oliver’s arm. He wrapped it around me and pulled me into his side. His body was cool against mine and tingly energy began flowing through me, like the other night when we danced together. I have to admit it was hard to keep my hands to myself with a feeling like that running through me.

He bent his head and whispered into my ear, “Why can’t you watch this with your aunt?” My pulse raced as I felt his cool breath against my skin.

“She hates vampires,” I whispered back.

“Hate?” He had raised his voice just enough to draw Kiera’s attention. “That’s a pretty strong word.”

I shot him a curious look, raising an eyebrow at him as I chewed my popcorn.

“Do you like vampires?” he asked.

“We both do,” Kiera offered. He looked past me at her.

“You don’t believe in that stuff, do you?” Carter asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Of course not,” Kiera said, returning her focus to the movie and snuggling against Carter. He wrapped both arms around her. How cute!

“What about you?” Oliver whispered into my ear again.

I felt goose bumps emerge and my whole body quivered. “Vampires, dragons, leprechauns, and such seem just as likely as what some people believe. Plus, no one’s disproved it.” I gave a shrug and helped myself to another handful of popcorn.

He pulled me a little closer. “That’s a pretty open-minded answer.” His voice was as soft and smooth as silk. He kissed my cheek.

I turned my face to his and he seemed startled. He focused on my mouth and I quickly turned away. Oh, how I wanted him to kiss me, but not here, not now. He squeezed me a little tighter.

“Oh, Laney,” Kiera said, with the previews still running. “There’s a new Leo movie coming out, I think next month. We should all go see it for your birthday.”

Before I could answer, Oliver asked, “Who or what is Leo?”

“Leonardo DiCaprio,” Kiera answered in a “duh” voice. “Laney will watch anything with him in it.”

He whispered to me again, “He’s a little old for you, isn’t he?”

“Age is just a number,” I whispered back. I couldn’t help the grin that pricked at the corner of my mouth.

“So, I have competition,” he whispered smoothly.

I laughed a little and felt my cheeks get warm.

As the movie ended, I felt Oliver’s phone vibrate from within his pocket, against my leg.

“Huh, who knew vampires sparkled,” I said thoughtfully. I liked the movie a lot, but it had been rather hard to concentrate on it with Oliver beside me.

“Yeah, that’s a new one,” he responded with a chuckle, while checking his phone. He frowned. “It looks like I’m going to miss class again tomorrow.”

I sighed in disappointment and he noticed.

He tipped my chin up so he could look into my eyes. “I’ll be back by Tuesday.” He smiled a reassuring smile.

I gave him a forced smile, but it didn’t meet my eyes and he looked concerned.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I lied, looking away. I wanted to say:
I can’t get enough of you and you’re leaving again. Stay, stay, stay!
I met his gaze again. “Where are you going?”

He let go of my chin and looked away.
Did I really want to know?
“I have to go to my sister’s again. She, um, has some issues and I help out.”

What kind of issues?
It was so not my business. “Oh,” was all I muttered.

He looked at me again and took my hand, kissing the back of it. He stared into my eyes. I felt like he was looking deep into my soul, possibly searching for something there. He smiled. “I will see you soon.”

I forced myself to smile back.

He stood to leave. I stayed on the couch. He leaned down, kissed me on the forehead, and whispered, “Think of me.”
Like I had control over that.
Then he left, giving me one of his beautiful smiles for the road before closing the door behind him.

I sighed and looked around the room and that’s when I realized I’d forgotten all about Kiera and Carter. They were passed out on the other side of the couch. She was snuggled against his chest and he had both of his arms wrapped around her, his head resting on hers.
How freaking cute are they?

I took a picture with my cell and saved it as Kiera’s profile picture. She would love that. Then I threw a blanket over them and headed off for bed. I felt bummed that he’d be gone again and I thought about that forehead kiss. That was even further away than a cheek kiss. All I wanted was some alone time with him—and a real kiss.