As a mild claustrophobe, I have to agree with her about the size of the room. If Aaron’s music hadn’t transported me, I’d be climbing the walls.
On the short walk to the student center, I whisper to Leo. “He’s clairaudient, isn’t he?”
“Sonowyou’re convinced?”
I purse my lips. “Maybe.”
He chuckles and shakes his head.
“The other night, when we were doing the Tarot stuff, Aaron said the cards whisper to him.” At the time, I thought he was trying to describe an intuitive nudge, like your own voice talking to you. Now I suspect it’s something more. “Do you think he meant that literally?”
“Absolutely.”
I curl my hands up into my sleeves to shield them from the biting wind. Maybe Aaron invited me tonight because he thought I’d understand what he experienced. Ifeel, hehears.
I ask Leo, “What’s Avery’s superpower?”
“Her superpower?”
“Yes, her superpower. Isn’t that what you’re doing, putting together an elite team of heroes?” I’m probably misquoting, but anyone would get my reference.
Leo shoves his hands into his front pockets. He won’t make eye contact with me.
“What’s our mission, Nick Fury? Save a small planet? Rescue the earth from a ruthless god? Oh, I know!” I do a little skip step, dancing along beside him. “Before he died, some big baddie put all his evil powers into a…a, I dunno, a pretzel! And we have to find it before the Russians do!”
Leo stops dead and whips around to look at me. His brows are so tightly knitted they’re almost vertical.
“Haha!” I keep up my prancing and teasing. “I’ve hit the nail on the head, haven’t I?”
He lets out a breathless laugh and grips my shoulders, forcing me to settle down. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“I’velost my mind?” I jab him in the chest. “Everything you say is preposterous!”
“Which is why I need you to be level-headed.” With a lopsided smile, he turns me bodily around and nudges me onward.
“Level-headed?” I toss a grin over my shoulder. “You’ve got the wrong girl if that’s what you’re looking for.”
I nearly collide with Aaron and Avery who’ve paused in front of the glass double doors.
“You two all done flirting?” Avery asks.
I go redder than a stoplight and Leo huffs out an awkward laugh, his breath white in the cold. As I pass him to go inside, I avoid his eyes. We were talking, playing around, joking. We weren’t flirting.
Were we?
The Bobcat is a vast lounge area in the middle of the student center. Someone must’ve put a lot of money into it because it has a gas fireplace and the comfiest chairs and couches on campus. It also boasts a coffee bar. Knots of students are always hanging out here, studying, talking, and fueling up on caffeine.
The four of us find a cozy spot near the fireplace, above which hangs the Brownhill Bobcats flag. Avery flops down next to Aaron, leaving me and Leo to share the sofa opposite them. Relaxed and comfortable, we rehash all our theories about Aaron’s dream, agreeing that his clairaudience is the most reasonable explanation.
Likereasonableandpsychicbelong in the same sentence.
I’m mulling this over when Avery smacks her knees and points at me to get my attention. “You and I need to talk.”
“Oookaaay. What about?”
“I hear you’re in need of some protection.”
Protection? Holy crap. “I—I—” What business is it of hers how I manage my sex life?
