“Ha. You are. You’re jealous. Why, when you are going to marry me one day?”
I smiled then, so wide it hurt my face. I was still grinning stupidly when my mom walked in, sending me a wink which made me blush. She put down dine pamphlets for colleges and pointed at them as I covered the mouthpiece, telling her I would read them later.
“Did I say yes?” I asked coyly as I heard his deep laugh boom down my phone.
“Did I ask?”
“Urgh.”
“Anyway, seeing as we have our exams soon, I thought you might want to come over and... revise...”
I noticed the deliberate pause and rolled my eyes as he yawned again.
“I’m tired. Come over.”
“If you’re tired, sleep,” I commanded.
“With you?” He asked in a small voice as I imagined crawling into his strong arms, feeling his lips grace the top of my head—
“You’re imagining fucking me, you dirty girl. I meant real couple stuff, sleep and cuddle and shit. But I’m down if that’s what’s on your mind.”
He chuckled, and I agreed to go to his house, but I said only if I could walk there. He knew walking was my therapy, so he agreed. I packed a backpack with some school stuff, my uniform, and clean underwear (let’s face it, I’ll need it) and headed out the door after yelling goodbye to my family. I figured it would be a long walk to Bailey’s, but I didn’t mind. I walked quickly, slipping my earphones on to hear Biffy Clyro roaring in my ears. The walk was pretty scenic and involved walking over a little creek which I stopped to admire. I watched as the water slid easily over the rocks and pebbles beneath it, the green moss now long sodden. The sound was therapeutic, so I pulled my earphones out to listen.
“You like walking, huh?”
I whipped around at the sudden intrusion, my hair temporarily preventing me from seeing the speaker as the wind pushed it into my eyes. I snatched it from my face and saw green eyes gazing at me from beneath the mop of dirty blond hair, a smile playing on his lips. He looked somewhat different, but I hadn’t seen him in a while. He had stubble on his face, his baseball cap swinging from his fingers as he pushed his hair back, placing the hat firmly on his head. He walked beside me, staring into the water as he tightened his jaw. My heart started to pound as I swallowed, guilt building in my gut from even being in his company.
Sam White.
“Exams soon,” I said in an attempt to make conversation. Instead, he nodded, turning his gaze to me.
“Are you going to college?” He questioned as he reached into his pocket, frowning as he searched. Finally, his face relaxed as he located a cigarette and pushed it between his lips, lighting it with one hand and cupping it with the other. His eyes narrowed as he inhaled, and I shrugged.
“I don’t really know. Bailey’s going to King’s, so I was thinking of going with him.”
He said nothing as he smoked, and I watched the air swirl away from his mouth with intrigue.
“I’m not. I think I’ll work at my old man’s garage and take on the business when he dies.” He winked at me, and I grinned. “I’m just not that academic. Fucking hate studying.”
“Me too.”
“Yeah? You seem brainy. Well, other than your choice of boyfriend, that is.” His eyes burned into mine, and I dropped my gaze, heat filling my cheeks as I bit my lip.
“Why do you hate him so much?” I whispered, the wind carrying my words away from him.
“What?”
“I said, why do you hate him so much?”
He shifted, kicking at the dirt below us with his sneakers. He lifted his eyes to look at me, his eyes dropping to my lips briefly before he looked away.
“I told you. He broke my sister’s heart.”
“So why does he hate you so much?” I pressed, my breath catching in my throat as he reached over, his hand cupping my face in one hand as he stood closer to me. I felt dizzy as he gazed at me before dropping his cigarette to the floor, stepping on it to put it out as he exhaled.
“Princess, you’ll have to ask him that. Promise me something, though. If it ever doesn’t work out with him... you call me, ok?”
I blinked, staring at him in shock.
