This Is Falling(54)

My mind has clearly wandered, because when the desks start shifting and my classmates start standing to leave the lecture hall, I snap from a trance. Yeah, this is another chapter I’m going to have to read twice having missed every word of today’s lecture.

I’m the last to make it out of the class, and when I see Nate sitting along the small wall by the bike rack waiting for me, there’s worry on his face. But when he finally sees me, he kicks away from the wall and comes my way with long strides, kissing me the second he’s close enough.

“Are you okay? You looked upset?” I ask, my inner voice falling into its natural pattern of doubt and self-loathing. Of course I think he’s regretting last night, rethinking what he saw and how he feels, but I’m quick to tamp those feelings down. They ruled my life for way too long, and I’m not letting them ruin this.

“I just didn’t see you. Got worried, that’s all,” he says, completely capturing me all at once.

“What’s this?” I point to the paper bag in his hand that looks to be saturated with grease. Nate just grins, his dimples deep when his eyebrows move up and down.

“Lunch.”

“You brought me lunch?”

“Yeah, well, you packed that sad little lunch the other day when I found you eating before your art class, so I thought I’d surprise you. I don’t have to be to algebra for a while yet,” Nate says, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him until we’re nestled between two trees in an area of the park where I can see everything.

I know what it is the second he rips open the bag, and my mouth begins to water for the Sally’s burger. He also filled the bag with fries, and I start stuffing my mouth with those before he even has a chance to unwrap our burgers.

“Wow, piranha!”

“Sowwwwwy,” I say, my mouth stuffed with fries. I cover my face with my napkin so I can talk more clearly while I chew. “I didn’t eat breakfast, so I’m kinda starving.”

“I figured,” he says, holding a fry out for me to take. I bite it from his hand quickly, and he jerks back. “Okay, I am going to have to throw a ball in a few hours. Let’s not bite my fingers off?”

“You knew the risk,” I smirk.

“Yeah, I did,” Nate says, his tone serious now as his eyes settle on me. His attention makes me blush, so I unfold my napkin and hold it up in front of me, like a curtain. But Nate reaches for it and tears it from my hand with a chuckle. “Hey, no hiding. Why do you do that?”

“I don’t know. I just get embarrassed, that’s all,” I say, taking a big bite from my burger so I have an excuse not to talk any more.

“Well, I like to look at you, so you’re going to have to get used to it. Here, let’s practice.” Nate moves his burger and wrapper to the side and lays flat on his stomach, propping his chin up on his hands and elbows close to me while he stares with his eyes wide. He doesn’t blink for the longest time, and I do my best to hold my laughter in, just eating slowly, and dabbing the corners of my mouth with my napkin.

“The human female in her natural habitat is a unique creature. This one, barely from her parents’ den, has yet to learn how to hunt, so she relies on her gathering techniques.”

Nate is putting on what I think is supposed to be an Australian accent, though when mixed with his Southern drawl it doesn’t sound quite right. I finish the last bite of my burger and pull the water bottle from my backpack so I can take a drink to wash it down, fighting to keep my lips from curling into a smile and giving me away.

“Finished with her feast, the young lioness prepares herself for her daily mating rituals. She must find herself a lion, but to do so, she must also ward off the competition from the other members of the herd who have recently come of age. She will need to do something to stand out if she wishes to pair herself with the King of the Jungle. And the lion is waiting…”

Before he can get out the rest of his commentary, I pour the entire contents of my water bottle down the back of his shirt, and I finally let my laugh escape my lips.

“Ooooooh shit! That’s cold!” Nate says, jumping to his feet quickly, and holding the back of his shirt away from his body while he hops around.

“What do you think? That stand out enough for you?” I ask while I twist the cap onto my now empty bottle and tuck it inside my bag. Nate wrings out the dampness from his shirt a little, and then flicks drops of the water from his fingers at me, making me giggle and flinch. Then he climbs over me, straddling my waist with his knees, pushing my back down along the grass while he tickles my sides.

“Oh, you stand out, all right!” he says while I fight, albeit not very hard, to remove his hands from my sides. He loosens his grip soon, and sits up, pulling me with him and cupping my face in his hands.

“You have to get to algebra,” I say, not really wanting him to leave but knowing he can’t miss class. He just sighs, his eyes piercing me before he leans in for a long and gentle kiss.

“Did you get to go to your prom?” His question is so out-of-the-blue.

“No, that was…a school activity,” I say, trying not to let my insides twist like they usually do when I think about things I missed.

“Right. This weekend, I’m taking you to prom,” he says, standing completely now, and unwrapping his burger to take a large bite before he has to go to class.