Present Perfect(37)

It was the end of the day. I was at my locker. Out the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was standing about three yards away. I turned to him and smiled. “Didn’t your mother teach you it’s impolite to stare?” I said, with a bit of snark in my voice.

“I wasn’t staring. I was admiring.” As he sauntered over to me, a devilish smile slowly crept across his face. He came to a stop about a foot away.

“Wow, that’s quite a line.”

“It’s not a line.” He crossed his heart, trying to look sincere, “Scouts honor.”

“Scouts….um…fast, what troop were you in?” I asked, challenging him.

“Troop 543. My dad was our troop leader.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Why have you been stalking me?”

He leaned one shoulder against the lockers and smirked. He took his time saying each word, smiling bigger with each reason he listed. “Cause you’re pretty. And smart. And funny. And pretty.”

“You said pretty twice.”

“Well, it bears repeating.”

I couldn’t help my eye roll. “Well, you got the funny part right.” His smile turned up to full megawatt status. I felt a quiet gasp leave me. First impression, he was a bit of a douchebag, but a sexy as hell douchebag.

He moved in a little closer and with conviction said, “Jeremy Pratt’s parents are letting him have a party at their beach house this Saturday,” the look in his sapphire eyes intensified. “What time should I pick you up?”

“We’ve gone to school together for over three years. Why are you asking me out now all of a sudden?” I was a little suspicious.

“Honestly? I never asked before because I thought you and Stewart had something going on.”

“Noah and I are best friends,” I said.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Why?”

“Because I wasted three years not asking you out…so… are you going to keep me waiting even longer or do we have a date?” And there it was again, as if on cue, that megawatt smile.

“What changed? I’m still friends with Noah.”

“Really? You two haven’t looked too friendly with each other. Are you sure he’s still friends with you?” I didn’t respond. I hated to admit he might have a point. “So Beautiful, what time should I get you Saturday?”

“You are quite the charmer,” I paused for a moment considering my answer. “Eight o’clock. It should be fun.”

“Oh, I guarantee it will be fun. I always aim to please.” He pushed off from the lockers and stood. “Let’s grab your stuff, so I can walk you to your car.”

“Anyone ever tell you how bossy you are?”

He leaned in very close to me. If he had been less attractive, I might have considered it too close.

“I’m not bossy. I know what I want and I don’t like to waste time.” He winked.

Brad made me slightly uncomfortable. Now I understood what Noah said, about feeling like he was cheating on me when he went on dates with other girls. I felt like I was doing something wrong. As if, I was betraying him just by talking to Brad. I wanted to grab my stuff and run, but I stood my ground. This was me spreading my wings and trying new things. I gathered my books and placed them in my backpack. As soon as I turned around, Brad grabbed it before walking me to my car.

I unlocked the passenger door and motioned for him to toss my bag in. He followed me as I walked around to the driver’s side. Opening the door, I leaned in slightly, and slung my purse over the seat.

Turning back around, I found myself nose-to-nose with Brad. He was standing between me and the open car door, his left hand rested on the upper doorframe, propping himself up. We were so close, I could feel his warm breath wash over my lips. His voice was low. “I’m really glad you want me…,” he paused for a split second as his eyes moved down to my lips and then back to my eyes, causing me to swallow hard, “…to take you to the party.”

I cleared my throat and nervously answered, “Me too.”

“You know what?” he asked.

“What?” I whispered.

He focused on my mouth as he sucked on his lower lip, dragging his perfect white teeth over it. “Saturday is going to be the start of an awesome senior year.”

I froze in place. I couldn’t take my gaze off those sapphire eyes. Butterflies were taking over my stomach. Brad knocked me off balance with his confidence. There was an air of mystery and danger about him and I was curious.

“Yeah…well…thanks for the…um…the invite and the walk,” I finally said, stumbling over my words. He smiled and glanced from my eyes to my lips and back again. I took in another gulp of air and said, “I better be going.”

“You’re extremely cute, you know.”

Holy hell, he was hot. I had to get away from this guy. I was becoming increasingly unnerved every second I spent with him. Laughing nervously, I said, “Yeah…well…I am just the cute one in the family. My sister’s the pretty one. Um…do you know my sister?” My voice hit a pitch that only dogs could hear. He just shook his head and smiled. “Her name is Emily. Emily Kelly. Of course, she has the same name as me, we’re sisters. Not that we’re both named Emily. We have the same last name. That’s why we’re sisters cause of our last name. I mean, that’s not why really. There are a lot of people with the last name Kelly that I’m not related to. It’s a fairly common name. We have the same parents. That’s why we’re related…,” I began to trail off.