The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(21)
I was starting to like the way she switched personalities so quickly. Hell, maybe I really was going crazy. “Why?”
“It’s all here in the fine print.” She waved the paper in front of my face before sticking it in her back pocket. “You should have read it before signing. Didn’t anyone tell you that? Let this be a lesson for you in the future.”
My eyes narrowed, but her face remained calm. A bit brighter from her gloating. “You’re bluffing.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
Hmm. If we were going to do this, she’d have to understand who was in charge around here.
I leaned toward her. My left hand brushed the remaining crumbs off her soft lips before resting on the cool wallpaper on the other side of her waist so she’d be trapped in my arms. A flicker of panic crossed her face, but Taylor continued to stare up at me, not flinching or moving away. Not even when I bent down so my mouth would be right beside her ear. I let her take a deep breath before I whispered, “Then I’m going to need a copy of that contract.”
Taylor let out another rattling breath and turned her head to face me. Her eyes were downward, so all I could see were her lashes. As though pulled together by some type of invisible force, our bodies angled even closer until her lips were barely an inch from mine. She touched my chest, and I could feel her hot hand through my T-shirt, making my body tense up. My gaze flickered down to her mouth for a split second before looking up again.
Right before I was about to dip my head to kiss her, Taylor smiled up at me. A triumphant smile. “I’ll have a copy for you this weekend when you meet me for our study date.” Before I could say or do anything, she laid her other hand on my chest and pushed me away.
Even though I was still hot and bothered by her teasing, I couldn’t help chuckling as I walked to the door. “You know this will probably backfire on you.”
“How?”
“You might fall in love with me and won’t want to let go in the end.”
Taylor snorted. “Yeah, let me know when you’re done dreaming.”
“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m just warning you. It could happen.” I winked at her. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then, sweetheart.”
7
{Taylor}
Even though the meteorologist said it was going to be a crisp sixty degrees this morning, I still layered up in boots, an overcoat, and a scarf. I’d been played by the weatherman too many times to take the chance.
Sure enough, halfway to the bus stop I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. Sixty degrees, my butt. It had to be at most high thirties if you factored in the wind. If this crazy weather wasn’t a sign of global warming, I didn’t know what was.
A loud yawn escaped my mouth, piercing through the quiet morning air. I’d barely gotten any sleep, since Carly had kept me on the phone practically all night. After Evan left, I’d been in stunned disbelief for so long that I didn’t call Carly to tell her about my new relationship until after dinner. My ears were still kind of ringing from her squeals and cheers. I swear, I hadn’t seen her this excited since we sneaked backstage after the Wicked musical last year.
I was still pacing around the bench and securing my red scarf more firmly around my neck when a loud engine roared from down the street. It sounded like a large truck, but it turned out to be a slightly small, grayish-green clunker that pulled up beside me. There was a loud, clinking pop, and the engine died. The driver’s-side window rolled down, and a tousled blond head popped out. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride to school.”
Evan.
I knew he was talking to me and not the two old ladies behind us, but I still had to look over my shoulder to make sure. Talking to him felt weird. Was weird. Like this wasn’t real. “That’s okay.” I tucked my hands in my pockets and resumed my pacing. “I like the bus.”
When it became apparent that I wasn’t going to change my mind and jump in, Evan let out a sigh, rolled up his window, and climbed out of the car. Despite the cold, he just wore a plain blue T-shirt, jeans, and a dark gray and white hoodie.
Within seconds, he was in step with me, hands shoved in both pockets. Up and down the sidewalk we marched. No matter how slowly or quickly I walked, he would just adjust his pace. “Are we going to just pretend we don’t know each other?”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Of course not. We do know each other.”
“Yeah. Kind of a shame we don’t remember exactly how much.” My cheeks flushed hotly. To make matters worse, the wind carried his voice, and I swear, everyone at the bus stop grew quiet. Evan continued as though he didn’t notice the two nosy old ladies obviously eavesdropping on us. “So are we only supposed to be friendly when we have an audience, or can we at least be friends? Real friends?”
“We are friends.” The word sounded foreign on my tongue. Like jabberwocky. Or hornswoggle. I shook my head and tried again, stressing each syllable. “Seriously, friends.”
“Okay, then as friends, we should go to school together.” Evan touched my wrist to make me stop. “Come on, I said I’d take you.”
Despite all the layers I was wearing, he managed to find the tiny slit of skin exposed between my mittens and coat. I don’t know if this was an honest mistake or just a talent of his, but I could feel the heat radiating from his fingertips. How the heck did he manage to stay so warm in so few layers?