“You definitely would have, Miss I-only-read-magazines-but-plan-to-get-into-an-Ivy-League.”
“Shut up.” I bite my grin away and smack his shoulder, but then feel kind of bad, because what if he hurt his shoulder while he and Carlton were fighting? I rub the spot where I just smacked him. “Sorry.”
He stares at my hand on his shoulder.
I don’t move.
The car is filled with a piercing silence. And then I break it, my voice hardly louder than a whisper. “Why did you defend me, like that?”
He frowns, like my question doesn’t make sense. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I guess after the way things started between us…I didn’t think you would care.”
He gives me a disapproving look. “Come on, Dot. That was a long time ago. You know I care about you now.”
The words are casual, and so is his tone. But they settle over me in a way that somehow makes me feel weightless, like I’m floating. “That makes one of you,” I say. I try to make it sound funny, like it doesn’t bother me that Carlton finally wrote me off. That he tried to make me jealous by kissing Meredith. But deep down, his rejection stings, especially since it was in front of so many others. And I can tell by Zayne’s expression that my attempt at hiding the pain is unsuccessful.
“Dot.” His voice is low, almost a whisper. “You deserve better than Carlton, and you know it. You deserve better than someone who won’t even call you his girlfriend.”
There’s a deafening pause. I push my rising anxiety aside and then my mouth opens and a whisper escapes it. “Someone like you?” I feel like I’m going to die after I say it.
There they are, Dot. The words you’ve been thinking, harboring all along.
The words that—now that they’ve been spoken—change everything between us. Even the shallow air we’re breathing.
He inhales sharply.
“Zayne,” I mutter, and he glances at my lips. The burning memory of how they felt pressed against his during rehearsal consumes my thoughts.
He pauses, like he’s not sure what I want from him. And to be honest, I’m not sure either. All I know is he’s nothing like the boy I thought he was when we first met.
He’s more.
So much more.
“Zayne,” I say again, unable to stop the rush of words that come next. “I think I want you to kiss me.”
He blinks a few times, then grins. He reaches up and winds his fingers through my braids until he finds the base of my neck. His skin is warm, and I can’t help the nerves, the excitement that spreads through my veins as he pulls me to him, lowers his head, and touches his lips to mine. As soon as our mouths brush together, my heart races like it might escape my chest. I steady myself against my nerves, and Zayne captures my next breath with another kiss. This time, it’s more tender, more insistent. It makes my blood feel too hot for my veins, but I don’t pull away, because I’m desperate for this moment to stretch out as long as possible. I reach up, hesitate, and touch Zayne’s shoulders, letting my palms rest against them.
He pulls back just enough for us to open our eyes, and I meet his gaze. It sends a fresh bundle of nerves through my stomach, and I can’t help myself. I grip his shoulders and pull him closer, my nose grazing his and forcing our eyes to fall shut again. My lips part, and when our tongues touch, I taste peppermint and coffee. It’s soZayne. And I want more of it.
Someone knocks on the car window, and with a start, we break apart. I blink away the hazy elation of kissing him as Istare at the form on the other side of the car. It’s Rue. And she’s crying. “I want to go home,” she sniffs. “Right now.”
Anger sparks in my veins.“I’m going to punch Carlton in his stupid, egotistical?—”
“No.” Rue shakes her head. “I’d really rather just leave.”
“Okay.” I nod with a deep sigh. “Of course.” I turn back to Zayne, but he’s already getting out of the car. My heart sinks. I’m not ready for him to leave. But my friend needs me right now, so I wave at him with my lip in a pout. “I’ll text you,” I say.
“Okay.” The way he stares at my mouth makes me think he’s anything but ready to part ways either. “Thanks for the first aid kit, by the way.”
“Anytime.”
Rue gets in the car, wiping away a fresh tear rolling down her cheek as she shuts the door. When Zayne walks away, I begin the drive back to my house where her car is waiting.
I search for words to comfort Rue, but only manage to settle on, “Carlton is such a jerk.”
“I know you’re probably wondering why I like him so much after tonight, but there’s still such a good side to him.” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter, though. I shouldn’t be upset. I should have known he’d go for Mere next instead of me.” She takes a long, tired deep breath. The defeated look in her eyes makes me so sad.
