Just as well I don’t have to do this with Tori. I wouldn’t last more than three seconds before I wanted to take her face in my hands again.
Eleanor’s eyes are brown. Not as pale as Tori’s. They’re more like molten chocolate.
‘Are you OK?’ she asks.
Damn.
‘Don’t look away, Sinclair.’ She smiles but her eyes remain serious. Why is this so bloody hard?
‘Sorry.’ I tense my shoulders. Can you tell what Tori and I were doing just by looking at me? My lips are still throbbing when I remember our kiss. And so’s my crotch, by the way. ‘And, yeah, sure, are we meant to be discussing anything in particular?’
‘Just talking about our week,’ says Eleanor, head aslant. I want to seek out Tori. I want to look at her. Until I find answers in her eyes as to what just happened between us. And what it means. ‘So, how was your week?’
‘Great,’ I lie. ‘How was yours?’
‘Stressful. Didn’t get anything done and I’m exhausted.’
‘You don’t look it.’
Tiny lines shape Eleanor’s face as she smiles. ‘Whoa, you’re such a liar.’
‘It was the truth, I promise.’ That might be the first true thing I’ve said today. Eleanor’s glowing – she’s positively radiant. Isthat because she’s in love? I want Tori to look at me like that. For my sake. And she won’t. Which is my fault. And because Valentine Ward is a weapon and I don’t even want to think about what would happen if he heard that we kissed. Which he’s bound to do eventually. Isn’t he? Or is Tori planning to act like it never happened? I start to sweat.
‘Spit it out,’ Eleanor says. ‘What’s wrong? I can see something’s wrong, Sinclair. Don’t look away.’
‘Tori and I . . .’ I lower my voice so that nobody around can hear. ‘We were going through my lines just now. A kiss scene. We rehearsed it very thoroughly.’
‘I see.’ Eleanor’s eyes sparkle. ‘Very thoroughly, uh-huh.’
‘And now I’m freaking out.’
‘Why are you freaking out?’
‘Because we didn’t get to talk about it. People walked in.’
‘Who kissed who?’ Eleanor blinks innocently.
‘I think that was me.’
She smiles. ‘Wow. I’m proud of you, Sinclair.’
‘But maybe she wasn’t OK with it.’
‘Did you ask her?’
‘No.’ I shiver. ‘Not really.’
‘Did she pull away?’
‘Not really.’
‘Interesting, in-ter-est-ing.’
‘Very good, well done!’ Mr Acevedo calls. ‘That will do.’
I immediately look to the side. Tori’s watching Eleanor and me. Her face is expressionless. She looks away before I can read anything in her face.
‘How did it feel? Louis?’
