He turns this time, lifting a hand to wave. I’m not sure what he sees in my expression when he turns back to face me, but he quickly says, “Morgan’s just a friend. We used to—well, anyway, it’s not like that. Well, likeanything.”
Biting my lip, I glance down at my boots and say, “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“I know. I just wanted to say it.”
I’m still looking down when Aric reaches out to take hold of the end of my scarf. He twirls it around his fingeronce, and I look up and into his eyes. “This looks cute on you,” he says. “It brings out your eyes.”
My face must look like a beet right now. And my heart is pounding so hard that I’m afraid he might be able to hear it.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Aric runs the fabric of my scarf through his fingers, then lets it fall, and I’m surprised at the disappointment I feel. If he’d pulled me in, what would I have done? I’m reminded of that book Alina gave me, of the heated moments the characters shared beneath the moonlight, the hurried breaths as they devoured each other in every way they could.
Heat blossoms in my stomach and moves lower.
If Aric had pulled me in, I know I wouldn’t have backed away. But does he know that?
“Vandermere!” calls a professor that I assume must be his coach, given his clipboard and the intense furrow in his brow. “Hurry it up! Team meeting in five!”
Aric nods in acknowledgment, and the coach turns and heads off the field. There are still students all around us, but the crowd is thinning bit by bit. People keep calling Aric’s name and congratulating him on that save. But apart from a smile or a glance, he keeps his focus on me.
“I guess you should go,” I say, starting to take a step back.
“Probably.” Aric straightens up from where he was leaning on the fence. “But is that a yes, then? To Sweet Crumbs next Saturday?”
I draw myself up and pull together what small amount of confidence I have. Then I smile up at him and say, “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
His response is another glowing smile, and I remember the third rule I jotted down in my notebook:He smiles at everyone—don’t overanalyze it.But does he smile likethatat everyone? Or is this one special? Maybe... just for me?
It feels dangerously hopeful to even consider that a possibility.
“So am I. But I’ll still see you on Tuesday, right?”
My lips pull up a little on one side. “Of course. You can’t start skipping out on me now.”
Aric gives me another laugh, but this one is smaller and quieter, meant only for my ears. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Brains.”
My cheeks tingle at the nickname he’s started using for me.
Aric pushes away from the fence, and he watches me for a long moment while he backs away. Then he finally turns, and my gaze follows him as he jogs across the field.
Once Aric is gone, I join the thinning crowd on the cobblestone walkway back to the castle. Alina and the others are waiting where I expected, on the two benches flanked by big flowerbeds crawling with ivy and orange-and-white flowers that nod softly in the breeze.
“Hey,” Alina says when she spots me. She’s sitting on Raelan’s lap on the bench, and he has his forehead resting against her shoulder, his eyes closed, though I know he’s fully aware of everything going on around us.
I’ve not told Alina—or anyone—this, but I’m actually jealous of the relationship she has with Raelan. They’re a team, always there to support each other, always ready tooffer a shoulder or a hug or a joke when the situation calls for it. I imagine Cairn and Lyra’s relationship is similar, but with them doing the long-distance thing, I’ve never seen them together—certainly not like Alina and Raelan.
And even though it feels foolish and maybe a bit silly, I allow myself to wonder, for just a moment, if maybe Iwillget to find my person, if I’ll get to be safe and warm in someone’s arms and know that no matter what, they’ll be there if ever I need them.
And I wonder if Aric could be that person.
“So, what’d he say?” Lyra asks. She was staring down at the flowers in the bed with a faraway expression, perhaps thinking of Cairn, but now her crimson eyes are trained on me.
“He...” I grip my scarf and start twirling it again, and I’m somehow comforted by knowing Aric touched it just a few minutes ago. “He asked me to go to a cookie shop with him next weekend. And I said yes.”
The girls look at one another, a brief moment of quiet passing.
Then Maeve lets out one of her big laughs and slings an arm around my shoulders. “So, you’re dating my brother now, huh? I’ve gotta say, I think you’re too good for him, but I’ll let it be.”
