A Wish Unwanted – Part 17
by Limbo’s Mistress

“Lee,” I said, the words catching in my throat, making the single word sound more like a croaked accusation rather than an astonished greeting.

“Pee-Jay,” he replied, smiling as his eyes glimmered behind the lenses.

His hands continued to hold my arms. Not forcefully, but as if wanting to make sure I was going to remain upright if they let go. His touch brought with it that familiar, delightful, tingle that seemed to leap between us to shoot up and down my petite frame. If I were to have a chance for another wish, it would be that he would never let go.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be satisfied that I wasn’t going to bust my ass without his support, so release me he did. His fingers did linger for a second longer than what might have been necessary. Then his hands slipped into the front pocket of his jeans and vanished.

I continued to stare up at him for another moment or two before regaining a modicum of awareness.

“I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “Thanks for saving me.”

His grin widened. “It was completely my pleasure.” Then some of the mirth appeared to diminish and his eyes went from excited to serious. “So, uh, I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry to hear about you and Geoff. I hope you two can work things out.”

My mouth dropped open. No! No! This wasn’t supposed to be the way things went. Lee was supposed to be secretly (or not so secretly) pleased to know that the Perfect Couple was having problems. That was to be his opportunity to swoop in and try to win me for himself.

Why couldn’t he just stop being a nice guy for one damned minute and take advantage of the situation?

Because he was Lee. That’s why.

I sighed, shrugging again. “Thanks,” I said, not meaning it in the least. “We’re … evaluating things. It’s kind of complicated.”

He laughed. “Love always is, Pee-Jay. Or have you not started your reading for Eastman’s class yet?”

I glared at him with mock anger and punched him in the upper arm lightly. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Taylor, that I’ve already surpassed the required chapters. I’m currently on number six.”

He smiled, nodding his head. “Impressive. What do you think so far?”

“I think Emma should stop mucking around in other people’s lives. She thinks she’s being helpful, but she’s really not.”

“That’s a pretty good assessment,” he said.

His compliment sent a flutter to my heart and a tingling much further south. I honestly wondered what would happen if I simply pushed him back against the lockers, pressed myself against him, and kissed him the way I had in my room the other night. Would he respond with the same passion? Would he freak out?

Regardless, the people on their way to class around us would probably be shocked beyond belief that Pee-Jay Davenport was lip-locked with someone who wasn’t Geoffrey Barnes. Hell, the mixture of the two wishes might result in a pitchfork and torches mob coming after Lee. Since my assault of his mouth would simply have to be his fault.

Already a few of them had slowed down, trying to observe and discern what the two of us were doing standing so close together in the middle of the corridor.

Sighing, I reeled back in my desires and crossed my arms over my chest. “So …”

Lee nodded. “Yeah. I need to get to Chem. See you in fifth?”

I smiled, though the expression didn’t reach my heart. “Save me a seat?”

“Always.” Then he pushed his glasses back up onto his nose with one finger, turned around, and walked away. Taking a little bit of my soul with him.

I remained where I was for another ten or fifteen seconds, ignoring the people who waved and spoke to me. I felt I could still detect where he had been standing while touching me. Could still sense his natural scent lingering in the air.

Eventually, however, I forced myself to turn around and walk down the hall toward the exit.

I cut across the grassy area leading toward the previously-arranged meeting spot. As I neared, I saw that Geoff was already there, partially obscured from view. I wondered if he was skipping class for this. Third was my Free Period, but that was a perk that came with being a senior. Underclassmen didn’t get time off other than lunch.

“Wow,” he said as I stopped in front of him. “Is fashionably late still a thing?”

My dour mood instantly soured further. “Rude much?” I asked, cocking my hip to the side as I crossed my arms over my chest.

I was beginning to find it hard to believe that the boy standing in front of my, looking extremely put-out, was the same one who’d sent hundreds of texts to tell me how much he loved me and adored me. Just went to show that Invidia’s magic might be able to create true love in the past, but was crap at it in the present.

He copied me by crossing his own muscular arms over a barrel chest. “This is going to be even harder if we can’t stop attacking each other.”

“Well,” I said, unable to pull my voice into a less-annoyed tone. “You were the one who started off the conversation by being sarcastic. I simply asked you a question.”

He shook his head, mumbling something under his breath.

“What was that?” I asked, arching a brow. “Go head and say what you feel, Geoffrey. I know you have the balls, I felt them yesterday.”

He sighed. “I said I wished I hadn’t made that … wish.” His mouth turned down into a frown. “I mean, that I had asked for something different. I didn’t realize dating you would be so perplexing.”

“Awesome!” I said, the frustrations of the past sixteen hours rushing out of me in a torrent. “I’m glad you’re having regrets about throwing my life in disarray. That makes me feel so much better.” Then I shook my head. “Just imagine, you could have been the one that’s hobbling around today with severely bruised testicles and Old Petey could be the one being perplexed by my feminine ways.”

He glared down at me for a second, then looked away. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Besides, how feminine are your ways? Weren’t you a guy a few days ago?”

“Two answers, Gee-Off.” I held up a finger. “Very.” I held up another finger. “Magic can work wonders.” Then I dropped my hand and arched a brow as a small grin formed on my face. “That’s why you’re so pissy, isn’t it? You wanted me, but now that you’ve learned what the stone did to me, you’re repulsed. Or you would be, except for the fact that you’re stuck in this relationship that you created.”

He looked back at me and shook his head. “I’ve been getting crap from people since I got home yesterday afternoon. Calls and texts, asking what I’d done to make you break up with me. Not a single person bothered to even entertain the notion that I might have been the one to call it quits.”

A sharp bark of amusement jumped out of my throat, and I quickly clamped my hand across my mouth to kill it before it could evolve into a detrimental bout of Tasha’s Hideous Laughter.

Geoff’s perturbed expression morphed into a more agitate state. He narrowed his eyes at me, his jaw visibly clenching.

“I fail to see the humor … Sam.”

Now it was my turn to be irked. “Don’t call me that,” I growled. “That’s not my name anymore.”

He shrugged. “Charlie called you that more than once while bringing me up to speed on all the ways everyone’s screwed over reality. I mean, you’re angry that I dared to change things so we were together. But I think that’s because just because you remember the way things used to be.”

“And?” I said, fighting to keep my temper under control. “Is there a point coming? Or are you just rehashing what we already know?”

“I just think it’s hypocritical. I mean, you don’t have any problem enjoying your new status. Yeah, I know it was a mistake that made you what you are now. But, it’s like you are perfectly okay with it, because none of them …” he pointed behind me at the building. “… know the truth. You’re fine with stringing them along blindly.” Then he smiled down at me. “Same as I would have been.”

I opened my mouth. Then I closed it and turned my back on him, crossing my arms back over my chest.

God! Why did he have to be so damned infuriating? Despite the fact that he hadn’t said a single thing that was incorrect, the smugness of his words tasted like bitter fruit in my mouth. What was the point in arguing the morality of what either of us had done? That ship had sailed and both of us were unable to get off it.

I could try to be the complete opposite of how Penny used to be, and people would still find me desirable and likeable. Additionally, everyone would completely insist that Geoff and I belonged together, regardless of our actions. Chances were, I could decide to be the school slut, and not only would everything think it wasn’t worth us breaking up over, any changes that did occur to our relationship would be considered his fault.

“Pee-Jay,” he said in a much softer tone. “I don’t really want to fight with you.”

“Then stop,” I said, not turning around as I ignored the way his voice, in its sincerity, sounded. It was like back in the Clubhouse. He’d been so honestly distraught over realizing what he’d done that it had thrown my feelings into shambles.

Quit kidding yourself, that annoying voice chimed. He didn’t feel guilty about making that wish. Nor about what it had done to your relationship with Lee. He was upset because you were upset. He felt bad because it had hurt your feelings.

“Please turn around and look at me,” he said. I felt the air around me disturbed as he moved closer. However, he didn’t touch me.

“I don’t want to,” I said in a voice so soft I wasn’t even sure he’d heard me.

“Please.”

I closed my eyes, sighed, then slowly turned around as I opened them. He was less than a foot in front of me, so close that I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. The frown was still securely fastened to his face, but his eyes had lost their fury. Now they just looked remorseful.

“I really don’t care about what you were like before you made your wish,” he said, never taking his gaze off of mine. “Guy. Dork. Asshole. Whatever.”

“Gee,” I said, keeping my eyes focused where they were. “I’m amazed you didn’t already have a girlfriend. With that kind of smooth talking.”

My sarcastic barb slid right past him without drawing any response at all.

“The point is, I’ve only ever known you as Pee-Jay. That’s who I made the wish about. That’s who wanted to be with.”

He leaned closer, causing my body to freeze and my heart to start a rapid thumpity-thumping in my chest.

“You’re who I want to be with.”

“Geoff … I … but Lee ...”

He nodded, his eyes finally releasing mine so they could dip a bit lower to my lips. “I know.”

I don’t know which of us moved first. I’ll probably never really know. One second we were standing there staring at each other. The next, we were kissing. I mean, really kissing. Hot, heady, and overflowing with all the passion hinted at in the ungodly amount of messages we’d sent to each other.

Geoff’s arms wrapped around me and mine rested on his hips. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the sensation flooding my brain and washing away all the confusion and pretty much any conscious thoughts. Even though I didn’t feel that electric spark Lee’s kisses had always created within me, there was no denying that Geoffrey had seriously mad tongue skills.

I wondered, only for about a nanosecond, if he had been this good with his mouth before his wish, or if the magic of the stone had granted him the ability to curl a girl’s toes the way it had gifted me with the grace and abilities of a cheerleader.

When our lips finally broke apart, after what seemed to be about an hour and a half, I sighed and felt myself go slightly limp. A grin formed on my face, and I blinked a few times, waiting for my cortical neurons to reboot.

“Wow,” Geoff said, in a slightly breathless voice. “That was … something else.” He looked like he’d just been sucker punched. By King Kong.

I giggled. “You should have felt it from this end.”

He nodded, then swallowed. His Adam’s apple bounced with the motion. He still had his arms around me, but I could see the effect of our locking lips was starting to wear off. The first clue being the goofy smile fading away to a more serious expression.

“Pee-Jay …”

I sighed again. Only this one wasn’t the result of having my brain fried by a nuclear-powered kiss.

“I know,” I said, letting my hands slide off his waist and drop loosely at my sides. “This doesn’t help our situation.”

“You don’t want to be with me,” he said, sounding resolute. “And after what we both have done and learned, I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t try forcing myself on you, no matter what the rest of the school thinks.”

My mouth dropped open a bit. How could he possibly know what, or who, I did or did not want? Hadn’t the fact that I just swapped a ton of spit with him indicate that perhaps I might not find him as repulsive had he thought I did? Did he think I just kissed people like that for the hell of it.

The swooning euphoria filling my brain vaporized as quickly as a Cylon Raider in Starbuck’s targeting scope.

“I see,” I said, reaching up to peel his arms from around me. “Well, thank goodness you aren’t going to make me be yours. For a second there, I was worried.” I shrugged my shoulders. “For the record, I was the one who just kissed you. So if there was any forcing of anyone, I was doing it.”

His flat expression turned annoyed. “Hello there, Sarcastic Pee-Jay. I was wondering when you might return.

I took a step back, narrowing my eyes at him. “I really don’t like you. As in, at all.”

One of his eyebrows rose. “Want to try telling that to the guy who didn’t just see you all discombobulated from a single kiss?”

“Stay away from me, Geoff. I’m not your girlfriend.” I turned around and stomped off. It was hard, because I really wanted to have him kiss me like that again.

Instead, he simply laughed. “I keep telling myself that as well, Pee-Jay. Problem is, you are.”

When I got to the Clubhouse, I threw open the door so hard that it banged against the wall, making the rest of the squad, who had been gathered in a tight circle around the sofas, jump. Kara even actually squeaked with surprise.

I slammed the door behind me, marched over to the group, and pointed my finger at every one of them. “Boys are the most useless creatures!” I yelled.

Everyone but Tabitha looked like I’d just announced I was shaving my head and joining the Marines. The blonde, however, simply grinned. God, how I wanted to slap that smirk right off her face.

“Trouble in paradise?” she cooed.

“Shut it, Stevens,” I barked. “You know damned well what my problem is.”

She rolled a shoulder and turned her attention to her phone.

Sarah frowned. “I thought things were going better with you and Geoff. We sort of expected you to finally get here floating on a cloud of love-fueled happiness.”

“Not me,” Tabitha mumbled.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Fine. Everyone but Tabs thought that.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Why? What would have given you the idea that I’d show up with little hearts in my eyes?”

Jordan glanced at the others, then held up her phone toward me. The screen showed an aerial shot of an image. A recent picture of me and Geoff by the boulder. With our tongues jammed down each other’s throats.

“What the frack?” I said, taking the phone from her and staring at the image. Without thinking, I placed my thumb and index finger on the image and spread them apart, zooming in. There, immortalized in complete high-definition digital color was mine and Geoff’s kiss.

And, as much as I loathed to admit it, we did look really hot together.

“Sean Parrish happened to look out the window and see you two. At first, he thought you two were fighting. I guess because of the rumors flying around school today. However, then he noticed you two were …”

“Making out like a couple of horny rabbits?” Tabitha interrupted, not glancing up.

Jordan glared over at the blonde, then looked back to me. “He took the picture and sent it.”

I handed her back the phone. “Sent it to you? Why?”

Now all of them, save Tabitha, suddenly had bright red faces. Uh-oh. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what came next.

“He sent it to everyone. Like, the whole school.”

“What!?!?” I swept my gaze over all of them. “Why the hell would he do that?”

Kara shrugged. “I guess to let everyone know you two were back together. I mean, look at the photo. That right there is two people head over heels in love.”

I groaned and slapped a hand over my face, plopping down without looking. Thankfully, there was the soft cushion of a couch beneath me. Unfortunately, it was the same one Tabitha was sitting on.

She glanced up to look at me, that smug smile returning. “Is it love, Peej?” her honeyed words dripped with malicious humor. “Or are you just leading the poor boy along?”

“Go to hell, Tabby,” I sneered.

“Already been there, darling.” Her eyes glimmered. “Does he kiss as good as Lee?”

“Lee?” Jordan asked, turning our way. “Lee … Taylor?”

“You kissed Lee Taylor?” Kara chimed in. “Was this after your fight with Geoff yesterday?”

“Is that what the fight was about?” Candice asked.

Sarah gaped at me, seeming more hurt than surprised. I guess she believed what I was hiding from her was an illicit affair with a boy who wasn’t Geoff and couldn’t believe the her best friend hadn’t confided in her.

I waved my hands in the air as I shook my head back and forth. God, I was totally going to kill Tabitha. At least Jen was evil for evil’s sake. Tabitha was just plain old mean.

“It’s not like that,” I said. “I didn’t kiss Lee Taylor!”

Tabitha arched a brow, tapped on her lip and then shrugged. “I guess I was mistaken. I must have been thinking of a Pee-Jay from another life.” Her lips parted in a smile that showed just how much she’d enjoyed the instant chaos.

I narrowed my eyes, shooting Tabitha my deadliest glare. If I’d been born on Krypton, I would have heat-visioned her ass into a pile of cinders.

Though it wasn’t clear if the rest of the squad believed her. Or thought maybe she had recanted her accusation simply to appease me. Regardless, the room was eerily quiet for the next ten minutes. Everyone but Sarah and I decided to spend the awkward silence playing on the internet and social media.

None of them had the spine to actually say anything aloud, but I could tell by the shared looks, grins, and occasional giggle that the picture of the kiss was probably on just about everyone’s newsfeeds. Either that, or they were sharing another round of gossip. About me and Lee.

So much for a cooling off period. If Geoff and I announced some type of breakup now, there would be a riot and my boyfriend from another reality would get blamed.

When the bell rang, we all filed out of the Clubhouse and headed toward the cafeteria. I let everyone else get ahead of me, hanging back a bit as I tried to clear my brain of the memory of dueling kisses. Sarah slowed to walk alongside me, the expression on her face full of inquiry.

“No,” I said, taking a guess at her unspoken question. “I am not telling you anything early.”

She pouted at me, then arched a brow. “Can you at least give me a hint? Does it involve something to do with Lee Taylor?”

When I turned to look at her, she held up her hands.

“I’m only asking because you didn’t so much seem pissed off that Tabitha made the accusation. You seemed more … embarrassed. Guilty, even.”

I started to ask her how she could be sure what my expression meant. Then I realized that her being my best friend for who knew how long probably meant she could read me like a book. I made note to try to better guard my feelings in the future.

If our friendship had a future.

After we made it through the lunch line, trays loaded with taco salad in a crisp tortilla shell, we stepped out into the quad to find the rest of the in-crowd already there. A few of the football players cheered as they saw me, a couple of them reaching over to pound forcefully on Geoff’s back in a way that reminded me of cartoon cavemen.

Geoff, for his part, kept his eyes focused on his food, refusing to even glance in my direction.

Sarah and I took a seat at the furthest most spot from my magically-ordained lover. I turned slightly in the chair, placing most of my back in his direction.

“When does Jen get back?” Jordan asked a few seconds after my butt was planted.

“Tomorrow,” I said, not looking at her. Since, you know, that would put Geoff in my line of sight. “She said she would be here in time to make the game, but didn’t give me an exact time.”

“What if her plane gets delayed or something?” Kara weighed in. “Like, not until after dark?”

“Then I guess we’ll take the sidelines without her.”

There was a gasp from every Raiderette, except Tabitha, within earshot. Unable to resist, I brought my gaze up to look at them, deliberately ignoring the fact that Geoff was staring right at me.

“Is that a problem?”

Sarah looked at Jordan and Stephanie, then back to me. “Well, I mean, she’s the captain. If she’s not there, then …”

Tabitha rolled her eyes. “If Jen doesn’t show, then you’ll have to take the lead, Davenport.”

A few of the girls stared at me, nodding their heads in agreement.

“Again, the problem with this is?”

“She’ll freak out,” Candice said in a low voice. “I mean, seriously, completely, freak out.”

“Really?”

Sarah looked at Jordan, who then turned to me. “Remember, when Tonya suggested last year that the whole squad should take a vote on naming a captain? Jen completely lost her crap and started harassing her until she just up and quit?”

Ah, so that’s why Tonya Michaels was no longer a Benson High cheerleader.

Even though I didn’t remember the incident in question, I nodded anyway. “I still don’t see how the two are similar. I mean, I wouldn’t be taking over permanently from her. Just, filling in. Like I’ve been doing the past couple of days.”

Tabitha snorted. “Filling in at practice is one thing, Peej. But the minute you’re in charge at a game, in front of a ton of students and alumni …”

She didn’t need to elaborate. I found I could fill in the gaps and make the same leaps as she could.

It was all too easy to see the results of my standing in for Jennifer. The moment I started directing the rest of the girls, the effect of the wish would have everyone wondering why I wasn’t the captain of the squad. To them, it would probably seem sacrilegious to allow Jen to continue to lead the girls.

She’d be out of a job before the half-time whistle blew.

While I would be remiss if I said that the idea didn’t sound like a little slice of heaven to me, I knew the ramifications would be terrible. Particularly since the Ice Queen wasn’t influenced by the magic affecting everyone else. I wasn’t sure what, exactly, she might try to do as retribution, but I knew from experience it would be devastating.

“Then let’s hope she makes it back in time,” I said. “Otherwise, anything that happens will be on her.”

That being said, the subject changed to the Homecoming celebration. I told them that the committee had settled on a Grease-inspired, fifties themed event. Candice suggested we all go shopping for our poodle skirts and sweaters together.

“That way, we can make sure none of us are wearing the exact same color. There’s this place over on Elm that specializes in retro clothing. If they don’t have it in stock, they know where they can get it.”

“So long as I can call dibs on royal blue,” Sarah said with a grin. Then she nodded her head in my direction. “And how adorable would Peej be in a black sweater with a cherry red skirt?”

“Very,” Geoff answered as he leaned against the table next to me. “Though I think she’d look better in a pair of skintight leather pants and a black halter.”

I stiffened, glancing at him for a moment before turning my gaze toward the seat he’d formerly occupied.

“Football players each lunch over there,” I said. “This is the Raiderettes’ section of the table.”

Sarah’s jaw dropped, but Geoff simply chuckled.

“I’m through with lunch,” he said. Then his voice dropped to just above a whisper as he leaned closer to me. “Though, I might have room for dessert.”

I whirred around toward him, our noses nearly colliding.

“How dare you …”

His mouth stopped me in mid-protest.

I think the rest of the people around the table oohed in response. As for me, I lost myself in the moment. Once a freaking again. It was like I was unable to not respond to Geoff’s kissing me. My hands, once balled into angry fists, placed themselves on his back, fingers stroking the muscles hiding beneath his t-shirt.

My brain grew giddy and fuzzy. The sheer amount of oxytocin swarming through my gray matter must have been off the charts. All I could think of was how good he tasted and how much I never, ever, wanted it to stop.

When he finally pulled away, the table around us exploded into celebratory clapping and cheering. Everyone seemed to be ecstatic that the it-couple were still a pair bond, meaning all was right with the world.

As for me, I was stunned. Totally and completely stunned. I should have been furious, beyond even, that he’d just done that without asking. Instead, I could feel the stupid grin stretched across my face, and had a sneaking suspicion that my eyes were probably a bit glassy and unfocused.

Stupid wish.

He reached over to take one of my hands, curling his fingers around in mine. I looked down at our joined limbs, then brought my gaze up to his face.

There was a beaming smile there, showcasing his pride at having rendered his stubborn woman momentarily incoherent. However, the expression didn’t reach his eyes. Rather than elation, or lechery, those green orbs were full of guilt and embarrassment.

The fog in my brain was taking its sweet time dissipating. As we sat there staring silently at each other, the rest of the table began to break apart or resume their prior conversations.

Geoff scooted closer, resting his chin on my shoulder. For a second, I thought he was going to nibble flirtatiously on my ear, a prospect that I both feared and desired. Instead, he merely used the proximity to speak to me without being overheard.

“I’m sorry, Pee-Jay,” he said, sounding sufficiently contrite. “The guys were going on and on about our kiss by the rock. Apparently someone took a picture of it and sent it around. I tried to tell them that you and I were trying to figure some stuff out, but they just wouldn’t stop.”

“Uh-huh,” I murmured, railing against the happy tendrils still lingering in my noggin.

“I didn’t know what else to do. I took a chance that if I kissed you again, they’d simply shut up about it.” Then his apologetic tone grew a little haughtier. “Looks like I was right.”

“You can’t keep doing it,” I said, not really feeling much in agreement with my words. Despite knowing that the effect was a result of the stone’s power, I found it was starting to grow on me.

Not unlike what had transpired with Lee. At first, I’d rebelled against the feelings he brought out in my new, girlish, form. It hadn’t taken long, though, before I was giving myself over to them willingly.

Would the same thing happen with Geoff? I had automatically assumed that I would be immune to any new changes. Technically speaking, I was. At least mentally. But physically? My body still hummed a little bit from the latest romantic interlude, but it still lacked that … spark.

Lee.

I blinked, the last traces of euphoria clearing away. I almost yanked my hand out of Geoff’s, but stopped when I realized that would only make people notice us. Right now, everyone else seemed to have moved on to a topic that didn’t involve my love life.

“I’m sorry,” he said, then squeezed my hand when I stiffened. “Not about that other. The thing you told me not to apologize about.”

“Then what are you sorry for?”

“Not giving you the space, us the space, to figure things out. I still want you to be mine, Pee-Jay. No matter what. I feel it in my heart and soul. However, that doesn’t mean I’m happy with just being handed things on a platter. Not when I haven’t earned it.”

I sighed, closing my eyes for a second. Then I pulled my head back and looked at him. “That’s exactly what you did, though. You didn’t try to win me on your own. You purposefully used the stone to get me. Now, what? You regret that you used that crutch?”

“I just didn’t think,” he murmured. “I suddenly had in my hand something that would give me what I desired. You were the first thing that came to mind.”

He had a point. Knowing what I knew about Invidia, which really wasn’t much, I could easily see how getting their hands on the stone could make someone want to wish without any forethought. I’d seen the look in Cindy’s eyes that afternoon in my former bedroom. If not for my own, super skeptical nature, I might have been just as easily drawn in.

“Fine. Apology accepted. That still doesn’t change the fact that we don’t seem to be able to stay away from each other.”

He laughed softly, leaning in until his mouth was less than an inch from my ear. To any observers, we probably looked like we were professing promises of love to each other. If they only knew.

“We also really haven’t tried.”

I shrugged. “Maybe we should.”

Chad wandered over and tapped Geoff on the shoulder. “Dude, think you can put your hormones on the back burner? Lunch is almost over and your honey probably needs to get to class.”

Oh, that’s right. There was no Lee to walk me anymore.

Geoff nodded at his teammate, then looked at me. “Can I call you later? See how the conversation goes when we’re not in the same location?”

“Yeah. That’ll be okay.”

He smiled, his eyes flicking down to my lips for a moment. He was going to kiss me again. Against my better judgement, I wanted him to. Instead, he squeezed my hand again and stood up, reluctantly releasing me.

“See you later,” he said. Then added, “Love you.”

I stiffened, my eyes widening. Then I remembered we had an audience. The show had to go on. For now.

“Love you back,” I said.

He and Chad departed, leaving just me and Sarah sitting at the table. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, then looked at me.

“I should say how sickingly sweet you two are together,” she said. “But there was a whole lot of tension going on between you.”

I blanched. “You … noticed?”

She nodded. “Yep. But don’t worry, I don’t think anyone else did. The only reason it was clear to me was because I’ve known you for so long. Hard for you to hide your feelings from me, Peej.”

I climbed to my feet, slinging my bag over my shoulder as I picked up my tray. “Yeah, you could say things are not completely smooth with me and Geoff.”

“Is it because of Lee Taylor?”

I shook my head. “No. Because there is nothing going on with Lee Taylor. You know Tabitha was just being Tabitha. She’s not happy unless she’s pissing on someone’s parade.”

She shrugged. “I guess.”

I bumped her with my hip. “You guess?”

Nodding, she picked up her own tray and turned look at me. There was no amusement in her face. No mirth. Just a slightly disappointed expression.

“I guess it all depends on what this big secret is. Something tells me that I’m not really going to like what I hear.”

“But you want to hear it anyway?”

She nodded again. “At least then I will have all the information. I won’t feel like I’m outside of a shared joke anymore.”

“You’re not a joke, Sarah.” I said, staring into her eyes. “You’re my best friend.”

“We’ll see,” she said, then she walked back into the cafeteria.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where Sarah had stood. I had considered making up some sort of lame story to tell her about why I’d been so secretive with Charlie and the rest of the group. However, I was starting to believe that the girl would see through my ruse. She might not call me out on it, but it would certainly change our dynamic.

I wasn’t ready to give up Penny’s best friend just because the truth would make me sound insane. Better to keep a friend and be thought crazy, than to be thought rational and lose one. I’m sure some smart philosopher said that once. Maybe even a Vulcan.

I headed inside the building, ditched my dirty tray, then drifted down the hallway toward my fifth period. I smiled and waved to people, but my thoughts were bouncing around like a tiny ship in the middle of a violent storm. Hurricane Lee, to be exact.

When I passed through the door way, I paused. He was at his seat today, looking down at his phone. My breath hitched in my lungs and the memory of how Geoff’s lips had made me feel receded to a distant point in my mind and hid. It tore at me, knowing that as wonderful as they could be, they would never be on the level as those of the boy who looked up to see me in the entranceway of the classroom, and smiled.

I melted. Seriously melted.

“Trouble finding your seat, Miss Davenport?” Mr. Eastman said, looking over from the whiteboard, a black marker in one hand.

I shook my head, finding my voice. “No, sir,” I replied.

Journeying down the aisle, I looked everywhere except to the guy staring at me. As I passed his desk, I saw his smile widen in my periphery, and the music class next door started up with a drum solo.

Wait, the music room was at the other end of the building. Which meant the percussion sounding in my ears was due to the pounding in my chest. Increased from the norm in tempo, but not yet at the machine-gun beat I feared would be arriving soon.

I should have ditched class, knowing that I wouldn’t.

As I sat down, Lee turned to look at me, his eyes wide and inviting. “I hope there weren’t any further incidents,” he said, arching a brow.

“Incidents?” I asked, trying to follow the line of questioning. The way he was looking at me, though, made that damned near impossible.

“Stumbles,” he said softly. “I hope you didn’t have any more stumbling since the moment after second period.”

“Oh. Uh, no. I didn’t. Thanks.”

He nodded. Then the corner of his mouth curled up just the slightest bit. “That’s good. I would have been upset if there had and I hadn’t been there to catch you again.”

My jaw dropped open, but Mr. Eastman closing the door harder than expected robbed me of an adequate response. Lee’s eyes lingered on mine for just a second longer, then he turned around and faced the front of the class.

“I hope everyone at least completed their assignment,” Mr. Eastman said. “I know Austin can be a little dry in the beginning, but once you get into the work, I’m sure you found it to be rather entertaining.”

He moved to the whiteboard where he’d written two words. “Motivation” and “Result”. He underlined both of them with two quick strokes of the marker.

“Emma, as I’m sure you discovered is motivated by the wedding of her former governess to pursue a new interest. Matchmaking.” He smiled. “She’s decided to be the eHarmony of her little circle of friends.”

A few laughs rang out, making Mr. Eastman grin.

“I’m glad to see that I’m not as much of a dinosaur as my wife likes to tell me. This new hobby leads to a great many problems for Emma and her friends. Which, as you will soon discover, begin to overwhelm her.” He put the cap on the marker and gestured at the class. “I would like you all to pair up and think about how Emma’s actions might be construed or received in today’s society.”

More than a few heads swiveled in my direction at the idea of selecting a partner. However, I beat them all to the punch by reaching out to put my hand on Lee’s shoulder.

“Will you be mine?”

He nodded, grinning as he turned his chair around to face me across the top of my desk. A second later, the rest of the students began to form groups of two as well.

“How much of the book have you read so far?” he asked, glancing down at the text on the table between us.

I reached out and tapped my fingers on the closed cover. “I just started chapter six. It’s a really interesting read.”

He nodded. “It is, isn’t it? I’ve already read it a couple of times, myself. I’m glad Mr. Eastman decided to add it to the syllabus for this year.”

“So, I guess you don’t have to worry about keeping up with the reading assignments then, huh?’

He shrugged one shoulder, sending me a smile that made my heart start fluttering again. “Not really. But I figured I should at least skim it just to refresh my memory.”

I returned the smile, and kept my hand where it rested on top of the book. Just a few inches from his own. I wanted to take it into my own, bring it to my lips, and kiss it from the palm down to his wrist. However, I was pretty sure that would result in a lot of stammering and explaining. On my part.

It was just so easy to talk to him. Even though it had only been a couple of days, it felt like ages since we were together. I missed the way he crinkled his nose when he was thinking about something. The way his tilted his head ever so slightly to the right when he was actively listening to my rambling.

All those little nuances that I had never really noticed. Until they were gone.

Geoff wasn’t a bad guy, really. He’d screwed up and he owned that without shifting any blame. Plus, there was a passion that ignited when we were together. Not that I hadn’t experienced passion with Lee. It was just … different.

Lee was this energizing presence that seemed to plug into me and make me feel safe and secure and important. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I’d fallen for him so easily. Geoff, on the other hand, was a freaking force of nature. A storm that blew in, spun my heart and mind around until they were giddy and dizzy, then blew away. Leaving the wreckage of my psyche behind.

“You okay,” he asked, dipping his head a bit to look into my eyes. “Penny for your thoughts?”

I smiled. “Pun intended?”

He arched a brow, then let out a very soft laugh. “That’s right. Penelope. I guess I’ve heard you called ‘Pee-Jay’ for so long that I completely forgot.”

“It’s okay, I said. “I was just thinking about stuff.”

“Not Jane Austin, I assume?”

I shook my head. “Not this time. Nor Emily Bronte, either.”

“Emily Bronte?” He did that head-tilt thing. “Why her?”

I smiled. “She’s your favorite, right? Out of the three?” I was pretty sure Emily had been the one he mentioned a preference for.

His smile faltered as his eyes narrowed slightly. “How did you know I preferred Emily? I don’t think we’ve ever discussed that. Either in or out of class.”

Crap! Crap! I forgot New Lee didn’t remember the stuff I’d talked to with Old Lee. Now he was going to think I was some kind of creepy stalker chick.

“I … uh … you just seem like an Emily Bronte kind of guy, Lee.” I forced an innocent smile onto my face. “Which is totally understandable.”

His skeptical look never changed. “What does an Emily Bronte kind of guy look like?” he asked.

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. Glancing around, I could see that the others in the class were animatedly discussing the assignment. However, I felt positive that suggesting we do likewise wasn’t going to fly. I’d opened Pandora’s Box of Questions with my stupid non-thinking self. Nothing left to do but throw open the lock and hope it wasn’t a Mimic.

Sighing, I leaned forward. I already had one person who was going to think me a lunatic. Why not toss another log on the fire?

“Lee,” I said in a low whisper. “Do you believe in magic?”