When class was over, I gathered my things, shoved them in my bag, and said a silent prayer of thanks that calculus didn’t include any labs for Xavier to worm his way into. I reached for the strap on my book bag when he snatched it away from me and threw it over his shoulder.
Oh. This. Is. Not. Good.
“I got it.” I reached for my bag.
“No, that’s okay. Chay isn’t here to carry it for you.”
“Yes, he is.” Chay flicked the strap off Xavier’s shoulder and caught it against his palm. “I got it. Thanks for keeping my seat warm.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Oh, crap, crap, crap.
“Did I do something wrong?” Xavier looked at me.
You know you did, ass wipe.
“Nope,” I lied. “Everything’s great.” I followed Chay and prayed he wasn’t as upset as he’d seemed.
He wasn’t. He was more.
“How could you…” He looked up and saw Xavier leave the classroom. Chay put his hand on the small of my back and guided me away from the door. “How could you let him sit next to you?”
“You weren’t there and since he didn’t have a partner, he asked if we could do the lab together. I didn’t know how to get out of it.”
“There are two letters of the alphabet that would have gotten you out of the situation if you’d really wanted to—N and O.”
“That’s not fair, Chay.”
“Life isn’t fair.”
“No kidding? No one’s ever explained that to me before. I mean, it’s not like I’ve had anything bad happen in my life or anything.” Yeah, I was going for sarcastic, but Chay was too mad to catch it. It was a wasted effort.
“I can’t believe as soon as I wasn’t around… Xavier of all people.”
“It’s not like we shacked up or something. Geez, get a reality check. We just did a freakin’ chem lab together while you were gone.” I brushed past him and headed toward calculus.
“Do you realize we’ve fought more since Xavier’s been around than we have in the entire four months we’ve been dating? Why do you think that is?” he snapped.
“You’re jealous,” I answered calmly.
“Like hell.”
“Whatever, Chay.” He started to say something, and I put my palm in front of his face. “Stop. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Milayna.” He pulled me to him and tried to kiss me. I turned my head. “Damn it. See, that’s what I mean.” He let go of me so abruptly, I stumbled backward.
“Give me my bag.” I reached out and yanked it off his arm. “I don’t want to talk to you until you get it together, Chay. There’s nothing between Xavier and me. Never has been, never will be. And you know why? Because I’m in love with you. Although, for the love of all that’s holy, I can’t figure out why sometimes.” I turned and tried to walk—not run screaming like I wanted—down the hall, leaving him standing in front of chemistry class.
I walked into calculus a few minutes later, just before the bell rang. Chay wasn’t in his seat.
“Everything okay?” Xavier asked when I walked by his seat.
“Peachy.”
“You need a ride home?”
I froze. Looking at him over my shoulder, I said, “No, but I’d ask Muriel before I’d come to you.” I heard Chay’s faint chuckle and turned. He stood a few seats away, listening. I rolled my eyes.
***
“So let me get this straight—you have two guys fighting over you, and I have zero, zip, zilch, nada, none. Right?” Jen asked in history class later that morning.
“You can have Xavier.” I made a face and doodled on my notebook.
She bit the end of her pencil and studied me for a few seconds before shrugging. “Okay, I’ll take him off your hands.”
I laughed. “Okay, you do that. I’d be eternally grateful.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” I looked up from my scribbling.
“Why are you picking Chay over Xavier? He seems like a nice guy, and Chay can be so… moody sometimes.”
“First, I love Chay. And second, you don’t know him like I do. He’s not moody when we’re together. He’s sweet and even a little romantic, but don’t tell him I said so. It would ruin the dark and brooding reputation he’s worked so hard to maintain.”
Jen laughed and shook her head. “Whatever gets you off, Milayna. I’ll take the hottie.”
When class was over, Jen and I walked into the hallway. It was already full of students pushing and shoving their way to class. I turned the corner to my locker and came face-to-face with Chay.
“What are you doing here? I told you after calculus that I’d see you at lunch. Jen and I can walk together.”
He’s almost impossible to deal with some days.
He didn’t answer me. Well, not with words anyway. He reached out and lifted the strap of my bag off my shoulder with two fingers, letting it fall with a thud on the floor. Hitching his finger in one of the belt loops on my jeans, he pulled me to him. I flattened my palm on his chest—a very hard, very defined chest—my other hand gripped his arm, another well-defined part of his body. He threaded the fingers of one hand through my hair, undoing the clip that held it in place and letting it fall down my back.
He bent his head and touched his lips to mine; his mouth moved in a slow, sensual caress, building in intensity as the kiss continued. I sighed, leaning into the kiss.