I smile and press my back against the wall, trying to put some space between us. The smell of some kind of air freshener from the bathroom rises up into my nose briefly. I don’t like it. I’d rather be smelling Luke.
“Work excitement and vacation excitement are two entirely different things,” I say.
He squeezes his lips in thought, nodding in agreement. “Well, I’m glad you’re having a good time,” he says.
It gets quiet then and a moment lingers between us as we just stand there in the hallway, together and alone. It feels more like we’re quietly feeling out the other, wanting to try the one thing we’re both afraid it’s too soon for. We both know it. We can both see it in the other’s eyes—I want him to kiss me and he wants to oblige, but neither of us is willing to go that far yet. But the attraction is undeniable. Yes, I want him to kiss me. My skin tingles beneath the surface with his closeness and I can’t stand it. I mean I can. I quite like it. But I can’t believe the effect Luke is having on me so soon. He’s like a magnet and I can’t pull away from the attraction fast enough.
I look at the bathroom door, stirring the silence, and say, “Well, I need to … go in.”
He nods, his eyes softening as he steps away.
“I’ll be outside waiting for you,” he says. “And remember what I said about Kendra, all right?”
“All right.” I smile and slip inside the restroom. The second the door closes behind me, I let out my breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Luke
Kendra is on my ass the second I walk back outside and sit down with my food, as I knew she’d be.
“What are you doing, Luke?”
“Leave it alone, Ken-doll—”
“Don’t call me that,” she snaps. “Seriously, what’s going on with you?”
“Jesus, Kendra, leave the guy alone,” Seth says as he walks by with a hot brunette latched to his side. “I’ll see yah later, man. I’m heading back to the house.” He squeezes the girl’s waist and pulls her closer, his way of telling me she’s going back with him.
I wave him on and swallow down a bite of burger. “All right. I’ll see yah later—hey, leave the pizza in the fridge alone!”
He nods and slips around the side of the house.
Kendra hasn’t taken her hardened gaze off me long enough to blink. Finally I look right at her, because she’s starting to piss me off, and I say, “You really need to back off. I’m not joking, Kendra; I love you and all, but last time I checked, your name wasn’t on my birth certificate.” I take another bite.
Her small face falls under wounded wrinkles, and instantly I feel like an asshole. Shaking her head, she spears her fork angrily into her potato salad and moves it around to keep from looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “Look, she’s only gonna be here for two weeks. I don’t see her getting involved with me knowing she can’t stay here.”
Kendra looks up.
“What about the other way around?” she asks with accusation in her voice.
She got me on that one, I can’t deny … to myself, anyway; to Kendra is another story.
“I’m not going to get involved,” I tell her. “And even if I did—damn, Kendra, it’s none of your business.”
She looks hurt again, but this time I don’t relent.
“Well, it’s the truth,” I go on. “And what makes you think I haven’t decided to turn to the Seth side and I’m not just taking her home for a night?” That felt odd and sour coming out of my mouth. Because it couldn’t be further from the truth, but I don’t know what else to say to get Kendra off my case.
She guffaws, catching me off guard, and then drops her head and says, “Yeah right. You’re not cut out for the Seth side. Not anymore anyway. And that girl isn’t the one-night-stand type, and you know it.”
I look away and poke at my food.