Page 71 of Lines

“To Andrew’s party,” I repeat, my leg nervously bouncing under the table. “With me.”

“Together?” She frowns. “Like on a date?”

I can feel the curious looks the guys shoot our way when the D-word was spoken out loud. They make me almost as uncomfortable as that word.

Date.

I’ve never been on a date. I usually hook up with girls at parties or after school or something. I never take them on dates. I never introduce them officially to my friends—everybody knows everybody around here so it would be pointless, but still—I never invite them to join us or come and hang with them like I just did with Amelia. I never took a girl to meet my parents.

But Amelia looks like the type of girl who wants to go out on a date, not just to screw around on a backseat of guy’s car or in one of the bedrooms at the party.

“Yeah, like on a d-date.” The word gets stuck in my throat but I force it out. “We could go eat before or something…” I let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, hoping she’ll save me with some idea.

Girls like this kind of shit right?

Amelia’s cheeks blush under my stare, and she lowers her eyes before timidly looking at me under her eyelashes. It’s the first time I notice how long they are. She put some of that makeup stuff on it because they are black and not pale like her hair and brows, but it makes her eyes stick out more.

“E-eating sounds good,” she stutters before returning her eyes to the plate in front of her.

“Okay,” I agree, a smug grin forming on my lips.

For the rest of the lunch, we don’t say another word to each other. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I see her lower her hand under the table. I lift my hand off my knee and find hers. From the corner of my eye, I see her blush, but she doesn’t say anything. She simply continues her discussion with Brook as I link my fingers with hers.

I may be a douchebag sometimes, but this time I did something right. And it actually feels good.

Because she smiled.

Amelia Campbell smiled for me.

* * *

“So…” I glance at her stiff form on my passenger seat before returning my attention to the road. “Did something interesting happen while we were gone?”

I should probably pay more attention to what I’m doing or we are going to crash, but she is so pretty I can’t keep my eyes off her. More than pretty.

Beautiful.

Breathtaking.

When I saw her enter the living room back at her house all I could do was stare at her, my mouth hanging open. I wouldn’t be surprised if her Dad gave me a towel to wipe drool coming down my chin, that’s how stunned I was.

Her hair was down, but it wasn’t her usual sexy mess, no. Strawberry blond strands were curled and bouncing off her shoulders. Light, shimmery color is brushed on her eyelids, and those black lashes made her brown eyes warmer and bigger. Her pouty lips are shiny from the lip gloss, tempting me to come and kiss them.

To taste those full lips. To inhale her sweet scent.

I want to kiss her so badly and find out how she tastes. Strawberries or maybe cherries?

She wore a black, long sleeved dress filled with colorful flowers that reached a little bit above her knees and black ankle boots. In comparison with other girls, she was being modest, but looking at that pale skin made my mouth water and fingers itch to touch it and find out if they feel as soft as they look.

“Are you even listening to me?” Her exasperated tone brings me back to the car cabin.

“Sorry, I got lost for a bit,” I murmur, glancing at her again. “What were you saying?”

She sighs, nervously playing with her fingers that are in her lap. “How was the game?”

“It was good.” I shrug pulling in the parking lot in front of Charlie’s. “We won.”

“You say it like it was a sure thing.”

---