Page 62 of Class Clown

“Does Nico play any instruments?” Gina asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I shook my head. “All I’ve seen him do is basic grooming, work around the camp, and his daily exercises.”

They both leaned forward to look me dead in the face.

“You get to watch him exercise every day?” Gina asked.

“Exactly how big are his biceps?” Kristy grabbed mine and squeezed.

I hid a smile. “He does it before I get out of bed, but it takes a long time. I think he’s pretty thorough in working all the muscle groups. Some mornings he goes out for a jog.”

Kristy threw her hands up and looked to Gina. “This is the information you were supposed to be passing along. I jog. I could have met up with him accidentally.”

Gina shook her head. “It’s a tragedy, the way she has failed us.”

I snickered. “Sorry pals.”

As the two girls launched into a catalog of his physical attributes, I forced an insincere smile and moved around in my seat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with this topic. Old Ruby would have been the first to sneak peeks at Nico because she loved a good view. I’d usually be the one bringing the pom-poms to the gun show, but I wasn’t sure what I thought now. Nico was so much more than how he looked. And maybe I was only now figuring that out because I’d taken the time to push at his walls until he’d shown me what was behind them. He was not an emotionless robot.

A pang of guilt shattered my fake smile and I hurried to change the subject. “So these guys, do they play for people like this often?”

“Not often. Just whenever the opportunity presents itself,” Kristy answered lightly. “This weekend people were sticking around, so the guys agreed to play for us.”

I couldn’t pull my stubborn thoughts away from Nico. I was already sweating behind my knees at the memory of my clean sheets and delicious teas, and his serious expressions over the chess board, his hair hanging over his forehead as he looked down at the pieces and thought over his next move.

I’d fight a honey badger in the wilderness to know what was happening in his head. There was no way the man had cared for me when I was sick and kissed me on the forehead only a few days ago. He hadn’t attempted any more affection since then, and I guessed that he thought everything was chill between us.

I had zero chill.

“Girls, question.” I interrupted their chatter, and gave them an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Forehead kisses. What do they mean?”

Gina tapped her lips with her fingertips. “Okay, so I’ve thought a lot about this and it really depends on who it’s from. A family member, it’s totally just a sweet affection. A guy friend, he cares about me. A guy I’m dating, he feels mushy and sweet in that moment.” She nodded.

Kristy thoughtfully pulled at her lips. “I think it basically means ‘I want to kiss you properly, but I can’t yet’. Forehead kisses are significant.”

That wasn’t helping me at all, because in romance novels, forehead kisses were a precursor tobaby, I will love you forever.

They looked to me and my lips twisted. “So, let’s say you’ve known someone for a while, but there hasn’t really been much of a relationship there, and then they kiss you on the forehead one day. What does that mean?”

Because, friends, Nico did not give off affectionate, mushy, and sweet vibes. He gave off precise, orderly, logical vibes. His lips touching my forehead was the equivalent of a bomb going off. My confusion and over-thinking were valid reactions.

“Why? Did that happen to you?” Gina asked. Naturally she asked. Who wouldn’t have?

I shook my head and managed a light laugh. “No. I was reading one of my romance books last night and had to go to sleep, but at the end of thechapter the guy she’s kind of falling for kissed her on the forehead. And I wondered how other people interpret that.”

“It’s a move,” Kristy replied with confidence. “In the next few chapters, you’ll see them getting together.”

Gina’s gaze was thoughtful, and I held her eyes, sort of afraid that she might see the truth. She gave a tiny nod and looked down at her feet.

“Well,” she said, casually smoothing her hands over her bare knees, “all I know is that a forehead kiss is only a thing if you make it one. If it ever happened to me, I’d not worry about it. Maybe something happens, maybe nothing does. Either way, it was probably a nice experience.”

I couldn’t decide if she was being nice or blowing it off because she still liked Nico, but regardless, I let that sink in. I could be cool. There was no reason this had to be an issue. Nico had felt affectionate for his friend’s sister in a moment of her vulnerability, and he’d expressed that in a simple way.

Such a buddy.

I felt a warm body slide in next to me and looked to my side to see Nico’s dark, smiling eyes looking back at me. Hoping like crazy he hadn’t overheard what I’d been discussing with Gina and Kristy, I offered him a welcoming grin.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” he asked, his shoulder pressing against mine.

---