Page 51 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
Kaleb pays for our order, and we step off to the side and wait. I lean my back against the wall, and Kaleb faces me. He places his hand above me and leans in. OMG, he’s going to kiss me again, and very much in public. Part of me wants to protest, thinking it’s too much, but the majority of me enjoys it far too much to say no.
He kisses me softly, and my chest lifts up toward him as I will myself to breathe. You’d think I’d be self-conscious about all of those people watching, but yet again, the world melts away and it’s just us.
The guy behind the counter calls out, “Root beer, coke, and fries!”
Kaleb pulls away, and as stunned as he looks, I wonder if he got caught up in it as much as I did. Again, that little “fake” word roars in my brain, but this time I tell it to shut up. I want to forget about the plan. If only just tonight, I’m letting it go. Tonight, he’s my boyfriend and I’m his girlfriend. I’ll deal with the wreckage later.
“I’ll get it,” he says, walking toward the counter.
I instinctively bring my hand up to my heart after he’s gone. Looking around, I see a few people looking at me, and then they quickly look away.
Kaleb returns with a tray in one hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah, what do you mean?”
A smile creeps across his lips. “You look nervous.”
I’m not nervous. Much. “I’m not,” I say and take a deep breath.
He leads us outside, and there’s conveniently an empty table with two chairs just where the patio meets the sand.
“Go snag that table,” he says. “I’ll get some napkins.”
“Okay.”
Sitting down at the table, I look up at the colorful lights strung along the trellis. I didn’t realize The Hut had such a nice atmosphere. Off in the distance, I hear people laughing and screaming as they dive and play in the ocean.
A feeling comes over me that I can’t quite put my finger on. Contentment? Happiness? Then I realize what it is. For the first time in my life, I feel alive and free.
Before I get too wrapped up in my thoughts, Kaleb returns and places the tray on the table. “Not bad, huh?” He seats himself and grabs a French fry from the plastic basket.
“I didn’t realize this place is so cool. I thought there’d be Harleys parked out front or something.”
“Nah, that’s just the rumor we spread about The Hut so that nerds won’t come.” Kaleb takes a packet of ketchup and opens it with his teeth.
“Are you calling me a nerd?”
He squirts the ketchup onto a napkin and narrows his gaze. “You’re the most notorious nerd Port Crest has ever known.”
I put my hand to my heart in mock shock and laugh. “Maybe you should have more nerds in your life. They’d be a good influence on you.”
Kaleb leans in to whisper in my ear. “I’d rather it was just you.”
With a playful push on his shoulder, I laugh off the statement. “Stop that. I know you’re pretending.”
Kaleb clears his throat and leans back in his chair. “What if I’m not?”
Here’s that moment again where everything comes to a halt. My eyes go wide. Did he really mean what he said? “Now you’re really messing with me.”
His eyes lock with mine. “What if I’m not?”
Can I even have this conversation right now? I don’t know what to believe. “Then I’d say we’re in some serious trouble.”
Kaleb’s gaze bores into mine until that Cheshire grin comes to his soft lips. “I’m teasing you.”
I finally exhale for the first time in, like, five minutes. “I knew it.”
Kaleb speaks flatly. “Can’t get one past you.”
