Page 48 of Tangled Up In You
It sounded like freaking Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted in the hall or something by the squealing girls. It didn’t take much thought to put two and two together.
Leaving the computer lab, I saw a thick crowd of students gathered around the main office. Corbin was smack dab in the center, towering over most of them, with the exception of the taller guys. He grinned and talked to them, juggling a sack of something in one hand while signing things with his other.
“Kids, give the man some breathing room,” Manuel, the principal, said to all the students. He’d been the principal when Corbin and I had gone to school too, and he’d given both of us detention more times than I could count. “Go to the cafeteria for lunch. I’m sure Mr. Taylor will stick around for a while.”
A few students left, but the majority of them continued to talk to Corbin—who didn’t seem to mind. Daniel and Joel were amongst the crowd of kids, and I watched their faces light up as Corbin explained something to them.
We made eye contact as I approached. Even with all the people around—and in between—us, it felt like we were the only people in the hallway.
He said something to the kids before patting them on the backs, walking toward me. He had a sticker stuck to the front of his shirt that readvisitor, and I inwardly laughed.
As if anyone would mistake him for anything else.
“Hey,” Corbin said once in front of me and held up the bag. “I brought us lunch. I hope you still like Thai food.”
I was aware of all the eyes on us, so I didn’t pull him in for a hug like I wanted to do. Yeah, friends hugged, but I didn’t want to chance anything. For his sake. Most of my students didn’t even know he’d been my best friend in school, so a lot of them gawked.
“I do,” I answered. More students gathered around, clearly not aware of the phrasepersonal space. “Uh, we can eat in the teacher’s lounge.”
“Cool. Lead the way, Mr. Walsh.”
Corbin winked, and I rolled my eyes. We turned and started walking to the lounge. Principal Lopez repeated to the students to go to the cafeteria, and grumbling followed his demand.
“You know you’re gonna have to visit with them some after lunch,” I said as we walked down the hall. “Otherwise there’s going to be some depressed kids. It’s not every day their idol shows up at school.”
“Yeah, I planned on it,” he replied with a kind smile. “It’s still weird to be looked up to like that. Like I’m some kind of hero.”
He looked too handsome: that movie star smile and chiseled face. But it was more the softness in his gray eyes that warmed me from the inside out.
“To a lot of them, that’s exactly what you are,” I said, opening the door to the teacher’s lounge.
The lounge wasn’t that big, but there were a few small tables, a coffee maker, and a copying machine. There was no one else in there, and I was thankful that we’d have privacy. We sat at the table near the window and unpacked the food. He placed a white takeout container in front of me before taking out his.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve had Thai,” I said before opening the lid. The smell of the chicken fried rice made my stomach growl. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He took a bite of his chicken lo mein and stared out the window as he chewed. “Lunch isn’t the only reason I wanted to see you.”
“Oh?” A weird feeling settled in my gut.
His gray eyes moved to mine. “I need to know what you want, Hunter. Last night was amazing and was the happiest I’ve been in a long time. But if you don’t want this…if you don’t want me…please tell me. Because I can’t just do the casual thing with you. I love you too goddamn much for that.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t that hungry anymore.
“Do we have to figure it all out right now?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was all I could give him. “I know I said this morning that we needed to talk, but I’ve been doing some thinking of my own. You’re the one who said not to think too much about the future and to just live in the moment. Can’t we just see where it goes?”
Seconds passed—maybe minutes—before he nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re right.”
We ate in silence, and he seemed sadder than he’d been earlier. I couldn’t blame him for wanting answers—I wanted them as well. I just didn’t want to jeopardize what little time we had together by arguing.
“Cor?” I asked, and he looked up at me. “I love you too by the way. I’m not sure what the future holds for us, but what Idoknow is that I want you. That’s all that matters to me right now.”
Corbin smiled and reached across the table, placing his hand on mine. When someone opened the door, he jerked away, though. It was a reminder that he still wasn’t out, and even though I shouldn’t have been, I was a little hurt by it.
Christina, the math teacher, looked at us with wide eyes before smiling and saying hi. I returned her smile, hoping I didn’t seem rude by not chatting with her. We were great friends and normally sat together at lunch. She heated up a bowl of soup before leaving the lounge. Once she was gone, Corbin and I made small talk as we finished eating.
I told him about my parents and how they wanted him to come into the diner again sometime. They’d said he’d come in there several times after Bill’s funeral to see them, but it’d been a while since he had.
