Page 24 of Waiting Forever
“Ready to go?” he asks.
My response is a heavy sigh.
“That bad, huh?” He sits up, his expression sympathetic.
“It’s not that. Well, it is a little. I walked here, and while six minutes doesn’t seem like much, on brick roads, these shoes are a bitch.” I lift my foot.
“Sneakers?” He cocks his head to the side, his blue eyes confused.
“Decorative sneakers. They’re more of a fashion statement.”
He gives my unstylistic baggy T-shirt and leggings a once-over.
“I wasn’t paying attention when I grabbed my shoes from my closet this morning,” I explain. “I was running late and snatched the closest pair, thinking they were my workout sneakers.” Not the designer lace-up platforms Mom bought me for my birthday. “My heel has a blister from walking in them so much.” Now that I’m thinking about it, it hurts even worse.
“Lucky for you, my car is parked at Starbucks. I’ll go get it and pick you up in the lot over there.” He points to the right. “If you walked here in six minutes, you can’t live far.”
“I want to say I cannot let you get your car and pick me up, but my blister really burns, so I’m going to accept your offer without complaint and promise to return the favor in some way that I am unable to think of at this moment.”
Azure laughs, the sound mellow but genuine. “You’re funny. And it’s no problem.” He stands and stretches his arms over his head. “I’m tall so it doesn’t take long for me to get places, and blisters can truly suck. I broke in a pair of slip-ons one summer in Germany, and I have a scar on my heel to prove it.”
I glance at his foot, even though I have no idea which one is scarred. “From a blister?”
He nods. “It was awful, so I get it. Sit tight. I’ll be back in a minute.” He jogs off in the direction from which we came but pauses to shout over his shoulder. “Look for an orange Mustang.”
Orange.Flashy color for a guy who is white and black all over, except for his blue eyes.
Am I doing the right thing, accepting a ride home from him?
“When in doubt, trust your gut.”Mom’s voice flits through my head.
My gut says Azure is harmless and has the potential to be a good friend. My blister agrees.
I lean back and smile for the first time today. The world is a strange place. Of all the things I imagined would happen today, fleeing Nathan’s house to a Starbucks and making a new friend wasn’t one of them. At least something good came from the horrific rompfest I stumbled upon earlier. I can only hope Harper’s dramatic porn-star moaning doesn’t haunt my dreams.
11
Kensington – a.k.a. Cerise
AZURE PULLS HIS Mustang to the curb outside of Nathan’s driveway. I love the bright-orange color. His mom bought it for him when he started college. It’s not new but it’s in excellent condition and clean.
“This is your friend Nathan’s house?” Azure takes in the long front yard and driveway. The house sits back near the lake and has a New England or Cape Cod style to it, like something you’d see in Rhode Island. A covered porch shelters rocking chairs and the front door. The left side of the house is mostly garages. Four of them.
“Yep.” I stare at the driveway. Harper’s car is gone, but so is Nathan’s, which could mean two things: they both left, or both their cars are parked in the garage. Not helpful. How will I know if they’re in his room?
They can’t still be going at it, but maybe they could have started up again after a break. I hate that his sex life is back in my head, swarming my brain.
My shoulders tighten with a mound of stress. Time to deal with this, whether Nathan is or isn’t home.
I draw in a breath and release it. “Thanks for the ride and the tour of the campus. I feel much better about my first day.”
Azure studies my face. “You don’t look like you feel better.”
“I’m frowning for other reasons.” I get my phone to read Nathan’s earlier text, hoping it’s a message that he’s left the house with Harper. Instead, I find several missed texts from him. Maybe I shouldn’t have turned my phone to Silent.
I read each one. He’s in a panic, wondering where I am, why I left, why I’m not responding to him. The last one he sent says if I don’t reply he’s contacting my parents.
That was thirty minutes ago. Shit.
