Page 57 of Puck You
“He’s pretending that things are fine, as usual,” I admitted.“I never made a fuss growing up.He’s entirely out of his depths when it comes to dealing with a rebellious teenager.”
“You saved that energy for adulthood, and thank the Lord for that because I was sick of practicing in McKinley,” Caroline said.“I guess, for that, I’d be willing to give your spooky movie a try.”
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Resisting Sebastian quickly became a full-time job, one that he clearly relished.To make matters worse, it seemed as though the universe itself was in cahoots with the gorgeous hockey player.Our coaches were now requiring us to integrate our lifting schedules.It was another push for the teams to bond, despite the fact that everyone was getting along just fine.If Sebastian wasn’t following me around the weight room, begging to be my lifting partner or asking to stretch me out, he was popping up at my favorite study spots and joining me for meals in the dining hall.The man was relentless, and each day, my resistance grew weaker.Even though I knew getting involved with Sebastian was a bad idea, I wanted him—badly.At some point, I was bound to slip up and let a moment between us turn into something physical, so to save myself from the humiliation of giving in to him, I hid.
Everyone had their favorite study spot on campus.For some, it was a particular bench in the quad, if the weather allowed, or a private nook in the campus coffee shop.Mine was a small wooden table between theUs and theVs of the fiction section at Nelson Library.It was rarely visited by other students, which meant I didn’t have to worry about crossing paths with Sebastian, and the height of the table was perfect—not too low and not too tall.Normally, the tranquil atmosphere and musty smell of books eased me into a study trance, but today it was impossible to focus.
After fifteen minutes of struggling to find the right playlist, I finally started making headway on my advanced psychology statistics project.But halfway through developing my directed acyclic graph, a pair of feet appeared in the corner of my eye.Ilet out a long sigh of irritation, pulled off my headphones, and glanced up at the figure hovering over me.No hideout was safe, it seemed.And then, as if the situation couldn’t get worse, my stomach let out a horrifying growl loud enough to shake the building.
“Good thing I found you in time,” Sebastian said, taking a seat across from me and placing a large paper bag on the table.“Your stomach sounds like it’s about to start eating itself.”He reached into the bag and pulled out a salad container, an apple, and a protein bar.
My stomach let out another clamorous groan.
“You should eat,” he said, shoving the food closer to me.“We’ll get a noise complaint if your stomach keeps making those awful noises.”
“We’ll get a complaint if someone sees this food.There’s no eating in the library,” I hissed.
“Then you should eat fast.It’s not a good idea to study on an empty stomach.Trust me.”
Sebastian wasted no time in making himself comfortable, reaching into his bag and pulling out his study materials.I was still gaping at him, my mouth parted in disbelief, when he glanced up from his computer screen.
“Good, you’re halfway there.Now you just need to put the food in your mouth.”
My mouth snapped shut.“What are you doing here?Why are you bringing me lunch?”
“You weren’t in the dining hall.Caroline said you might be here, and I figured you’d be hungry since you skipped lunch.”
Of course, I thought.This was Caroline’s doing, no doubt her way of punishing me after Lydia and I had forced her towatchHereditary.I was impressed that she’d made it through the full movie, even with her childhood blanket covering her face for the entire thing.
“Is it poisoned?”I glanced down at the salad skeptically.
“Would a fracquaintance do something like that?”
I let out a long sigh of irritation.“You can stop referencing that made-up word now.It was embarrassing enough that I said it in the first place.”
“I like it better than ‘frenemies.’Plus, there’s nothing wrong with inventing new words.Shakespeare did it all the time.”
Before I knew it, my lips twitched into a half smile.Sebastian looked far too pleased with himself.
“Please just eat.I’ll take a few bites if it will make you feel better.”
Slowly, I opened the plastic container of salad, fished out the packet of dressing, and poured it over the top.I could feel Sebastian watching me as I mixed it all together and took my first bite.His gaze lowered, dropping to my mouth as I slowly chewed and swallowed.A wicked thought crossed my mind.Without considering the consequences, I brought the fork to my lips and licked off the remaining salad dressing.Sebastian’s jaw ticked.After a moment of tense silence, he spoke.
“See, I told you it’s more fun to play than pretend,” he said in a low, gravelly voice, one that sent a shiver of warmth through me.
I ignored the signals my body was sending and gave him my best look of innocence.“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Sebastian studied me as I tucked in to the rest of the salad.I wouldn’t admit it, but I was grateful for the food.He eventuallymade himself busy, shifting back and forth between his notebookand computer.Scribble.Type.Scribble.Type.It was impossible to focus on anything other than him when he was in such close proximity.
“Why are youreallyhere?”I asked, unable to stop from voicing my thoughts.“I’m not buying the nice act.”
“Nice act?”
He even played at looking offended.
“Bringing me lunch.Being sweet.”
