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I brought runted and releasedto the door, I heard Erin’s cheerleader-voice rising over everyone else’s She bounded across the roo me when I reached the safety zone, and over her shoulder, I watched Lucas’s expression He’d reear and combed his sweaty hair back, so I could clearly see his face, and the familiar barely-there smile

Lucas: You did well this

Me: Yeah?

Lucas: Yeah

Me: Thanks

Lucas: Coffee sunday? Pick you up around 3?

Me: Sure :)

Saturday night’s perfor me until I was in athering, but was due back soon The entire dor out about--finals, enjoying the last full weekend before break, or well past ready to go home The voices in the hall alternated between pre-finals tension and pre-holiday exciteh the wall opposite ers moved with it Occasionally, the fact that I played the bass would coined an electric instrue band Lucas lookedinto his eyes, s the full curve of his bottom lip, not to mention the tattoos and lean, definedfrom a thin t-shirt Or no t-shirt

Oh, God Never Getting To Sleep

My phone beeped and displayed ato Chaz May be late You ok?

Me: I’ood YOU ok?

Erin: Confused Maybe I’d feel better if I just kicked him

Me: NUTSACK!!!!!!!!!

Erin: Exactly

"Those people are crazy" Knees pulled to my chest, I cuddled close to Lucas as he sketched a couple of kayaks out on the lake "It’s got to be even colder out there on the water than it is sitting here"

He smiled and reached behind me to pull my coat’s hood up over the wool and cash "You think this is cold?" He crooked an eyebrow at ers tothat coht before they drill a tooth "My nose is nue teht you were fro, he stuck his pencil above his ear, under his cap, closed the sketchpad and laid it on the bench "Yeah, it’s definitely warrew up I’m not sure you could survive a winter in Alexandria if you’re this e, punching hi unable to block the blow

"Ow, jeez--I take it back! You’re tough as nails" He turned and slid his ar me with that full smile "Total badass"

Between his proximity in the physical sense, and his embrace in the e my eyes "I throw a mean hammer-fist," I mumbled into his hoodie His leather jacket lay folded on the bench next to the sketchbook He’d insisted it wasn’t cold enough to need it, except on theer "You do I’m actually a little scared of you"

Our faces were inches apart, his breathwith mine in one evaporative cloud between us "I don’t want you to be scared of hthat, I wanted hiuilt escalate, threatening to spill out in one irrevocable confession As if I’d made that request aloud, he lowered his head and kissed me softly

Chapter 24

Most people would take off as soon as they handed in the last final Erin was leaving on Saturday, but I was staying because my favorite ht--he’d made first chair, and wanted to show off We were required to vacate the dor hoie, Erin and I met in the library to study for our last astronoie flopped face-down onto her open textbook with a drah… If we don’t take a break fro to be a black hole"

Erin said nothing, and when I looked at her, she was checking her phone, scrolling through a text, and then replying She hit send and noticed I was looking at her

"Huh?" Her brown eyes were a little wide "U turns keeping an eye on Buck Making sure he doesn’t leave the house"

"I thought eren’t talking to Chaz," Maggie e ere reviewing

Erin’s eyes landed anywhere but mine, and I knew she’d abandoned that plan I decided to let her fidget a little longer before I let her off the hook I’d always liked Chaz and could only fault him so much I wouldn’t want to believemy phone, I reread the texts I’d sent Lucas earlier, and his replies

Me: Econ final: PWNED

Lucas: All because of uy

Lucas: ;)

Me: My brain hurts I have three more exams