Read Online 4 Waxing & Waning by Amanda M. Lee - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amanda M. Lee
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some of the same personality defects.”
“Which are?”
“Lurking.”
“I don’t lurk.”
“Oh, you’re the definition of a lurker,” I scoffed. “You’re also a busybody. You have that in common with my mother.”
“And I suppose you think your personality is flawless,” Rafael challenged.
“Oh, no, I’m very self-aware,” I said. “I’m bossy. I’m mean. I’m sarcastic. I have the attention span of a gnat. I’m narcissistic. I’m easily bored. I take out my frustrations on others. Oh, and I’m prone to fits of unrepentant anger.”
Rafael smirked. “You are definitely self-aware.”
The smile I sent him back was small, but heartfelt. “What are you doing out here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Because I had a feeling you were in danger,” Rafael said.
The smile slid off of my face. “No you didn’t.”
“I did.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You came to find me because you wanted to find me. Let’s not start the night out with any lies or half-truths.”
Rafael cocked his head to the side, considering. “Perhaps I wanted to see you,” he conceded.
“Next time? Just be honest.”
“I’ll consider it,” Rafael said. “If you consider telling me the truth.”
“What truth am I not telling?”
“What were you doing outside of the Alpha Chi house with the long-haired hippie this evening?”
I snorted. “First off, no one uses the word ‘hippie’ anymore. You’re dating yourself when you say stuff like that. Second, I need you to stop following me. It’s creepy, and I hate feeling smothered.”
“You feel like I smother you?”
“You have your moments.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’ll stop following you,” Rafael said, holding up a finger to temper my immediate reaction. “If you make an effort to tell me the truth.”
“Fine.”
“It’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal,” I agreed. “What do you want to know?”
“You haven’t told me much about your time with the Academy,” he said. “How are things going?”
“If you wanted to know, why didn’t you ask?”
“Because I thought you would tell me when you were ready,” Rafael said. “I believe things happen in their own time.”
“So, you just waited?” I wasn’t used to patient men.
“I bided my time,” he clarified.
“They’ve kept me out of classrooms,” I said. “I’m not sure why. Part of me thinks it’s because Blake thinks I’m not smart enough to grasp what they’re teaching there.”
“And the other part of you?”
“They’re teaching things there they don’t want me to see.”
“You don’t think he trusts you,” Rafael mused. “That’s an interesting turn of events. You don’t trust him, and now he doesn’t trust you.”
“I don’t think he ever trusted me,” I said. “He just wants to study me.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Rafael said, shifting so he could lean against a tree. “Have you given him anything to study?”
“Nope.”
“So, what have you been doing?”
“Physical drills,” I said. “They’ve been training me to fight. Getting me in shape for … something.”
“And what do you think that something is?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “Once I know, then I’ll be able to form a plan of action.”
“And your spying mission at the Alpha Chi house this evening?”
“He ordered it,” I said. “I wasn’t going to do it at first, but then I decided it was the lesser of two evils.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that I’m going to have to go out on some sort of mission eventually,” I said. “I might as well at least make it look like I’m cooperating.”
“Aren’t you? Cooperating, I mean.”
“To some extent.”
“So, you still don’t trust him either.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” I replied.
“Not even me?”
I shrugged. “I trust you as much as I trust anyone.”
“I guess I can’t ask for more.”
“Not now, no.”
Rafael nodded. “And you’re out walking now
“Which are?”
“Lurking.”
“I don’t lurk.”
“Oh, you’re the definition of a lurker,” I scoffed. “You’re also a busybody. You have that in common with my mother.”
“And I suppose you think your personality is flawless,” Rafael challenged.
“Oh, no, I’m very self-aware,” I said. “I’m bossy. I’m mean. I’m sarcastic. I have the attention span of a gnat. I’m narcissistic. I’m easily bored. I take out my frustrations on others. Oh, and I’m prone to fits of unrepentant anger.”
Rafael smirked. “You are definitely self-aware.”
The smile I sent him back was small, but heartfelt. “What are you doing out here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Because I had a feeling you were in danger,” Rafael said.
The smile slid off of my face. “No you didn’t.”
“I did.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You came to find me because you wanted to find me. Let’s not start the night out with any lies or half-truths.”
Rafael cocked his head to the side, considering. “Perhaps I wanted to see you,” he conceded.
“Next time? Just be honest.”
“I’ll consider it,” Rafael said. “If you consider telling me the truth.”
“What truth am I not telling?”
“What were you doing outside of the Alpha Chi house with the long-haired hippie this evening?”
I snorted. “First off, no one uses the word ‘hippie’ anymore. You’re dating yourself when you say stuff like that. Second, I need you to stop following me. It’s creepy, and I hate feeling smothered.”
“You feel like I smother you?”
“You have your moments.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’ll stop following you,” Rafael said, holding up a finger to temper my immediate reaction. “If you make an effort to tell me the truth.”
“Fine.”
“It’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal,” I agreed. “What do you want to know?”
“You haven’t told me much about your time with the Academy,” he said. “How are things going?”
“If you wanted to know, why didn’t you ask?”
“Because I thought you would tell me when you were ready,” Rafael said. “I believe things happen in their own time.”
“So, you just waited?” I wasn’t used to patient men.
“I bided my time,” he clarified.
“They’ve kept me out of classrooms,” I said. “I’m not sure why. Part of me thinks it’s because Blake thinks I’m not smart enough to grasp what they’re teaching there.”
“And the other part of you?”
“They’re teaching things there they don’t want me to see.”
“You don’t think he trusts you,” Rafael mused. “That’s an interesting turn of events. You don’t trust him, and now he doesn’t trust you.”
“I don’t think he ever trusted me,” I said. “He just wants to study me.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Rafael said, shifting so he could lean against a tree. “Have you given him anything to study?”
“Nope.”
“So, what have you been doing?”
“Physical drills,” I said. “They’ve been training me to fight. Getting me in shape for … something.”
“And what do you think that something is?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “Once I know, then I’ll be able to form a plan of action.”
“And your spying mission at the Alpha Chi house this evening?”
“He ordered it,” I said. “I wasn’t going to do it at first, but then I decided it was the lesser of two evils.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that I’m going to have to go out on some sort of mission eventually,” I said. “I might as well at least make it look like I’m cooperating.”
“Aren’t you? Cooperating, I mean.”
“To some extent.”
“So, you still don’t trust him either.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” I replied.
“Not even me?”
I shrugged. “I trust you as much as I trust anyone.”
“I guess I can’t ask for more.”
“Not now, no.”
Rafael nodded. “And you’re out walking now
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