Read Online Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lex Martin
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gossip.
Who’s the redhead? That girl from my birthday party? I hadn’t asked Gavin if he was seeing anyone, but Jenna was trying to introduce us, and I know she’d never waste her time if she thought he was dating someone.
“Why are you frowning?” Gavin walks in with a pizza box and soda.
“I didn’t realize I was. One of the girls came by looking for you, but I didn’t catch her name.” I describe her to him, but he seems distracted by the food.
“If it’s important, she’ll come back.”
I want to ask him the question, but my heart is doing all kinds of crazy acrobatics in my chest. I should get this over with because if he has a girlfriend, what the hell am I doing here? I mean, he said “just friends,” and okay, he’s a cool guy, and we could be friends, but fuck.
“You’re doing it again.” He’s standing there, frozen, with a paper plate in each hand.
“What?”
“Frowning. It’s kind of cute, actually. Unless there’s something wrong.”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
Play it cool, Clem. I’ve been warming up to the idea of Gavin all week, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t throwing me in reverse so fast I might get whiplash. But the chill settling over me helps me clamp down on my emotions.
I motion toward the hall. “She mentioned your girlfriend, which makes me wonder if I met her the other night at the party and didn’t realize it.”
He grins so wide it catches me off guard. Okay, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.
“I tell the kids I have a girlfriend so they leave me alone.”
I’m so relieved, I want to laugh. He’s still grinning like an idiot.
“What?”
“You. You were jealous.” He’s looking at me like he knows exactly what I was thinking, and I want to crawl under his bed. Maybe even under the building.
“No, I wasn’t. We’re just friends , remember?” Throwing his own words back at him, I smile coolly.
I don’t think he believes me.
“Here. Eat up,” he says, ignoring what I said and handing me a plate of pizza. “You need to replenish after kicking my ass on the wall today.”
“Whatever. I think you held your own.” I reach for a slice and take a bite. My stomach is growling. I glance out the window again, mesmerized by the lights of the city and the dark river below. That’s when it hits me.
“So do girls hook up with their RAs?” I turn to look at him. His eyes are wide, and I realize maybe he thinks I’m insinuating he’s done this, so I shake my head before he misunderstands. “Because that would make for an interesting story. A freshman girl who falls in love with her RA, but they can’t be together, so they sneak around.”
“Oh, um, yeah,” he laughs. “It happens. Obviously, it’s not supposed to, but it’s not illegal or anything. The girls in Warren are eighteen or older. But it’s definitely scandalous when it does go down.”
I drop my pizza and open my journal to a fresh page and start writing.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m still at it. I’m lying on his bed with his pillow tucked under my chest as I lean forward to scribble down ideas. Finally, after I’ve jotted down all of my initial thoughts, I close my book and curl up. I haven’t written like that in so long. I feel weightless and a little buzzed from the euphoria of breaking through and being able to write again.
Gavin is sitting at his desk, but he’s turned his chair around and is staring at me. Why is he staring at me?
“Was that the zone?” he asks.
“Hmm?”
“I think you were in the zone. I asked you at least five things, at which point you mumbled something back that was completely incoherent.”
I grin. “Yeah, that was the zone. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. Sometimes I’ll write all night if I’m on a roll.” Seeing my uneaten pizza, I groan. “No wonder I’m famished.” I take a few bites. “Have I told you how much I love pizza?”
He seems happy that I’m eating, and I’m so thrilled to be
Who’s the redhead? That girl from my birthday party? I hadn’t asked Gavin if he was seeing anyone, but Jenna was trying to introduce us, and I know she’d never waste her time if she thought he was dating someone.
“Why are you frowning?” Gavin walks in with a pizza box and soda.
“I didn’t realize I was. One of the girls came by looking for you, but I didn’t catch her name.” I describe her to him, but he seems distracted by the food.
“If it’s important, she’ll come back.”
I want to ask him the question, but my heart is doing all kinds of crazy acrobatics in my chest. I should get this over with because if he has a girlfriend, what the hell am I doing here? I mean, he said “just friends,” and okay, he’s a cool guy, and we could be friends, but fuck.
“You’re doing it again.” He’s standing there, frozen, with a paper plate in each hand.
“What?”
“Frowning. It’s kind of cute, actually. Unless there’s something wrong.”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
Play it cool, Clem. I’ve been warming up to the idea of Gavin all week, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t throwing me in reverse so fast I might get whiplash. But the chill settling over me helps me clamp down on my emotions.
I motion toward the hall. “She mentioned your girlfriend, which makes me wonder if I met her the other night at the party and didn’t realize it.”
He grins so wide it catches me off guard. Okay, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.
“I tell the kids I have a girlfriend so they leave me alone.”
I’m so relieved, I want to laugh. He’s still grinning like an idiot.
“What?”
“You. You were jealous.” He’s looking at me like he knows exactly what I was thinking, and I want to crawl under his bed. Maybe even under the building.
“No, I wasn’t. We’re just friends , remember?” Throwing his own words back at him, I smile coolly.
I don’t think he believes me.
“Here. Eat up,” he says, ignoring what I said and handing me a plate of pizza. “You need to replenish after kicking my ass on the wall today.”
“Whatever. I think you held your own.” I reach for a slice and take a bite. My stomach is growling. I glance out the window again, mesmerized by the lights of the city and the dark river below. That’s when it hits me.
“So do girls hook up with their RAs?” I turn to look at him. His eyes are wide, and I realize maybe he thinks I’m insinuating he’s done this, so I shake my head before he misunderstands. “Because that would make for an interesting story. A freshman girl who falls in love with her RA, but they can’t be together, so they sneak around.”
“Oh, um, yeah,” he laughs. “It happens. Obviously, it’s not supposed to, but it’s not illegal or anything. The girls in Warren are eighteen or older. But it’s definitely scandalous when it does go down.”
I drop my pizza and open my journal to a fresh page and start writing.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m still at it. I’m lying on his bed with his pillow tucked under my chest as I lean forward to scribble down ideas. Finally, after I’ve jotted down all of my initial thoughts, I close my book and curl up. I haven’t written like that in so long. I feel weightless and a little buzzed from the euphoria of breaking through and being able to write again.
Gavin is sitting at his desk, but he’s turned his chair around and is staring at me. Why is he staring at me?
“Was that the zone?” he asks.
“Hmm?”
“I think you were in the zone. I asked you at least five things, at which point you mumbled something back that was completely incoherent.”
I grin. “Yeah, that was the zone. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. Sometimes I’ll write all night if I’m on a roll.” Seeing my uneaten pizza, I groan. “No wonder I’m famished.” I take a few bites. “Have I told you how much I love pizza?”
He seems happy that I’m eating, and I’m so thrilled to be
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