throwing me off balance. Lord, the smell of him made me tingle. “The guys in this school must be first-class morons. Your accent alone should make them all mad for you. The pretty English rose.”
“I’ve noticed that most young men here are easily distracted by … other kinds of girls.” I blushed violently. I hoped he’d be humane enough not to mock me for it.
Haden smirked. “I started to wonder if maybe I was the only one who could see you. ‘Isn’t she that girl who plays violin?’ was the most I got out of anyone.”
I shrugged. He could stop anytime. I didn’t need to be reminded how very unseen I was. “We should tackle some of these questions.”
“I just wondered how the most beautiful girl in school manages to fly so far under the radar.”
I sat back in my chair. “Now I know you are teasing me.”
He smiled, not the kind that disarmed me completely, but one that signaled a shift of power all the same. “The other girls, they try very hard to sparkle. You—you just glow without any effort at all.”
I bit my lip. Knowing I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in school didn’t change the elation I’d felt when he said I was. Haden was out of my league, I knew that. If I was going to begin the kind of games boys and girls play in high school, I should have started with a nice boy who didn’t make me feel like Little Red Riding Hood alone with the Big Bad Wolf. I wanted so badly to believe he thought I was special that I was willing to pretend I didn’t know better.
“Nothing to say to that?”
“I can’t think of anything to say that won’t sound stupid. I don’t have much practice with—”
“Compliments?”
I nodded. Compliments. Boys. Conversation. Seduction. You name it, I was inexperienced.
“Do I make you nervous?”
I nodded again.
“I suppose, in the long run, that’s probably a good thing.”
“Haden?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes, Theia.” He leaned forward again, smiling at my agitation. I couldn’t help but smile back a little.
“Does anything make you nervous?”
He cocked his head to the side, measuring me and his answer carefully. “Not very much. Why do you ask?”
“I suppose I just want to get some equal footing. You seem to like to keep me off balance.”
His grin turned wolfish. “I suppose I do. It’s not a good idea for you to be too comfortable around me anyway.” He raised an eyebrow like a well-accomplished villain. “I’m not a very good person.”
“You want me to be afraid of you?”
He shook his head. “I want you to be smart.” His voice was so low I instinctively leaned closer.
“Are you so very dangerous, then?”
The distance between our faces grew shorter with each breath. “I’m not like the other boys,” he teased.
“I’m glad,” I whispered.
Haden sighed and his eyelids lowered, his gaze resting on my lips. “I’m serious, Theia. You’ll never be safe with me.”
“If you are about to tell me you are a vampire that glitters in the sunshine, I will—”
He laughed, a chuckle really, but it wasn’t practiced. It wasn’t an emotion he put on to impress me or anyone else. It encouraged me to want more of him.
His hand traced the table near mine, and I spread my fingers out in hopes of an actual touch. He pondered our closeness very carefully, it seemed. I wished very much to know what he was thinking.
Our moment was broken by a female voice. “Haden?”
We sat up, and I blushed eighteen shades of red while he answered, “Hey, Brittany.”
Disappointment and humiliation twined around my insides while looking at Brittany. She was perfect in all the ways that counted when attracting a boy. She shimmered in the right places and stayed matte in the others. Sixteen going on twenty-three on the outside, while portraying a wholesome, family-values girl on the inside. Maybe that was her outside too, though. I don’t know what she was on the inside. An enigma. She wasn’t very nice—but you never saw
“I’ve noticed that most young men here are easily distracted by … other kinds of girls.” I blushed violently. I hoped he’d be humane enough not to mock me for it.
Haden smirked. “I started to wonder if maybe I was the only one who could see you. ‘Isn’t she that girl who plays violin?’ was the most I got out of anyone.”
I shrugged. He could stop anytime. I didn’t need to be reminded how very unseen I was. “We should tackle some of these questions.”
“I just wondered how the most beautiful girl in school manages to fly so far under the radar.”
I sat back in my chair. “Now I know you are teasing me.”
He smiled, not the kind that disarmed me completely, but one that signaled a shift of power all the same. “The other girls, they try very hard to sparkle. You—you just glow without any effort at all.”
I bit my lip. Knowing I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in school didn’t change the elation I’d felt when he said I was. Haden was out of my league, I knew that. If I was going to begin the kind of games boys and girls play in high school, I should have started with a nice boy who didn’t make me feel like Little Red Riding Hood alone with the Big Bad Wolf. I wanted so badly to believe he thought I was special that I was willing to pretend I didn’t know better.
“Nothing to say to that?”
“I can’t think of anything to say that won’t sound stupid. I don’t have much practice with—”
“Compliments?”
I nodded. Compliments. Boys. Conversation. Seduction. You name it, I was inexperienced.
“Do I make you nervous?”
I nodded again.
“I suppose, in the long run, that’s probably a good thing.”
“Haden?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes, Theia.” He leaned forward again, smiling at my agitation. I couldn’t help but smile back a little.
“Does anything make you nervous?”
He cocked his head to the side, measuring me and his answer carefully. “Not very much. Why do you ask?”
“I suppose I just want to get some equal footing. You seem to like to keep me off balance.”
His grin turned wolfish. “I suppose I do. It’s not a good idea for you to be too comfortable around me anyway.” He raised an eyebrow like a well-accomplished villain. “I’m not a very good person.”
“You want me to be afraid of you?”
He shook his head. “I want you to be smart.” His voice was so low I instinctively leaned closer.
“Are you so very dangerous, then?”
The distance between our faces grew shorter with each breath. “I’m not like the other boys,” he teased.
“I’m glad,” I whispered.
Haden sighed and his eyelids lowered, his gaze resting on my lips. “I’m serious, Theia. You’ll never be safe with me.”
“If you are about to tell me you are a vampire that glitters in the sunshine, I will—”
He laughed, a chuckle really, but it wasn’t practiced. It wasn’t an emotion he put on to impress me or anyone else. It encouraged me to want more of him.
His hand traced the table near mine, and I spread my fingers out in hopes of an actual touch. He pondered our closeness very carefully, it seemed. I wished very much to know what he was thinking.
Our moment was broken by a female voice. “Haden?”
We sat up, and I blushed eighteen shades of red while he answered, “Hey, Brittany.”
Disappointment and humiliation twined around my insides while looking at Brittany. She was perfect in all the ways that counted when attracting a boy. She shimmered in the right places and stayed matte in the others. Sixteen going on twenty-three on the outside, while portraying a wholesome, family-values girl on the inside. Maybe that was her outside too, though. I don’t know what she was on the inside. An enigma. She wasn’t very nice—but you never saw
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