Read Online Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy by P. Anastasia - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: P. Anastasia
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kissed me again.
Chapter 12
T he doorbell rang and I pulled away from Brian. He stepped to the side so I could pass, but grasped my fingers, reluctant to let me go.
“It’s probably Sam,” I said, clearing my throat. “Oh, geeze.” I took a deep breath and combed my fingers through my hair to smooth it down the back of my neck, trying to pull myself together quickly. My heart pounded in my chest. My palms were sweaty.
“Can you keep her busy for a sec?” I asked Brian. “I need a minute.”
“So do I.” He shrugged and looked away, sweeping a hand through his disheveled hair.
Oops.
I shook my head and left my room. I didn’t feel like spilling our new relationship status to Sam just yet. Not while my relatives were around.
The doorbell rang again.
Oh, Sam…
I ran into the bathroom, brushed my hair and splashed cold water on my face. Deep pink colored my cheeks but faded fast. The green glow had disappeared. Thank God.
By the time I’d popped back out, Sam stood in the living room, bent over, shaking one of the presents under the tree, her ear pressed to the side.
“Sam?” I leaned on the railing.
“Alice! Hi!” She looked up, dropped the present and jogged toward me.
“Where were you? I was really worried, Sam.”
“Oh yeah, about that.” She bit her lip. “Yeah. So I accidentally sorta kinda dropped my phone in the toilet.”
“Ew!”
“Well, it would have been fine, but the screen got cracked and water and stuff got in it.”
“That’s gross.”
“Yeah. Dad took me to the mall to get it replaced and then… well, you know. I had to get a new case, too. And, you know how that goes.”
I knew very well “how that goes.” I’m pretty sure I know why the dinosaurs went extinct. They were waiting for Sam to pick out a cell phone case.
“Hey, Sam.” Brian came out of my room, looking as cool and collected as he had when he’d arrived. Boys had it so easy.
“Brian?” Sam’s eyes widened and her lips pursed. “What the heck are you doing here?”
“Well, you took soooooo long, Sam,” I joked.
She shot me an angry glare, but then laughed it off.
“Actually,” I went on, “Mom invited him and his mother since they are new in town.”
“Oh. Really?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “Okay then. I’ll believe that, for now .”
Brian walked past, trying to play it cool by not looking me in the eye. I followed behind him and we met Sam in the living room.
. . .
Dinner couldn’t have gone better. My family really liked Brian, and that made me happy. I needed them to like him.
Afterward, Brian joined me in the kitchen to help with the dishes. Mom didn’t appreciate guests doing dirty work, but he’d insisted—anything to spend another minute alone with me, I think.
“Hand me the forks, please?” I gestured toward the pile of dishes on the other side of the sink. Mom always used her best dishes for this get-together, so we had to be careful.
Brian chuckled, setting a stack of buttering knives in the sink water. “So, uh, your Uncle Teddy.” He reached for the forks. “Does he offer beer to everyone or am I just special?”
“He’s been doing that for years.” I shook my head. “Uncle Teddy thinks we should all appreciate the wonderful nuances of beer the way he does.”
“I thinks it tastes disgusting,” Brian said. “If that’s not weird to hear from a guy my age?”
“No.” I hated the smell of the stuff anyway. One less thing to worry about and one more reason Mom could appreciate Brian.
I twisted the faucet toward hot and turned it on high. At the same time, Brian passed a dessert plate in front of me and steaming water splashed off it. I yelped, dropping a coffee mug. It hit the countertop and tumbled toward the floor. I couldn’t grab it fast enough.
Brian knelt down. “Alice?”
“Don’t pick it up. The pieces will be sharp.” I closed my eyes and silently hated on myself. Hopefully, Mom would forgive me. It was part
Chapter 12
T he doorbell rang and I pulled away from Brian. He stepped to the side so I could pass, but grasped my fingers, reluctant to let me go.
“It’s probably Sam,” I said, clearing my throat. “Oh, geeze.” I took a deep breath and combed my fingers through my hair to smooth it down the back of my neck, trying to pull myself together quickly. My heart pounded in my chest. My palms were sweaty.
“Can you keep her busy for a sec?” I asked Brian. “I need a minute.”
“So do I.” He shrugged and looked away, sweeping a hand through his disheveled hair.
Oops.
I shook my head and left my room. I didn’t feel like spilling our new relationship status to Sam just yet. Not while my relatives were around.
The doorbell rang again.
Oh, Sam…
I ran into the bathroom, brushed my hair and splashed cold water on my face. Deep pink colored my cheeks but faded fast. The green glow had disappeared. Thank God.
By the time I’d popped back out, Sam stood in the living room, bent over, shaking one of the presents under the tree, her ear pressed to the side.
“Sam?” I leaned on the railing.
“Alice! Hi!” She looked up, dropped the present and jogged toward me.
“Where were you? I was really worried, Sam.”
“Oh yeah, about that.” She bit her lip. “Yeah. So I accidentally sorta kinda dropped my phone in the toilet.”
“Ew!”
“Well, it would have been fine, but the screen got cracked and water and stuff got in it.”
“That’s gross.”
“Yeah. Dad took me to the mall to get it replaced and then… well, you know. I had to get a new case, too. And, you know how that goes.”
I knew very well “how that goes.” I’m pretty sure I know why the dinosaurs went extinct. They were waiting for Sam to pick out a cell phone case.
“Hey, Sam.” Brian came out of my room, looking as cool and collected as he had when he’d arrived. Boys had it so easy.
“Brian?” Sam’s eyes widened and her lips pursed. “What the heck are you doing here?”
“Well, you took soooooo long, Sam,” I joked.
She shot me an angry glare, but then laughed it off.
“Actually,” I went on, “Mom invited him and his mother since they are new in town.”
“Oh. Really?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “Okay then. I’ll believe that, for now .”
Brian walked past, trying to play it cool by not looking me in the eye. I followed behind him and we met Sam in the living room.
. . .
Dinner couldn’t have gone better. My family really liked Brian, and that made me happy. I needed them to like him.
Afterward, Brian joined me in the kitchen to help with the dishes. Mom didn’t appreciate guests doing dirty work, but he’d insisted—anything to spend another minute alone with me, I think.
“Hand me the forks, please?” I gestured toward the pile of dishes on the other side of the sink. Mom always used her best dishes for this get-together, so we had to be careful.
Brian chuckled, setting a stack of buttering knives in the sink water. “So, uh, your Uncle Teddy.” He reached for the forks. “Does he offer beer to everyone or am I just special?”
“He’s been doing that for years.” I shook my head. “Uncle Teddy thinks we should all appreciate the wonderful nuances of beer the way he does.”
“I thinks it tastes disgusting,” Brian said. “If that’s not weird to hear from a guy my age?”
“No.” I hated the smell of the stuff anyway. One less thing to worry about and one more reason Mom could appreciate Brian.
I twisted the faucet toward hot and turned it on high. At the same time, Brian passed a dessert plate in front of me and steaming water splashed off it. I yelped, dropping a coffee mug. It hit the countertop and tumbled toward the floor. I couldn’t grab it fast enough.
Brian knelt down. “Alice?”
“Don’t pick it up. The pieces will be sharp.” I closed my eyes and silently hated on myself. Hopefully, Mom would forgive me. It was part
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