Read Online The Secrets of Boys by Hailey Abbott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Hailey Abbott
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like the pixels in an image online that hadn’t fully loaded. There were hundreds of shades, none of them blended, and Cassidy found it fascinating.
She didn’t know how long she’d been lost in the painting when someone came up behind her. Why couldn’t Benjy just go away? She stared stubbornly ahead of her, noticing the subtlety of the colors even as she tried to will him out of her personal space.
“C’est belle, non?” he finally said.
Benjy speaking French when he didn’t have to—now that was a first!
Except that it wasn’t Benjy. It was the low, raspy voice she spent all day, every day aching to hear. Zach.
Suddenly Cassidy was afraid to turn around. Afraid that if she did, Zach would see the deep red flush spreading across her cheeks and realize the effect he had on her.
“Um, yeah,” she murmured, still facing the painting.
“It’s really nice.”
Nice?!? That was what you said about a Hallmark card, not great art. But it was hard to come up with anything better with Zach so close she could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke. No wonder she was turning into a bigger space cadet than Trishelle from The Real World: Las Vegas . She hoped he couldn’t see her shivering.
“It’s a style called pointillism,” he said. “Tiny brush-strokes all coming together to form a whole. It doesn’t make any sense from up close, but when you get farther away, the picture comes out. Seurat pioneered it.”
“I wish I could do that,” Cassidy said quietly.
“Yeah? Are you an artist too?”
Only if drawing dumb little cartoons counts as art, Cassidy thought.
“No, not really. I just like to draw sometimes.”
“You know, from the way you’re standing,” said Zach, his voice so low he was nearly whispering, “I can’t tell if you’re talking to me or the painting.”
Cassidy laughed out loud before she could catch herself. “Well,” she countered, “you’re standing so close that if I turn around now, I’ll be stepping on your toes.”
“This better?” Zach took a step back and Cassidy found herself facing him. From that close it was impossible to concentrate on anything but the fascinating symmetry of his face. Who knew people could be that hot? Cassidy felt her confidence draining away again. She was back to square one, staring like an idiot. How could she possibly have a crush like this when her heart belonged to someone else? That just didn’t make any sense to her.
“I noticed you were checking out that painting for a while,” Zach continued. “It’s not every day you see someone who really appreciates art. It really got on my nerves when I was living in Paris. All these idiotic American tourists who only went to the Louvre to snap a picture of the Mona Lisa . It’s like they were looking at art without even really seeing it.”
“No offense,” Cassidy said, finally finding her tongue, “but weren’t you kind of an idiotic tourist? I mean, you are American and all.”
Instead of being offended, Zach threw back his head and laughed.
“It’s true,” he said. “You totally called me on it. What are you going to accuse me of next?”
“I don’t know,” Cassidy mused. “Maybe standing here talking to me when the rest of the class you’re supposedly TA’ing has moved on to the next room?”
“Hey, I know a worthy student when I see one,” Zach said. “I mean, haven’t you already benefited from my expertise?”
“I guess I have,” Cassidy said. “But what about the rest of the class? You’re depriving them of your genius as we speak.”
“So what are you going to do?” Zach wiggled his eyebrows, making her smile. “Report me?”
“That depends,” Cassidy countered. “Are you going to do anything I’d need to report?”
Holy crap, was she actually flirting ? She had never flirted before in her life. That required being outgoing and courageous, neither of which Cassidy ever felt like she was. Larissa flirted. Cassidy just quietly
She didn’t know how long she’d been lost in the painting when someone came up behind her. Why couldn’t Benjy just go away? She stared stubbornly ahead of her, noticing the subtlety of the colors even as she tried to will him out of her personal space.
“C’est belle, non?” he finally said.
Benjy speaking French when he didn’t have to—now that was a first!
Except that it wasn’t Benjy. It was the low, raspy voice she spent all day, every day aching to hear. Zach.
Suddenly Cassidy was afraid to turn around. Afraid that if she did, Zach would see the deep red flush spreading across her cheeks and realize the effect he had on her.
“Um, yeah,” she murmured, still facing the painting.
“It’s really nice.”
Nice?!? That was what you said about a Hallmark card, not great art. But it was hard to come up with anything better with Zach so close she could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke. No wonder she was turning into a bigger space cadet than Trishelle from The Real World: Las Vegas . She hoped he couldn’t see her shivering.
“It’s a style called pointillism,” he said. “Tiny brush-strokes all coming together to form a whole. It doesn’t make any sense from up close, but when you get farther away, the picture comes out. Seurat pioneered it.”
“I wish I could do that,” Cassidy said quietly.
“Yeah? Are you an artist too?”
Only if drawing dumb little cartoons counts as art, Cassidy thought.
“No, not really. I just like to draw sometimes.”
“You know, from the way you’re standing,” said Zach, his voice so low he was nearly whispering, “I can’t tell if you’re talking to me or the painting.”
Cassidy laughed out loud before she could catch herself. “Well,” she countered, “you’re standing so close that if I turn around now, I’ll be stepping on your toes.”
“This better?” Zach took a step back and Cassidy found herself facing him. From that close it was impossible to concentrate on anything but the fascinating symmetry of his face. Who knew people could be that hot? Cassidy felt her confidence draining away again. She was back to square one, staring like an idiot. How could she possibly have a crush like this when her heart belonged to someone else? That just didn’t make any sense to her.
“I noticed you were checking out that painting for a while,” Zach continued. “It’s not every day you see someone who really appreciates art. It really got on my nerves when I was living in Paris. All these idiotic American tourists who only went to the Louvre to snap a picture of the Mona Lisa . It’s like they were looking at art without even really seeing it.”
“No offense,” Cassidy said, finally finding her tongue, “but weren’t you kind of an idiotic tourist? I mean, you are American and all.”
Instead of being offended, Zach threw back his head and laughed.
“It’s true,” he said. “You totally called me on it. What are you going to accuse me of next?”
“I don’t know,” Cassidy mused. “Maybe standing here talking to me when the rest of the class you’re supposedly TA’ing has moved on to the next room?”
“Hey, I know a worthy student when I see one,” Zach said. “I mean, haven’t you already benefited from my expertise?”
“I guess I have,” Cassidy said. “But what about the rest of the class? You’re depriving them of your genius as we speak.”
“So what are you going to do?” Zach wiggled his eyebrows, making her smile. “Report me?”
“That depends,” Cassidy countered. “Are you going to do anything I’d need to report?”
Holy crap, was she actually flirting ? She had never flirted before in her life. That required being outgoing and courageous, neither of which Cassidy ever felt like she was. Larissa flirted. Cassidy just quietly
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