Read Online Vicious Love (Barrington Heights #1) by M. W. McFarland - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: M. W. McFarland
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while— “what I said earlier about sometime this week. I have business plans I can’t miss. How about we choose a date next week, and we’ll hope that one of us, most likely myself, can make it?”
Sounds reasonable enough. He didn’t seem to be flirting this time either. Good. I’d been worried about him flirting and not knowing what to do about it.
“Sounds like a plan. What do you have in mind?”
We ended up standing in the doorway of an empty class. People were passing in the hallway next to us, but no one was paying attention. At least it seemed like that. Chris leaned on the wall in front of me and ran a hand through his charcoal-black hair before continuing the conversation. He took a second to look at me, then at the hall, and then back to me. I couldn’t tell if he was thinking of what to say, trying to look cool, or just being himself. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because after only a second, he turned back to me and responded.
“Today is Tuesday and I don’t have your class. That means that, next week, I’ll have your class on Tuesday and Thursday. I hardly ever do anything on either of those days after school, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. Wh at does work best for you, Miss Beaumont?” He noticed my engagement ring, which I’d forgotten to wear yesterday, and quickly changed his response. “Soon to be Mrs.” Chris just smiled and waited for my response.
“Tuesday or Thursday will work for me.” I had to keep things short and simple here. I needed to get away from him. He was too formal and different from yesterday, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Chris didn’t scare me, but he intrigued me too much, which was more dangerous than anything else.
“Perfect. We’ll decide which date works better on Friday and take it from there.” Another smile. Another flash of his perfect white teeth and another show of his charming dimples.
His entire body was showing signs of relaxation and comfort. His body language was open and friendly. It would make someone who wasn’t trained in reading body language feel welcome. Even someone who was trained, like myself, would be easily fooled by his body language. He didn’t seem to have a visible tell, but something gave him away. I never would have noticed it either if we hadn’t caught each other by surprise. It was his eyes.
His eyes, unlike his body, didn’t show signs of warmth. Rather, they showed signs of pain. Complete soul-wrenching pain that drowned out all hope in his eyes. They were darker than before. They were colder than before. What could possibly be the cause of this? I tried to bite my tongue and not intrude, but I couldn’t help myself. Something was pulling me in, and I just couldn’t fight it.
“Christopher, are you all right?”
His body changed in half a second, and his eyes cleared immediately after that. “Completely fine.” He laughed. “Why do you ask?”
Why had I asked? I didn’t understand why I’d asked him that. He seemed perfectly fine, and I had no evidence otherwise. So why would I have asked him that?
“Just making sure.” I stalled a bit to think of an excuse. “You just seem tired is all.” That works.
“Thank you for checking, but I feel great. I’m not even tired.”
Everything in his eyes showed otherwise now. It was almost as if he’d changed them on command, but that’s impossible. I hadn’t heard of a single person who could manipulate their body language like that. A person’s eyes were supposed to be their weak spot because they couldn’t change them.
“Okay, good.” I smiled at him, and he blushed a little. Nothing noticeable by normal means, but I was focusing in on him more than I would usually focus on a student. I was focusing in on him even more than I do my fiancé. Barry, however, couldn’t hide his body language, but I still paid the most attention to him. Or, at least, I had until now.
“If that’s everything, Miss Beaumont, I’ll be going. I have a class to
Sounds reasonable enough. He didn’t seem to be flirting this time either. Good. I’d been worried about him flirting and not knowing what to do about it.
“Sounds like a plan. What do you have in mind?”
We ended up standing in the doorway of an empty class. People were passing in the hallway next to us, but no one was paying attention. At least it seemed like that. Chris leaned on the wall in front of me and ran a hand through his charcoal-black hair before continuing the conversation. He took a second to look at me, then at the hall, and then back to me. I couldn’t tell if he was thinking of what to say, trying to look cool, or just being himself. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because after only a second, he turned back to me and responded.
“Today is Tuesday and I don’t have your class. That means that, next week, I’ll have your class on Tuesday and Thursday. I hardly ever do anything on either of those days after school, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. Wh at does work best for you, Miss Beaumont?” He noticed my engagement ring, which I’d forgotten to wear yesterday, and quickly changed his response. “Soon to be Mrs.” Chris just smiled and waited for my response.
“Tuesday or Thursday will work for me.” I had to keep things short and simple here. I needed to get away from him. He was too formal and different from yesterday, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Chris didn’t scare me, but he intrigued me too much, which was more dangerous than anything else.
“Perfect. We’ll decide which date works better on Friday and take it from there.” Another smile. Another flash of his perfect white teeth and another show of his charming dimples.
His entire body was showing signs of relaxation and comfort. His body language was open and friendly. It would make someone who wasn’t trained in reading body language feel welcome. Even someone who was trained, like myself, would be easily fooled by his body language. He didn’t seem to have a visible tell, but something gave him away. I never would have noticed it either if we hadn’t caught each other by surprise. It was his eyes.
His eyes, unlike his body, didn’t show signs of warmth. Rather, they showed signs of pain. Complete soul-wrenching pain that drowned out all hope in his eyes. They were darker than before. They were colder than before. What could possibly be the cause of this? I tried to bite my tongue and not intrude, but I couldn’t help myself. Something was pulling me in, and I just couldn’t fight it.
“Christopher, are you all right?”
His body changed in half a second, and his eyes cleared immediately after that. “Completely fine.” He laughed. “Why do you ask?”
Why had I asked? I didn’t understand why I’d asked him that. He seemed perfectly fine, and I had no evidence otherwise. So why would I have asked him that?
“Just making sure.” I stalled a bit to think of an excuse. “You just seem tired is all.” That works.
“Thank you for checking, but I feel great. I’m not even tired.”
Everything in his eyes showed otherwise now. It was almost as if he’d changed them on command, but that’s impossible. I hadn’t heard of a single person who could manipulate their body language like that. A person’s eyes were supposed to be their weak spot because they couldn’t change them.
“Okay, good.” I smiled at him, and he blushed a little. Nothing noticeable by normal means, but I was focusing in on him more than I would usually focus on a student. I was focusing in on him even more than I do my fiancé. Barry, however, couldn’t hide his body language, but I still paid the most attention to him. Or, at least, I had until now.
“If that’s everything, Miss Beaumont, I’ll be going. I have a class to
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