No shit. Did he actually carry all of those bags on his own? I only meant for him to help with some. I didn’t think he'd do it all himself.
A few moments later, he emerges from the building just as the sun peeks from between the clouds.
He uses his hand as a shield and stares up, one of his eyes half closed, the other becoming a glittering, liquid blue.
“Let’s go give him something to drink!” Zoey exclaims. “I reckon he’s thirsty from all that lifting.”
“Not as much as I am.” Sandy laughs.
“I’ll give him my energy drink.” Harry winks and the girls go back to talking about Creighton’s dick.
I slowly slip from their circle, the whole scene leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
It’s not a secret that Creighton is popular without even trying. Ava told me that’s been the case ever since they were kids. Girls have flocked to his silent personality and stellar looks since elementary school.
That’s me. I’m girls. Girls is me.
Or were me. I’m totally over him now.
Totally.
I work for some time, then I make sure the animals have their food. After I kiss Tiger goodbye, I leave the shelter.
The distance to campus is about ten minutes by car, but I prefer to walk the half hour and clear my head.
It helps that the seaside is on the way and I can get lost in its beauty. It’s violent today, considering how the giant waves crash against the rocks.
I try not to think about the scene I left back at the shelter, but it keeps niggling at the edge of my consciousness.
So I pull out my AirPods and put on Tchaikovsky’s third symphony on the highest volume, hoping it’ll be able to drown out the restlessness.
Ten minutes later, I feel more balanced. No surprise there. Only my Tchaikovsky is able to do that.
A presence appears behind me and warmth radiates off my back. I whirl around, my breath catching when my eyes clash with Creighton’s chest—that’s covered with a shirt, thank Tchaikovsky.
I pull out an AirPod and breathe harshly. “You scared me.”
“You didn’t wait so we could go back to campus together.” His low, rich voice vibrates through me as he falls in step beside me.
“We never said we’d go back together.”
“Why else would I ask you what you were doing?”
“I don’t know. Making conversation?”
“I don’t talk without purpose.”
Oh, so that’s what this is all about? I mean, yeah, he doesn’t talk, no matter how much I try to push him, but maybe that’s really because he finds no purpose in speaking for the sake of speaking.
“There was a purpose behind all those questions?”
He nods, his dark lashes lowering like a prison against ocean eyes.
“And what was it?” I pull out my second AirPod and place them back in their case, then throw them in my bag.
“Don’t ask Bran to be your fake boyfriend.”
My hand pauses on the zipper before I slowly close it, and my steps falter until I fall behind. My face feels frozen as I stare up at him. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did. Which brings on the question: what makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do?”
He comes to an abrupt halt and I crash against him before I jump back. When he spins around and stares down at me, his face has tightened and his hand is in his pocket again.
As if he’s stopping it from doing something.
What, I don’t know.
“I won’t repeat myself another time.”
My breath catches. Just how the hell does he manage to pack so much punch and dominance behind his words?
“Seriously, what do you want from me, Creighton? You pushed me away, didn’t you?”
“And you pushed back.”
“What?” When he remains silent, I insist, “I did no such thing. I put distance between us as you so eloquently instructed. I don’t even text you anymore. This isn’t how it’s supposed to work.”
“This?”
“Scaring me away, then talking to me and volunteering at the shelter I go to. Is this like a game of push and pull or something?”
“Were you scared away?”
“Wasn’t I supposed to be?”
“You were, but I’m surprised it took that little to scare you.”
“Yeah, well, pain frightens me.”
His eyes shine with something similar to…excitement.
And that right there scares the bejesus out of me. It’s not normal excitement like the type I get whenever I go shopping or when I practice ballet. It’s nothing that innocent or harmless.