Page 14 of Atone

“Anyway—” I clear my throat. “There you go.”

Alex glances from the book to me, nodding with the faintest thank you. I appreciate it when the only person I’ve seen him offer that much of a reaction to is his sister.

“You have an interesting taste in books.” I glance at the stack sitting beside the one I dropped off. A memoir. High fantasy. History. “The only way you’ll catch me reading half of these is if they’re assigned in school.”

I’m rambling. There’s no way he cares about any of this, but I can’t seem to stop myself when the very presence of him makes me nervous.

“Is that a manga?” I point to the open book sitting on his bed.

Alex nods again, stepping closer.

Or is the room shrinking?

There was at least ten feet between us, but now there’s less than five.

I swallow hard. “Well, if you get bored learning about world wars, psychological studies, or fantasy lands, I can recommend something with more recent technology and fewer clothes.”

It’s a bad joke, and I mentally scold myself for it. I’m so used to pretending to be nothing more than pretty and flirty that the defense mechanisms are automatic.

Alex holds my gaze for a second. He’s probably wondering why I’m still standing in his room when I should have dropped off the book and left.

Maybe I should.

But the faintest tick in the corner of his mouth stops me. A shift so slight I almost miss it as it pulls his lips into less of a frown.

Not a smile.

But the ghost of a smirk, if anything. And it has my heart racing.

Alex takes another step. Then another. He closes the distance, and I can’t breathe without being overwhelmed by him as he reaches behind me. He pulls the memoir off the nightstand, revealing a book underneath.

It takes me a moment to process what I’m looking at, and when I do, I don’t bother stifling the laugh that bursts out.

“Romance?”

The cover has flowers, vines, and a football. And the author is a name I recognize.

Alex shrugs. The faint quirk of the corner of his mouth travels a millimeter higher before falling away completely.

Almost playful.

“You’re full of surprises.” It’s impossible to tame my smile now. “And I stand by what I said: you have an interesting taste in books. But I guess if you have the time, you might as well mix it up and keep it interesting.”

Alex doesn’t react with more than the faint shimmer of amusement in his gaze.

People write him off as void of anything now that he doesn’t speak. But the longer I stare up at him, I wonder if they just aren’t paying attention to the endless depth in his eyes.

An abyss that claims me until he takes a step back, breaking my trance.

“Right…” I step back myself. “I should go so you can get back to your workout. Or a shower. Or whatever it is you were going to do before I showed up unannounced. I promised Teal I’d meet her after class, so she’s probably waiting for me.”

I’m rambling again. Lying when I haven’t heard from Teal all day.

“Have fun with your books.” I wave, spinning on my heels before I make a complete fool of myself.

Only when I reach the door do I release the breath I feel like I’ve been holding since I first saw him running on the treadmill.

Alex Lancaster is off-limits.