Page 35 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

I’m once again super close to him. And completely entrapped by those gorgeous blue eyes.

“You okay, Lexi?” he asks.

I blink a few times. “Yeah, sorry.” I laugh sheepishly. “My foot got caught in your easel.”

“Sorry, I’ll move it.”

“That’s okay. It’s perfect where it is. My foot was the problem. Um, I should wipe away the paint before it dries.” I move closer to him and sweep the paper towel across his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin underneath. I sense his eyes are pasted on me, but I don’t want to look up. Because I know I’ll get sucked into them again.

“Thanks,” he says when I’m back at my station.

“No problem.”

We’re once again quiet as we continue working on our paintings. I try not to frown at my work. Ugh, how could I make such a wondrous creature like a whale look so bad?

“Terrible,” Brock says.

“Right? I’m a shame to the whale community. My whale looks like a monkey.”

“What?”

I glance at him. “What?”

“Look.” He turns his easel toward me and shows me his painting of the globe. “Isn’t this the most horrendous painting you’ve ever seen in your life?”

“It’s not so bad!” I say.

“Thanks, but I’m clearly a No-Casso,” he says with a light laugh.

“And I’m a No-Vinci.” I turn my easel toward him.

“That’s pretty adorable,” he says.

“It looks like a five-year-old painted it.”

“I think it’s great.”

Why does that make my face heat up?

“What do you say, little whale?” Brock reaches for the whale and motions it swimming in the water. “I love it,” he says in a kid voice. “It’s amazing just like Lexi, who will be an incrediblemarine biologist and help save creatures like me around the globe.” He makes the whale swim toward his globe painting.

“That’s wonderful!” Mrs. Jackson says. “You guys should put your paintings together and hang it up in the hallway. It would give such a beautiful message. How important it is for humans to save endangered animals around the globe.”

Brock and I exchange a smile.

“Class will end any minute now,” the teacher continues. “I want to tell you what your next assignment is. Portraits. But not a self-portrait. I want you to pair up with the person sitting next to you and paint them. Look into their eyes, into their heart, into their soul, and capture the wonderful person inside. Look beyond the outside and try to dig deep to discover just who he or she is. You don’t have to work on your projects after school. We’ll work on them during class.”

The bell rings and students start gathering their things.

“Apologies in advance if my limited art skills paint you as a witch,” Brock says as he sweeps his backpack off the floor. “I wish I had the skill to paint you as I see you.”

I tuck some curls behind my ear. “Oh, thanks. Same for me. Don’t shoot me if I paint you like a troll.”

That has us both rolling.

“I guess we’re the perfect pair, then, right?” Brock says with a grin.

I swallow, wishing his words meant something deeper than that. “Yeah. The perfect pair.”