Page 82 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“Hudson is so hot,” Luna says with a happy, faraway sigh. “But he barely pays attention to me.”

“He’s more into the bad girl type.”

“I can be bad.”

“Forget Hudson,” Clarissa says. “Have you guys noticed that Marcus got so sexy over the summer?”

“I thought it was just me!” Jemma exclaims. “He used to be such a nerd.”

“Don’t even think about it, girls,” Clarissa warns. “He’s mine.” Her eyes shift to me and she smiles. “What about you, Addie?”

“What about me?”

“You and Warner,” she says with a giggle. “What’s up with you two?”

I return the smile. “Things are going well.”

“Has he asked you to be his girlfriend?” Luna asks.

I shake my head. “We’ve only been hanging out for a few weeks.”

“You guys are really cute together,” Jemma tells me.

“Thanks.”

“So…?” Clarissa waggles her brows.

“So…?” I ask.

“Is he a good kisser or what?”

I tuck some hair behind my ear. “Um, didn’t you date him? Shouldn’t you know if he’s a good kisser or not?”

She laughs. “I’m askingyou.”

I play around with my pillow. “We haven’t kissed yet.”

“What?” Luna nearly explodes off her bed. “You’ve been hanging out with Warner for a few weeks and he hasn’t tried to kiss you yet?”

My eyes flit from one to the other. “Is that bad?”

It appears like Jemma is about to say that it is, but Clarissa says, “Of course not. Obviously it’s not the right time, right? I mean, he kind of has a reputation of being a player, so it’s weird that he hasn’t tried to kiss you yet. But I’m sure he has his reasons. Anyone want a snack?”

As she leaves her room, my mind gets stuffed with so many thoughts. I never thought it was weird that Warner and I haven’t kissed yet. I mean, sure we’ve been hanging out for a while now, but I don’t think we’re at that stage yet. I did consider it, of course, but clearly it was never the right moment. It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.

But I can’t help but wonderwhyhe hasn’t tried to kiss me. Does he find me repulsive or something? Or maybe the girls don’t know him as well as they think. Maybe he wants to get closer to me before taking that step.

After Clarissa returns with the snacks and settles down on her bed, she pins her eyes on me. “So how is Warner with you?Does he treat you right?”

My lips lift in a smile. “He treats me really well. He’s kind and he listens to everything I say. He doesn’t seem like a player at all. He’s sweet.”

The girls exchange glances and then burst out laughing. “Warner, sweet?” Jemma scoffs. “In what century?”

I shrug. “He’s sweet to me.”

Clarissa puts on a smile. “Well, like I said before, he must see something really special in you, Addie. You put a spell on him.”

I laugh as I shake my head. “I definitely didnotput a spell on him. Maybe he feels comfortable sharing a part of himself he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone else.”