Page 45 of Mine

His face looked a bit better; it was still swollen, but not as bad as it was yesterday.

I kissed him carefully, mindful of his cuts, which he responds to urgently, his hands sliding into the back pockets of my jeans to pull me closer to him.

“Morning, baby,” he whispered, resting his forehead on mine.

“We could walk, you know, it's not far,” I pointed out as he made a face at me.

“But this way we get to make out more before school, no?” he smirked, his gaze journeying down my body.

I couldn’t argue with that logic, so I climbed into the car willingly.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked gruffly, as I noticed he didn’t have his belt on.

“Nothing. You need your seatbelt on,” I pointed out, as he laughed, making no move to put it on.

We reached school and as I got out, he put his hand on my arm.

“Baby, I’m not going in today. I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ll pick you up after and take you home. Will you be okay in there?” His eyes searched mine as I groaned.

“Cal, you can’t keep skipping school.”

He rolled his eyes before tilting my head to his. “Listen, beautiful. You don’t need to worry about me, just focus on yourself.”

I glared at him. “But what are you going to do when it’s time to find a job, Cal? You need to pass—"

He looked at me with amusement, kissing my lips softly as I relented.

“Are we having our first argument?” Cal murmured, nipping my teeth between his lips.

I gasped, running my tongue over my lip. “Maybe.”

I kissed him intensely before I dragged myself off to class, aware he was watching me appreciatively.

***

I put my arm through Rosie’s as I sighed, an enormous grin on my face.

“You seem very happy indeed,” she winked at me. “How do you feel?”

I leaned back and pouted, unable to hide my euphoria.

“Like a woman,” I purred playfully as she giggled.

“So, where is he today?”

I bit my lip, avoiding her knowing stare. “He has some things to take care of...”

Rosie rolled her eyes with disbelief. “He’s cutting school again. Attractive.”

I nodded sadly. “I know, it's shitty. But you can’t help who you fall in love with.”

Her head whipped around to mine, her jaw dropping as she gasped. “Love?”

I stopped at my class, my cheeks burning as I giggled.

I’d barely admitted as much to myself, but I had to be honest.

I was falling in love with Cal.