Page 15

“Uh, no. Austin is just a friend,” I say quickly, looking at Austin nervously. His eyes are hard, and he looks like he wants to kill you.
He looks at the two of us, then glares at Eric and walks away. I smile at Eric and then follow Austin, who is angry.
What’s wrong with him?
Austin stares at the grass, his face full of rage. What makes him so mad? I mean, he looked fine a few minutes ago. We’ve been in the shade for a while now. He sat down outside and held my hand, bringing me down with him.
There is an awkward silence around us. I can also feel his anger.
We were sitting very close together, with our thighs touching. He didn’t seem as affected as I was, maybe because he was so angry with Eric. Or maybe he just doesn’t think of me that way. So, what did the guy even do to him?
I break the awkward silence by asking, “Do you know him?”
He grunts, “No.”
“Did he do something wrong?” I ask again. He pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh.
“No, bunny,” he says through gritted teeth.
Then what the hell is wrong with him?
I think about going back to school. I have some free time, so I might go to the library. I see Austin’s fists as I get ready to stand up. I gasp.
They look like they have blood on them. They’re literally covered in dried blood. I see him looking at me, so I look up. This makes me think of the first day I was here. It’s strange that the same thing happened twice in a week.
He had a bloody fist. We are sitting next to each other in the same spot. I let out a sigh.
“You should clean your fist,” I say.
I notice that his lips are moving a little. He shakes his head “no.” I knew it. I sigh again and stand up, holding out my hand for him to grab.
He raises his eyebrows at me but still takes my hand and stands up. As we walk inside, his big hands feel warm in mine. Who would have thought that his hands could make me feel this way? My heart was about to burst out of my chest.
What do you think his lips could do?
Lyra, you are bad!
I shake my head to get rid of the thought, and my cheeks get a little hot. We get to the hospital. Austin gives me a look that says, “Really?” I roll my eyes and take him inside.
But to my surprise, the infirmary is empty. “Where is the nurse?” I ask. Austin shrugs.
I look for alcohol and bandages. I think I’m going to be a nurse. I laugh at the idea in my head. When I smile at him, he stops frowning and his face softens. I put the cotton in the alcohol and then dip it.
I say, “This might hurt a little, okay?” and bite my lips a little. He looks at my lips and then into my eyes. The air suddenly gets hot and thick, making it hard to breathe.
I start to clean the blood off his fist, even though my heart is racing.
He surprises me by not even flinching or making a sound. I look up because I know he is looking at me. His eyes go back to my lips, and I remember that I’m biting them again. I swear my heart skips a beat when he pulls my bottom lip away from my teeth with his other hand. His eyes get darker.
I clean his hand again and wrap it up in a bandage, all the while feeling his strong gaze on me. I hum quietly because I’m happy with what I’ve done. When I throw away the cotton and put the things back, my hands shake a little.
I break the silence by saying, “All done.” My voice sounds a little breathy. He follows me when I go outside.
When his bandaged hand grabs my wrist and turns me around, I am shocked. He takes a step towards me, and without thinking, I take a few steps back until my back hits the wall. He smiles a little when he puts his hand next to my head and traps me.
His eyes go back to my lips. I also look at his full, pink lips and think about how it would feel to kiss them. When he looks at me, my cheeks get a little warm.
When he looks at me, I feel like I’m the most fragile thing in the world. One of his bandaged hands holds my cheek, and I’m surprised that someone like him can be so gentle.
He takes his hand away from my head and wraps it around my waist, lifting me a little. When his tongue slips out and runs over his lips, I can feel his breath on my lips and my stomach tightens. I do the same thing he does, and his eyes get even bigger.
Was this going on? Please God, don’t let this be a dream!
Then he bows his head. When his lips touch mine, I hold my breath. We stay like that for a while, and then he sucks on my bottom lip, which makes me moan in a breathy way. I put my hands around his neck and try to do the same, sucking on his upper lip.
He moans, and I pull back.
I mumble, “Did I do it wrong?” I didn’t know what I did wrong because it was my first kiss. Why did he make that noise?
“First kiss?” he asks, surprised. I look at my hands, and my cheeks get even hotter. He laughs a little before kissing me again.
This time, he kisses my lips with hunger, and I moan into his lips. When his tongue touches mine, I jump a little. When I pull on his hair, he groans into my mouth again.
We pull apart after a long time and breathe heavily. His lips look swollen, and I’m so happy that I did it to him. When I look into his eyes, he looks at me with an emotion that makes my stomach clench again and gives me butterflies.
When the bell rings, I take my hand off of his neck. He also takes his hand off my waist. When he pulls his hand away, I feel empty. We don’t say a word.
And since I’m the biggest coward in the whole world, I don’t say anything and run to my next class, English literature.
I only realise I share the class with Austin when I get there. And since we were partners, we should sit next to each other.
Things couldn’t be more strange.