The bell rings, and he and I are eye-locked. When the shrill tone stops, he whispers, “Okay, but if you decide you do want to talk, you can tell me.”
“Thank you,” I say, meaning it.
“You’re welcome,” he says back in an intimate whisper, before he’s hushed by Ms. Mason.
“Luke Henry and London Lane, this is your final warning. No talking!”
Warmth washes over me at the sound of his name next to mine, and as he searches through his crowded bag for schoolwork, I breathe his name so softly that I can barely hear it myself.
“Luke.”
We can’t speak the rest of the ninety-minute period, but his presence makes me feel better. It allows me to forget the frenzied morning and, more important, this morning’s note.
Halfway through the period, my fingers accidentally brush Luke’s across the table. It feels like someone shot adrenaline directly into my heart; I inhale sharply and quickly move my hand to my lap. Luke glances up at me and smiles, which makes me blush and look away. I hear him chuckle a little under his breath and then turn a page.
Aware that I can’t seem to remember Luke from tomorrow or the future, all I want to do right now is ditch class and spend the rest of the day getting to know him before he disappears again. Instead, I sit, grabbing glimpses of him every so often, and try my best to act normal.
I answer the phone before my mom hears the ringtone and scolds me for being up so late.
“What’s up?” I whisper.
“Were you asleep?” Jamie asks, more surprised than concerned that she might have woken me.
“No, but my mom thinks I am.”
“Didn’t you know I was going to call?” she asks.
“You know I don’t remember today, only tomorrow on,” I say, rolling my eyes at her, even though she can’t see it.
“I know, I’m just kidding.”
“Oh,” I say, tired. “What’s up?”
“I need to borrow that supercute green shirt you bought that time your mom took us to the city for your birthday.”
I am silent. Of course I have no idea what trip she’s talking about from the past, but I think forward to what she’ll wear tomorrow.
“Hello?” Jamie asks.
“Sorry, I’m here; sure, it’s fine,” I say in a low tone. “You’re coming over before school to get it, right?”
“Yes, but remember I have detention, so it’s going to be…”
“Shhh!” I interrupt. The floorboards are creaking outside my room. “My mom’s coming. Gotta go!”
I hang up and toss the phone on the nightstand just as my mom peeks into the room.
“Honey, it’s late,” she says.
“I know, I was just going to sleep.”
Mom gives me a look.
“What?” I ask.
“Are you sure you weren’t talking on the phone?” She smiles in that way that tells me I’ve been caught. And yet, for no particular reason, I deny it.
“I’m sure,” I say, inching under the covers. “Will you turn off the light?” I ask. She does.