Kevin: -growls-
Kevin: Tease.
Laughing, I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. I’d spent a whole evening with Andrew, and yet a small note and a couple of exchanged texts made me feel happier and lighter than I had all week.
It terrified me.
Kevin represented the things I shouldn’t want.
Not if what I was seeking was normal.
Chapter Thirty
Kevin
Instead of focusing on my calculus homework spread out over the table in front of me, I couldn’t stop looking at Ana. Her blond hair—which usually hung past her shoulders—was bunched into a messy knot on her head. Combined with the dark circles under her eyes, I knew she wasn’t getting much sleep.
Taking care of her mom was stressing her out. I knew she hated making decisions, and now she was making all the big ones alone. I wanted to help her, take the weight of the world off her shoulders. But my Ana was strong-willed and despite her desire to let someone care for her, she didn’t pass her burdens off to anyone else. She blew out a heavy breath through pursed lips and scrubbed a hand over her face. She needed a break and I wanted to get her to talk to me.
“How’s your mom?”
She looked up, flopping back in her seat, and my heart broke taking in how dull her eyes looked.
“She’s . . .” Her tongue slicked across her lips as she looked down, thinking of her words. “She’s okay. We chose a nurse aide, but my mom didn’t like her. So, we had to find a new one. It seems to be going okay, but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and to get a phone call from the aide telling me she’s been locked out again.”
I winced, imagining how that went. “My parents won’t be traveling again until after the summer. They’ll be right next door. You know they still love you and would be happy to help when needed. You can always give them a call. Or have me call.”
Just that small suggestion made her wilt in relief. My chest swelled with pride, knowing I put that smile on her face, no matter how small.
“Thank you, Kevin. Really.”
Needing to be closer, I moved my seat until I was beside her. I lifted my hand, rubbing my thumb under the bruises below her eyes. “How are you?”
She stared at me, and her brow furrowed as her eyes glazed over. She sniffed and nodded her head, not able to get any words out. I let her have her moment, wiping the tears away when they managed to escape, despite her effort to hold them back. When they stopped, I dropped my hand next to hers on the table and linked our pinkies. She stared at our hands and then lifted her eyes to mine.
I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to touch her with more than just my pinky. I wanted to dig my hands into her hair and pull her into me so I could bite at her full cupid’s bow.
“Kevin.” Katelyn’s voice broke me out of my daze and I swiveled my head, watching her approach from across the library- Andrew by her side. My jaw clenched when Ana’s hand slipped out from mine. My molars ground together harder when she turned to Andrew with a genuine smile.
Andrew pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled out the seat next to her, watching me to see my reaction to his display of affection. I fought to keep a neutral face when his hand snaked behind her chair and began massaging her neck.
Katelyn sat next to me and rested her chin on her hand, staring at me with a lazy smile. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, Katelyn. How’ve you been?”
“Missing you.” She practically purred.
“Yeah. I’ve been pretty busy.”
She scrunched her nose, but changed the direction of the conversation. “What are you guys working on?”
“Calculus,” Ana said. “We were actually finishing up.” Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Ana’s stare seemed harder and not as friendly as I knew her to be when looking at Katelyn. Was she jealous? I had to fight from puffing my chest thinking that Ana would be jealous of a girl interested in me.
“Can I take you to lunch when you’re done here?” Andrew asked Ana.
Her eyes flicked to mine as she brushed loose strands behind her ear. “Um, sure. That sounds good.”
“Yeah, we got a lot done. But if you have any questions, you can call me. Or even swing by my place and we can work on it.” It was a low blow letting Andrew know that she knew where I lived, that we talked on the phone, that she was comfortable enough to come over whenever. But it felt good to get the jab in.
“Thanks. I really appreciate your help. With everything,” she added, looking me dead in the eyes. She was thanking me for being there and that felt better than my earlier jab at Andrew.