He actually laughed. Wow, his face lit up when he was happy. I wanted to be the reason he laughed even though I knew it was ridiculous. I hardly knew the guy and what I did know told me he probably wouldn’t be the best person for me to hang out with.
“Kiersten?”
“Yeah?” The party was still raging by the time we walked into the building and got on the elevator.
“Thanks.”
“For what?” My breathing seemed erratic as his eyes focused on my lips for a few seconds before looking back toward the elevator doors.
“For believing me.”
I reached for his hand. What was I doing? I clenched his fingers in mine. “Until you give me a reason not to trust you, I’ll always believe you. It’s what people do.”
“Blindly trust complete strangers?” His focus was elsewhere. His eyes had glazed over and he looked really pale.
“Nah.” We walked down the hall to my room. “Make friends and believe them when they tell the truth.”
“Kiersten…” Voice gruff, he leaned against my door. “I don’t want to be your friend.”
“Oh.” I hated how my stomach dropped to my knees, like he’d just told me he hated Christmas and wanted to burn every last romance book on my Kindle.
“More,” he whispered, and this time I could feel the heat from his lips on my ear as he talked. “With you, I think I’ll always want more. But—” He sighed and held out his hand. “I’ll settle for friends, that is, if the offer still stands.”
Fingers tingling, I reached for it and shook. His smile lit up my world. It shattered my previous existence, and again the same eerie feeling washed over me. Like I was running out of time, or maybe like the darkness was coming again. I tried to pull free but he held me there.
I hated that feeling of losing control. Usually the meds helped, but right then it was like his eyes were asking me to jump into the blackness with him and I wasn’t so sure I was ready for that.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, taking a piece of my hair from the ponytail and examining it.
“What is?”
“Your first day of class.” A sad smile crossed his face. “What else would I be talking about?”
“Oh, you know… life,” I joked, trying to get his other smile back.
“Right.” His smile faded as he swallowed hard. “Well, sweet dreams, Kiersten. Think of me.”
“And your eight pack?” I offered.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Wow, I needed that. Thanks. Friend.”
“Anytime…” I fought to keep myself from touching him “Friend.”
“I think you may be the best friend I’ve ever had.” He didn’t move. Instead he watched me, and his eyes seemed to take in every detail about me as if I was going to disappear or something.
“That’s a good thing right?”
“I wish I knew.” He pointed down the hall. “My room beckons me, as does a five a.m. practice. Night.”
Chapter Nine
A gift? A curse? Who knew… but time was running out.
Weston
I groaned over the toilet, losing all my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the protein shake I’d just choked down. I hated throwing up. It made me feel like a little kid all over again. My mom had always been there when I was sick.
Now it was just my dad.