Page 40 of Easy Out

I lick my lip nervously. I’m not used to getting compliments. It feels nice. “Thanks.” I look up at Hart and catch him staring at my lips. He smiles sheepishly. Maybe a little unsure.

Swallowing hard, I admire the plushness of his bottom lip and imagine what it would be like to tug on it with my teeth.

This is not something I should be thinking about.

Not when I’ve never kissed anyone before.

Not when Hart is my partner for an important assignment.

My lips part and he takes a step closer to me. The muscles in his cheeks flex and his grip tightens on my arms. I feel him everywhere. My thighs clench on instinct.

Hart leans his head down slowly towards my face. He looks hesitant and that gives me pause. Does he not want to kiss me?

I’m not ready. This can’t happen right now. I need to stop this. He’s an inch from my mouth. I close my eyes. “Cupcakes,” I whisper.

“What?” His minty breath blankets my lips.

“I brought you cupcakes.” I back out of his grasp. Something I should have done minutes ago.

“Cupcakes,” he repeats. “Yeah, sure.” He follows behind me confused. Maybe a little hurt? That can’t be. This is another day in the office for him. Kissing random girls in the library is nothing new. I won’t be another girl he adds to his list.

Taking a seat back at our table, I grab the container of cupcakes and open the lid. The sweet smell of sugar fills the air. I can’t wait to eat one or three of these to erase the memory of having Hart so close to me. That can’t happen again.

“When did you have time to make cupcakes?”

“There is always time to make cupcakes.” I force a smile and take a quick bite. “Sydney and I made them M-Monday n-night,” I stutter over my words when Hart licks remnants of frosting off his upper lip.

Hart offers me a soft smile that comes out of nowhere. What was that look for? “Do the two of you do this a lot?” He asks.

“I don’t know what qualifies as a lot. At least once a month. More if we’re stressed.” I shrug.

“This was a stress bake?”

“Yes.” I clear my throat to release a wave of emotion. “My mom and I would stress bake. She always said there is nothing a little sugar couldn’t fix.”

“I think she’s right,” he says and grabs another cupcake. “What’s got you so stressed? Anything I can help with?” His offer is unexpected.

While Hart isn’t a stranger to me anymore, he is a far cry from a friend. Didn’t stop you from almost kissing him moments ago.

I’ve always found Hart to be egocentric and a little bit of a loner. He doesn’t talk much, if ever, and keeps to himself. He’s not exactly someone I expect to rearrange his schedule for someone in need.

“Not really. But thanks.”

I check my phone for the time. The library closes soon, and we still have a lot of work in front of us. I open a new book and start typing on my laptop. Hart snags one more cupcake and gets back to work too.

Forty-five minutes later, all the Post-it notes have been removed from the reference books, and I have over three pages of notes.

I save the document I’ve been working on, shut down my laptop, and stow it away in my bag. Hart clears the table of all the reference books we used and places them back on a nearby cart to be reshelved by the librarians in the morning.

“Have you ever heard of Westfield Prep?” I ask randomly as we pack up our bags.

“Yeah, it’s that snotty rich school on the other side of town.”

“It’s not that bad.” He clearly disagrees.

“I’ve played baseball with those guys for years. They think they're better than everyone.” A library aide comes upstairs and warns us about the library closing. “Come,” Hart demands. Then throws both of our backpacks over his shoulder, picks up the cupcakes with one hand, and takes hold of mine in the other.

Ignoring the tingling sensation in my hand, I follow Hart toward the exit. “I didn’t know you were an expert at judging one’s character.” He throws a smirk my way. “The school might be full of jerks, but it’s also full of opportunity.”

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