Page 44 of Anytime I Want

“No, my mom ran away, and I walked Graham to the door.”

“More kisses?” Josie asks.

“Josie! Mind their privacy!” Chloe smacks her arm. We both give her an incredulous look.

Chloe laughs, “You're right. I don't know what came over me. No privacy. Tell me everything.” Chloe puts her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands. Her phone vibrates on the table next to her, and she glances at it before clearing the notifications and dropping it into her backpack.

“Girls, please!” The librarian, Mrs. Dorsey, whisper-shouts from behind the desk. She kind of looks like the old hag inSnow White, only she stands up tall and wears normal clothes.

Chloe rolls her eyes and leans towards us. “She's just jealous. Graham hasn't flirted with her in weeks.” We all burst out laughing.

“Get out,” Mrs. Dorsey says, suddenly standing next to our table. We collect our books and make our way through the tables and chairs, trying not to laugh, but it isn't working. Chloe is crying, and Josie keeps declaring through laughter that it wasn't really that funny. The librarian follows us to the door and tells us to not come back until we can respect the room.

“Mrs. Dorsey! It's so good to see you! I've missed our talks,” Graham says. He must've been coming in right as we were leaving because it seems like he came out of nowhere. Mrs. Dorsey’s wrinkly face practically glows, and Chloe snorts so loud. She runs down the hall and ducks into the bathroom. I turn toward the librarian, apologize, and grab Graham and Josie's hands, pulling them down the hallway.

“Oh my gosh! Did you see her eyes when you grabbed Graham's hand? Is she in love with you?” Josie asks.

Graham smirks and wraps an arm around me. “Everyone loves me a little bit, huh, Jules?” He gives me a kiss on my cheek and I blush.

How many times does he have to kiss me before I stop blushing?

“Ooh, that sounds like a great experiment!” Graham wraps his other arm around me and squeezes.

“Crap. I said that out loud?”

“Absolutely. See ya guys. You're too cute for me.” Josie waves over her shoulder before heading into the bathroom.

Graham grabs my hand and starts towards the cafeteria. “I’m glad I found you. Nate told me that you were having a girls’ meeting or something like that. Was I on the agenda?”

“Yes, actually you were. The entire point was to talk about you.”

“Really? Well, tell me more. I am my favorite topic of conversation.” His eyes light up, and he nudges my shoulder.

“About kissing. We critiqued your work. I was very detailed.” I smile innocently up at him.

“Really?” he says again, this time a lot more enthusiastically. “Is there a rubric? How did I score?”

“Meh, you have some work to do. Not the best, but not the bottom of the barrel either. Don’t worry; I’m a good teacher.” I try to hide my smile while I watch Graham’s jaw drop. He pulls me to a stop and leans down to study my eyes. I keep eye contact, but it’s hard not to laugh.Keep it together, girl. You got this.After a good thirty seconds, Graham straightens, looking far more confident.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s true. You seemed to really enjoy it. Where are Josie and Chloe? I’ll follow up with them.” He glances around the hallway and finds it mostly empty, so he pulls out his phone to text them. “Group text, Chloe and Josie,” he says slowly, narrating what he’s doing. “‘What did you ladies talk about in the library?’ There, now we’ll see.” We both stare at his screen while the little dots bounce, signaling that Chloe is typing.

Chloe

That you need kissing lessons. But don’t worry, I’m sure Julia can teach you.

Graham’s jaw drops again and he stares at me, his eyes flashing through emotions. It’s clear he’s on a journey.

“Am I a bad kisser?” he whispers, obviously horrified at the thought. I can’t help myself. I burst out laughing and give Graham a big hug.

“No, you’re great. Best kisser ever.” I lean up and give him a quick peck on the cheek. I let go and drag Graham to the cafeteria.

“Do you two always have to be touching?” Nathan groans.

“You love it. You told me. Team Jam!” Graham shouts, clearly out of his doldrums.

“What are you so happy about? Josie and Chloe told me you’re a bad kisser before they went to get their food.” Nathan shoots Graham a mocking smile.

“What?! How are you doing this?” Graham stares at me in disbelief.

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