Page 103 of The Confidant
In the journalism room, instead of switching on the lights, I just walked to the back corner. It had been a few hours since I’d had a chance to brush my teeth, so I did a quick breath check. Yep, I could definitely use a little freshening up.
I set my backpack on the table next to me and dug inside for a piece of gum. I was just throwing the wrapper in the trash can nearby when the classroom door opened and Hunter stepped into the dark room, making me jump.
“Scarlett?” he asked in a hushed tone. “Are you in here?”
“I’m just over here,” I said, my voice squeaking, revealing how nervous I was.
“Oh good,” he said with a sigh, like he hadn’t been sure I’d be in here.
He shut the door, and as the room was cast in darkness once more, my whole body tingled with anticipation. His footsteps sounded on the tile floor.
A moment later, he was taking my hands in his and saying, “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said back, taking in a shaky breath.
We stood there for a few heart-pounding seconds before we both said, “So—” at the same time, followed by some awkward chuckling.
“So,” Hunter said again, clearing his throat, “class was interesting.”
“Yeah.”It was…“Did you get in trouble because I kept distracting you?”
He shook his head. “Mrs. Johnson just wanted to tell me I did a good job.”
“That’s good.” I tucked some hair behind my ear.
“Yeah.” He nodded, his gaze tracking down to my lips for a split second. “So I wasn’t in trouble.”
Was he going to kiss me?
He was looking at me like he might be thinking about it.
“Y-you did a really good job, though,” I said when the silence had stretched on too long. “Despite my distracting texts.”
“Thanks.” He took another step closer and tucked some of my hair behind my shoulder. “You certainly weren’t making it easy for me.”
“I know…” I glanced down briefly, biting my lip. “But I don’t think too many people noticed.”
Why was I suddenly so shy after acting so bold earlier?
Because dang, for all our flirting in class, and those moments during the rappelling trip yesterday, I was acting like I’d never been kissed.
But that was how Hunter and I always were. We were best friends who could flirt and text abouthow much we wanted to kiss each other, but when it came down to it, we were such chickens.
Probably because there’s so much to lose if things go badly.
I pushed the thought away. I didn’t want to think about things not working. I’d already had a taste of what it would be like not to be close to him. I wouldn’t let that happen again.
“Are you worried about something?” Hunter asked, his brows furrowing as he lifted my chin to inspect my face.
“I’m just—” I sighed, not really sure I wanted to talk about it.
Talking about my fears for the future would be the exact kind of mood killer that I wanted to avoid right now. I’d rather just not think about any of it.
Just go for it.
Wrap your arms behind his neck, pull him close, and kiss him.
There was a sound outside the door, and I gasped.
