When he saw me, a cocky smile lit up his face. It was overwhelming. I forced myself to return his gaze instead of looking away as undeniable feelings of unworthiness sprang up in me. For a moment, I wondered if it would all crumble away like the dilapidated stone ruins of my long-ago dream. Would Riley’s shining smile twist down into the disgusted grimace he always used to wear?

“Andromeda,” he greeted me softly, his voice still somehow managing to come from all around me. Heads began to turn—was the new boy, the hot boy, really talking to Andi Slate like that? Andi the outcast, the ugly duckling, the scaredy-cat? Instantly the whispers began.

“Oh, hi Riley,” I said meekly, returning his smile. I took a deep breath and sat beside him, acutely aware of the eyes around the classroom following me and the fingers already hitting the cell phones, beginning a text-storm of gossip that would follow me for the rest of the day.

“You look cold,” said Riley during a lull in class as Mrs. Phillips left to take an important phone call. “Are you alright, milady?”

Milady. He’d just called me ‘milady,’ and in public! “I’m okay,” I said, which was the understatement of the eon. If I was shaking, it was only from how thrilled I felt. Though maybe it was a little cold in the room.

“I guess it’s kind of chilly,” I admitted. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. Only seeing the look of concern on Riley’s face did.

“Here,” he replied immediately as he slipped lithely out of his jacket. “I do not truly have need for such a garment. Wear it,” he commanded.

I could almost hear the clack-clack of texting gossipers hitting a fever pitch.

An hour later, French class proved just as strange and wonderful. “Now, let us go over zis week’s vocabulary,” said Monsieur Cousteau. “We are reviewing ze—how do you say, ze ‘infinitive verbs.’ Now, let us begin with the word ‘aimer.’ What does eet mean?”

It was as if Riley wanted to answer without words—our desks were so close together that he didn’t even have to scoot nearer to put his arm around me. I tensed, surprised, and I blushed. Aimer, I thought, rejoicing in his strong arm wrapping me in a protective half-embrace.

To love.

~*~*~*~

To my chagrin, Riley was summoned to the vice principal’s office during our break after second period. He’d skipped school yesterday, after all.

“I will abide by their foolish human rules,” he said with irritation as we parted, “if it will prevent any future complications… though I would much rather remain with you.”

Even being separated from him for a short time threatened to yank me right back out of my newfound ecstasy, but at least I didn’t have to spend snack break alone.