I eyed the sleek, black sports car. I didn’t know a ton about cars, but I knew a BMW was all kinds of expensive. Lex leaned against the car, confidence oozing off of him. He fit. The car, the setting, he belonged to a world I didn’t understand. Everything about him oozed privilege. I shouldn’t want him, but my body hummed with anticipation when I thought about his kisses. I cleared my throat. “I don't want you to go out of your way. School is in Ealing. I'll catch the bus.”

He scrunched his face. “Come on, Abbie. Why ride with a bunch of tosser rude boys heading back to their council flats when you can ride in style? I promise I won’t bite. Besides, we're friends, right? Get in.”

I wavered for another second, but eventually folded myself into the sleek leather of the passenger seat. I was careful not to touch anything. “Um, thanks. It's University of West London in Ealing, right next to the high street.”

He chuckled. “I know where it is, remember?”

“Right. I keep forgetting Xander’s your brother. I appreciate the ride. So what did you want to see me about?”

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat as he pulled into the road. “Well, mostly I wanted to see you. You know, see how your photos came out.”

I breathed deeply then exhaled, unsure what to say or how to deal with him, so I said nothing.

“Okay, bullshit. I just wanted to see you. When you left yesterday, I got the impression I’d freaked you out… again. I wanted to make sure you—we—were okay.”

My throat strangled my last intake of air, refusing to let it be expelled. Slowly, I forced my muscles to relax. “Honestly, I’m fine. I guess. Confused, frustrated. Did I mention confused? Every time we touch, it just seems to get pretty intense, you know? Then you turn around and tell me you don’t want to be with me. Then you kiss me again. I haven’t got a clue if we’re okay or not.”

He exhaled, and the tense silence stretched between us like sticky taffy for several minutes. “Shouldn’t. That I shouldn’t be with you, not that I don’t want to be with you. Obviously, I’m doing a shit poor job of staying away. I swear to God, I’m not trying to confuse you.” He laughed. “Hell, I’m confused myself. I know what I should do. Unfortunately, it’s very different than what I want to do.” He shook his head and changed the subject abruptly. “Why don’t you tell me about the pictures you took.”

Unsure of what to say, I told him what he wanted to hear. “The photos came out great, actually. I'm headed to campus to do some light touching up with Photoshop and grab some large prints.”