He kissed me differently this time; it was gentle, almost cautious. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck as he continued to work his warm lips softly against mine. He put so much emotion in these small, slow, tender kisses that I found myself fighting tears. He kissed me like a happy ending.

And then he stopped.

In one smooth movement, he moved me to my proper place in the bed. He crawled over me carefully, lying directly behind me, tracing my body with his. I took a deep breath and let out a satisfied humming sound that compelled Jared to pull me closer.

Just before I drifted off to sleep, I said the first prayer I’d uttered since I was girl. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve such a wonderful gift, and I wasn’t sure if it was insolent, but I thanked God for fallen angels.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Fate

Over the next few days, we settled into a comfortable routine. Jared took me to school, returned to sit with me at lunch, and then waited outside my last class. At night, I studied while he worked out, and I became quite accustomed to falling asleep in his arms. Each time he dressed my wound a sense of dread came over me; the healing cut meant that our nights together were numbered.

The girls at our regular lunch table became quite taken with Jared, while the boys tried their best to ignore him. The lines were clearly drawn. Lisa even invited Jared to a tentative girls’ night out, to which Jared only replied with a raised eyebrow, causing those who were paying attention to laugh.

I noticed Ryan being careful to speak only to me, making a point to ignore anything Jared contributed to the conversation. By Thursday, the tension at the table had elevated.

“Are you coming to study group tonight or not?” Ryan asked, clearly in a bad mood.

“I’m not sure what the plans are tonight.”

Jared looked at me and began to speak, but Ryan cut him off. “What? You need permission?” he snapped.

I glared at him. “It’s called being courteous. You should try it.”

Jared lightly touched my knee to keep me calm. It wasn’t working; Ryan couldn’t be more proficient at getting under my skin.

“Just because I’m not happy about how weird you’ve been, doesn’t mean I’m being a jerk,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

“You said it, not me.”

“You’ve moved in with this guy,” he motioned to Jared, “you don’t talk to your friends anymore, you’re skipping out on study group…I’m doing what friends do, Nina. I’m making sure you’re okay.”

“She called me last night,” Beth said defensively. Ryan ignored her.

I could feel the heat radiating from my face. “You’re not being a friend. You’re being aggressively nosy.”