Augustine

Chapter 35

It's hard not to look up at the sound of the door swinging open when I know it's Ian who just walked through the door.

Five minutes after the warning bell and four minutes after Mr. Gonzales started his lecture.

Punctual like always.

I can't even remember the last time I saw him.

His hands are shoved in the pockets of his black leather jacket and his hair is pushed back out of his face. I can't help but admire the way the black ink peeks past the collar of his shirt.

I hate how much I miss him.

"Mr. Alvarez, since you were so kind to walk in late to class I'm sure you will be courteous enough to pass out the packets to all the groups."

Ian glares at Mr. Gonzales at the same time he takes the packets from his hand. "Of course." He gives Mr. Gonzales the most sarcastic smile he owns and starts passing out the papers, backpack still hanging from his shoulder.

I force myself to concentrate on the scribbles on my desk as his playful comments get closer. It seems like he's stopping to socialize with every single individual in this class just to spite Mr. Gonzales.

His voice only disappears when his hand comes in direct contact with my desk. His hand is covered with a fresh round of cuts, with one in particular running from his middle knuckle to the side of his pinky.

I itch to ask him about his cuts but I clamp my mouth shut. It's none of my business.

He's none of my business.

I wait for him to leave, but when he doesn't, I dare to peek through the length of my lashes. I wish I had a textbook to help me decipher the look he is currently giving me, but that would require some in depth view of the mechanisms of the male brain. And, frankly, I don't think anyone has the time for that.

He looks like he has a long list of things he wants to say to me, but choses against it. "We need to talk." His voice is anything but quiet and I swear the teams surrounding us have stopped talking just to get a preview of the movie that is about to play out.

"I don't-,"

Aiden snickers next to me, not bothering to hide it. I had almost forgotten he's occupying the seat next to me. All my attention had been diverted to the frustrating boy in front of me.

"Do you have a problem?" Ian turns to Aiden, annoyance lining every syllable.

Aiden shakes his head in amusement, not hiding the enjoyment he receives when he gets under Ian's skin. "Not at all, but you are disrupting the time I have with my partner, so if you could finish passing out the packets to the rest of the class, I'm sure Mr. Gonzales would appreciate you."

I can see Ian's jaw lock into place and I'm sure no dentist would approve of the force he's using to keep them together.

His eyes peel away from Aiden and land back on me. The intensity of his gaze makes me want to melt through the backrest of the chair just to get a little bit of distance between us. "Meet me by the fence after school."

"She would," Aiden pipes in, clearly enjoying himself, "but we already made plans to finish the project. I guess your talk will need to wait for another time."

Ian ignores him and continues to stare at me. Waiting for a magic seashell to drop to the ground and give me back my voice.

"I'll be waiting." His tone leaves no room to argue, not that I was planning on doing that.

I'm just not going to show up.

"What a dick," Aiden says as Ian continues to deliver the packets to the rest of the class. "I don't even know why you started talking to him."

I laugh, catching him off guard. I can't help but laugh at the similarities of this conversation and the first one I had with Ian. Both insulting each other and both questioning my choice in boys.

I guess I suck at reading the different colored flags.