Our Kind of Love by Shane Morgan Page B

his bedroom, hand in hand,
and he drives me home. Soon we pull up to my house and I reach over the middle
console and give him a kiss on the cheek goodnight before getting out of the
car. He takes off as soon as I open the front door and walk inside.
    Later on as I lie in bed, trying to fall asleep,
I think back to what happened earlier and how Nate got over my dramatic
reaction. And oddly, my mind drifts to Micah again. I wonder what he’s doing,
if he had a good time at the bonfire, and if he and Claudia made any progress.
Not sure why, but a selfish part of me wishes they didn’t.
     
     
    SEVENTEEN

    Micah
     
     
    I WENT OUT for a run early Monday morning but
sadly, I didn’t see Reign on the cliff walk this time. So at work, I spend my
time stealing glances at her. Reign, on the other hand, is being evasive.
    It was obvious Nate wanted them to leave the
bonfire last night so that he could sleep with her. That burned me. I took off
shortly after they left. As cool as Claudia was, now that she’s toning down her
flirtation, I just couldn’t hang out somewhere that I only went in the first
place because Reign would be.
    Still, in my observations, I can tell something
didn’t go right. Usually girls look happy the day after sex, that’s of course
if they enjoyed it. So if Reign did, there’d be a glow to her. She’d be
happy-go-lucky all day, except she hasn’t been smiling one bit.
    In the afternoon, it gets slow so she heads out
back to take a break. I sneak out behind her, wanting to know what’s wrong, and
if that boyfriend of hers did something.
    “Hey,” I say, walking over to stand beside her
with my back against the wall. “You okay? You seem kind of…off.”
    She looks at me amazed. “It’s only been a week
since you started working here, how do you know when I’m off?”
    I stare at her hard, probing those gorgeous
hazel eyes. Then I ask her in a deeper tone than my own natural voice, “Would
you think I’m weird if I say I’ve memorized every expression?”
    She’s unable to stifle back her smile. I feel
elated knowing I’m responsible for it. “Um, yeah, that’s kind of weird,” she
manages to say.
    I shrug. “I don’t mind being weird. But tell me
you don’t feel even the slightest bit impressed by the fact that I’ve noticed
things about you? I mean, what girl doesn’t like that?”
     Reign looks up at my face, intensely
searching my eyes. For a moment, there are no words passing between us, only
the sound of the ocean and sailboats in the distance.
    “So, are you and Claudia like, together now?”
she asks, a speck of disappointment within her voice.
    “Why? Are you jealous?” I tease.
    She perks up, twisting her mouth. “ Pff …I’m not. I could care less.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yeah…” She’s trying hard to appear unfazed. I
can tell it’s a front.
    I take the chance to inch closer to her, wanting
to have some kind of contact. Whether it’s to touch her arm, stroke her cheek,
or even brush my lips against hers, I just want to graze her like that night
when we hung out alone by the pier. The problem is , will she let me?
    My attempt at the railing on Saturday was a
disappointment. Even though she’s pushing us to just be friends, I can tell
she’s having trouble hiding her attraction to me. She wanted that kiss then.
    I draw close enough that we’re toe to toe.
There’s a beaming light flickering in her eyes now, and her chest starts to
rise and fall deeply. I’m making her nervous.
    Taking an even bigger risk, I drop my hands from
my pockets and lift one to run across her cheek. I move slowly, holding her
gaze like I’ve placed her under a spell. She doesn’t back away so I consider it
a sign she’ll actually let me get closer.
    I’m almost there when the backdoor pushes open.
Aislin peeps out. “Hey, what are you two doing? I actually have a room full of
vacationers in here.”
    Reign collects herself and hurries past me. I
silently fume over the