White is for Virgins (35 page)

“What if she won’t talk to me? It’s December, Em, I’ll freeze.”

“If you love her, she’ll be worth the frostbite,” I stated, secretly hoping it wouldn’t come to that point., “And if you bother her enough, she’ll crack. I doubt she wants to leave this situation the way it is, either.”

He nodded.

“Emery?”

“Yeah?” I asked, brushing my hair behind my ear. I started to shiver, remembering just now that I’d forgotten my coat.

“Thank you, so much. And I’m sorry if you felt like I used you.”

I smiled lightly, “It’s ok, I kind of understand why you did it.”

“You’re great; Fox needs to hurry up before someone else realizes it,” he said solemnly, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I blushed, but tried my best to ignore his statement.

“Good luck Nick, I hope things work out for the best.” And with that, I pulled him into a hug and he thanked me once more before we went our separate ways.

I sighed and reentered the center.

Fox stood there, propped against his mop.

I gave him a quizzical look, daring him to speak.

“Mad at him, huh?” he asked sarcastically.

“Shut up,” I growled, returning to my stepladder. Only to find that it wasn’t there.

"I take it you guys made up?”

“Yeah. Where’s the ladder?”

“I put it away,” he shrugged, wheeling the bucket of water and the mop toward the maintenance closet.

“I know,” I drawled, “But why?”

“Because the windows were clean.”

“No they weren’t, I wasn’t done.”

“That’s why I finished for you.”

“..Oh,” was all I said. What I really wanted to do was go “
aww”
and pull him into a hug.

“Thanks,” I said when he reemerged from the closet.

He brushed past me. “Yeah,” he said, as if he was in a hurry.

“Did I do something to you?” I asked him, a tad annoyed.

“Nope,” he replied, popping the
p
. He went to the computer, and I followed. He paused the music, and the turned around to find me standing there.

“You sure? Cause you seem to have a problem with me,” I challenged, looking up at him. This newfound confidence wouldn’t last very long, so I had to make the most of it.

“I don’t have a problem with you,” he said, looking away.

“I doubt that,” I sighed.

“Why?”

“You won’t look me in the eyes,” I pointed out. And his eyes immediately flashed to mine. They looked different; glazed.

“Fox, what’s up your ass?” I inquired softly, batting my eyelashes.

He smirked, smiling slyly as he licked his lips. I forced myself to stop looking at his lips and to stare at his eyes – no, his eyebrows. If I looked at his lips, he’d think I wanted to kiss him… which I
didn’t
(couldn’t) want to do. If I looked at his eyes there’s a good chance I’d get lost in them. I needed to keep myself under control, and his eyebrows were a feature that didn’t make my knees weak, or my palms sweat, or my heart race, though they were perfect as well.

“Why are you so concerned?” he asked, equally as quiet. His voice sent shivers up my spine.

I brushed my side swept bangs out of my eyes and focused on his eyebrows.

“You’re acting weird,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “Is it because I talked to Nick or something?”

“Or something,” he repeated.

I glared. Why must he be so infuriating?!

“You’re mad that I didn’t tell Nick off?” I asked, guessing randomly.

He shook his head. “You hugged him.”

“So?”

“You are too nice, Emery. Too
easy
.”

I frowned.
Am not!

He continued, “You let people get away with too much.”

“No I don’t,” I protested.

He put his hands on my waist. I tried not to shiver; at least I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. The goose bumps would’ve surely been visible.

“Yeah… you do,” he taunted, biting his lip.

“Do not,” I said.

His hands started traveling to a very different region of my body. My butt.

They were literally big enough to cover my butt… I blushed, and then realized that he was feeling me up.

“Yeah you –” he started, but I cut him off. The palm of my hand met his cheek with a decent slap; it was enough to sting both of us.

“No I don’t,” I said with anger and triumph. I’d never slapped a guy before. I tried to stay angry, and ignore my tingling lower back.

“Only sometimes,” he muttered, challenging me.

I punched his arm. That got a smirk out of him.
God! Why can’t I faze him?

“You don’t know when to walk away,” he teased, getting closer, “You don’t know when to let things go.”

“How can you let something go when it’s staring you right in the face?” I asked, not sure if we were talking about the same thing anymore.

His hands cupped my cheeks, causing my breath to hitch as I watched him bring our faces closer together. I really hoped that he couldn’t feel, or hear my heart pounding…

He held my face about two centimeters from his while his thumbs traced circles on my cheeks ever so lightly. I could’ve sworn he was about to kiss me. He might’ve even admired my lips... but I was too drunk on his eyes to notice anything but their intense hue, and the gold flecks splattered around that made them all the more intense.

“Like this, for example,” he whispered huskily, almost hesitantly. His hot breath tickled my lips as he inched away from me, and his hands dropped from my face.

He stared at me for a minute with the strangest look on his face. Then he squeezed past me and headed for the bathroom. I was alone, behind the counter. Let me tell you, it has never looked more spacious. And empty.

I stood frozen, probably looking like the biggest, bug-eyed idiot. But I was in complete and utter shock at what he’d just done. What he’d almost done. What I had
wanted
him to do.

The pictures and feelings flooding through my mind were so… I couldn’t… He was just so… ugh!

I blinked and exhaled slowly, running my hand through my hair and biting my lip. Trying to process and organize all my thoughts, it was only then that I realized just how scorching hot my cheeks felt. I ran to the bathroom to cool myself off.

***

Since the Daycare was taking a break for the holidays, I stayed at the center for longer than I normally did on Fridays.

The usual awkward silence clouded around Fox and me as seven o’clock approached.

“Hey Nina, I’m gonna go,” Fox called, swinging his jacket around and sliding his arm through the sleeve in a swift motion. I tried not to stare, and busied myself with my term paper.

“Hot date tonight?” Nina joked as she wrapped her wool sweater tighter around herself.

“Two, actually,” Fox smirked, texting someone on his cell phone.

Nina’s smile widened.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Winter Ball,” Fox said nonchalantly, zipping his bag up and lifting it off the couch.

“Ooh, how fun,” Nina commented, “Shouldn’t you be going soon then too, Emery?”

They both turned to look at me.
Shit.
If there was one thing I loathed, it was being put on the spot.

“No,” I managed lamely.

Nina’s smile turned to a frown within seconds. She looked confused.

“Why not, love?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I shrugged. “Dancing’s not really my thing.”

“It’s everyone’s thing, Emery,” she laughed, “I bet you just haven’t tried.”

“I don’t have a dress,” I lied.

“I bet you still fit in the one you wore last Christmas. That little red number,” she winked, once again smiling. “The boys would be all over you.”

Fox smirked and tried to hide the amusement in his eyes. Nina and I both ignored him.

Nina, God bless her, always found an exception. But she just didn’t get it this time. I was
dateless
, and it’d take me forever to get ready. I was just shit out of luck tonight.

“No, the boys could care less about me,” I said simply.

“Oh, Emery, baby, that’s not true,” Nina assured me. She walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her other hand stroked my cheek.

I shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s just a dance.”

Nina hugged me, and then returned to her office. I looked down on my sheet of notebook paper, which had a few careless words scribbled across the page. I felt a warm trickle down my cheek. With a
plop,
a droplet of water landed on the page. Followed by another.

“Fox, would you come in for a sec?” Nina called, and my head jerked up. I’d forgotten he was still here.