I nodded. "He can climb up fine, but getting down is another story. My mom designed a tree house for him. Once it's made, I can stop doing this."
Fitz jumped down and the branch bobbed again. Rafe heaved himself up, face coming nearly to mine, then he stopped and he looked at me, and it was like the last twelve hours vanished and we were back on that roof, before everything happened, staring at each other, my heart tripping.
He smiled, and it was that crooked, sexy-shy smile again, and I forgot about backing out of the way. Forgot why I should back out of the way. He lifted himself up until we were face-to-face, then closed his eyes and leaned forward. That's when my brain clicked on and I jerked back fast enough to make the branch dip.
His eyes flew open, and he saw the look on my face and his gaze dropped as he mumbled. "Sorry."
I lowered myself to stand beside him, just out of reach.
"I didn't do it," he said.
"And you'd admit it if you did?"
He swore. I glanced at the house. If my mom looked out, she could see us. If I screamed, she'd hear me. If we talked, though, she couldn't listen in. Good.
I sat beside him, legs dangling.
"That's the problem, isn't it?" he said, sitting, too. "I can say it wasn't me, but I'd say that even if it was. I've been up all night, trying to figure out how I can prove it. I can't. I had access to your drink. I wanted to be alone with you. Whatever that drug did to you, I'm the one who benefited. No one else."
I couldn't argue with that, but he looked at me, like he was hoping I would.
"I wouldn't do that, Maya. Sure, you don't know me that well, but you said it yourself--I get a girl and I back off before I can collect the payoff. I don't need to dose girls." He stopped. "That sounded unbelievably arrogant, didn't it?"
"Kinda. But if you're trying to say that only guys who can't get girls drug them, you're wrong. It's not always about that. You're new in town. You're trying to fit in, make an impression. You've heard I don't go with local guys. You've probably heard I don't make out with near strangers at parties. Maybe that's the impression you wanted to make. The cool stud who can get any girl."
"Sure, if I want Daniel making an impression of my head in the nearest wall. If he caught me kissing you and he wasn't convinced it was your idea, then I'm on his blacklist. Which means I'm on his friends' blacklist. I'm on your friends' blacklist. I'm on the blacklist of everyone who doesn't want to piss off you, him, or your friends. In this town, that seriously limits my social circle."
He had a point.
He continued, "Yeah, I've done dumb things, as I admitted last night, but think about it--if I dosed you and got you alone, would I have started rambling on like I did?"
Another good point.
"Yes, I know your reputation," he continued. "So when we started heating up, I knew something might be wrong. That's why I asked if you'd been drinking. Even when you said no, I wasn't sure, but, hell, of course I wanted to think you were just that into me."
Definitely a valid point.
"And, let's be totally honest. If a guy gives a girl a roofie, he's not looking for a make-out session. If my hands weren't wandering by that point, they weren't going to."
He shifted on the branch. "I wish I could prove I didn't do it, Maya, but I can't. I can only say that it doesn't make sense. I'd risk getting the crap beat out of me by Daniel, becoming a total social outcast, and maybe even getting arrested and losing Annie. As much as I like you, one make-out session isn't worth that. And I do like you, meaning one make-out session definitely isn't worth that if it'd be the last one I'd ever get."
He looked at me, like he was expecting to see something in my face, and when he didn't, he frowned. "I do like you, Maya. You get that, right?"
"Why?"
His frown deepened. "Why what?"
"Why do you like me?"
He laughed. "Do you want a list? Smart, pretty, funny--"
"That's not what I--" I shook my head. "Never mind."
It sounded like I was fishing for compliments. But something about this bugged me. Hot new guy comes to school, checks out all the girls and decides I'm the one he really, really wants. It was the ultimate fantasy, which meant there had to be an angle I was missing.
Maybe it was as simple as him wanting the girl who didn't want him. I didn't know. But it bothered me. And what bothered me even more was this little part inside me that didn't really care why he was interested, was just happy that he was.
I jumped out of the tree and got two steps away before Rafe followed, catching my sleeve and saying, "Maya?"