“How come you didn’t play football too?” I joke.
“Fuck. Zeke. I was just messing around.” The guy goes to get up but stops when Zeke levels him with a look.
“Go mess the fuck around somewhere else. That’s your one warning,” he tells him. A couple of girls laugh and whisper about what happened. “Go ahead. Spread that shit around,” Zeke orders, turning to look at the giggling girls. They stop chattering and leave immediately. He slips his hand into mine and leads me out of the auditorium.
He walks faster than normal, and my short legs are barely able to keep up. I nearly jog to keep pace with him.
“You really must be excited about getting these shirts made,” I joke.
He slows when he notices how fast he’s walking. I glance around to see everyone stealing peeks at us, even more than they already had been.
“You got flushed,” Zeke growls, but keeps on walking my hand locked in his.
“Like hot?” I look over at him. His eyebrows are pulled together in a scowl.
“Like when you get turned on. The tops of your cheeks get red and light up those six freckles you have.”
“There’s six? You’ve counted?” I laugh. I don’t even know how many freckles I have. I know I have a couple on my cheeks. I get them every summer. They fade in the winter.
“Trust me. I know every part of you I’ve gotten the privilege of seeing.”
“That's really sweet,” I sigh, smiling about how my cavemen are the sweetest beings to have ever walked the earth. Maybe it’s why I find their caveman act so cute and not annoying and crazy like some people say I should. Privately, I’m suspicious of all this criticism and tend to think some people are trying to get me out of the way so that they can steal my cavemen.
“Olivia,” Zeke snaps at me.
“Don’t take that tone with me,” I retort.
“Don’t go getting your turned-on blush with other men.” It takes me a second and then I burst out laughing. I stop walking because I’m laughing so hard. I try to gather myself and wipe the tears from my cheeks, but I burst out laughing all over again.
“You want to tell me what’s so funny?” Zeke growls. He sounds more like Levi.
“That you were thinking I was turning red about surfer dude back there.” I step into Zeke, pressing myself against him. “I was thinking about how you and Levi smell a little different. That I could close my eyes and know which of you I was pressed against. I don't need to see you to know when you’re close. I was imagining what it would be like when all of our scents mixed. Is that what you wanted to hear, Zeke? Does that calm your jealousy down?” I get up on my tippy toes to get close to his ear and whisper, “Can you smell my arousal?” Zeke looks like he is going to break, but he quickly gathers. I release a small sigh of disappointment. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying to wear them down. They’ll break sooner or later.
Zeke raises his hand up to my cheek, his thumb brushing my lips. I purse my lips against it. It’s his way of kissing me without really kissing me.
“One of these times you’ll really give me that kiss.” I tilt my head.
“Not with everyone watching. The first time we kiss you, it will only be the three of us.”
I moan—a mix of need, love and annoyance. He’s right, but still I want to kiss him right now.
“Let’s go meet up with Levi so we can go get those shirts you were talking about.” He drops his hand from my face.
“I want to invite Erika. I told her we need to go shopping.” I fish out my cell phone. “Plus, you stole half my clothes,” I remind him.
“I’ll buy you all-new clothes.”
“That are Audley approved,” I throw back, and raise an eyebrow at him. He shrugs, not denying it.
I send a text to Erika. She gave me her cell number last night to meet up with us.
“I like her,” I tell Zeke. “She’s been here a few years. You know her?”
“Nah. We must have not crossed paths.” I’m not sure I believe him. The school is big but not that big. I think Levi and Zeke might have the same problem with people of the opposite sex blending together too. “I checked her out. She seems solid. Keeps to herself. Either studying or sneaking off to the fine arts building at night to dance when she thinks no one is there.”
“She dances?” She hadn't mentioned that, but we are still getting to know each other.
“Only thing I could guess. I tracked her school key card. She goes in there late at night. Between that and her online activity, it’s the only thing I can think she’s doing there.”