When Summer Ends (31 page)

I sighed and pushed myself up from the stool. “Can we just
not talk about it? How about I make some breakfast? He doesn’t ever have much
in the apartment to eat, but I think there’s some cereal and stuff.” I headed
over to the cupboard, looking to see if there was any of the Lucky Charms left
that he bought for me when I used to stay here. I smiled when I spotted the box
exactly where I left it. He’d always just laughed at me when I ate this kind of
stuff but to hell with it; if something tastes that great it has to be good for
you.

I shook the box at Amy in offer. She smiled, nodding
eagerly. After digging out the last two clean bowls from the cupboard, I found
the milk from the fridge before shoving some bread in the toaster for Will. I
left it up so he could push the button down when he came out of the shower. I
turned back to Amy. She was just watching me with a small smile on her face. I
gave her a quizzical look which made her smile grow more pronounced.

“You know your way around his kitchen, that’s adorable,” she
said, digging into her type two diabetes in a bowl.

I shrugged but didn’t answer. She was just trying to start
the conversation about Will again and I just couldn’t cope with that yet, at
least not until my headache had dulled fractionally. After about a minute of
silence she frowned and seemed to be losing the battle she was obviously having
with herself not to say anything about it again. I rolled my eyes and just
looked at her expectantly waiting for her to get it off of her chest.

She let out a big breath and shook her head. “Okay I need to
say it. Holy fudge, Chloe, you screwed a teacher? And a damn hot one too. Jeez,
that chest. Swoon. Wow, just wow,” she gushed.

I burst out laughing at her little outburst. “Are you done?”
I giggled.

She nodded and fanned her face. “Yeah unless he comes back in
shirtless again,” she joked.

I smiled.
Trust Amy to lighten the mood.
I knew she
was only doing it to cheer me up, and I loved her for it. I also knew this
wasn’t the end of it; she wouldn’t let this go at all. Once we were out of here
and on our own, she would quiz me for all of the details. She already knew a
lot of the details, but I guessed she’d want all of the things that had
happened since we broke up because I had told her I hadn’t seen or heard from
Will since he dumped me. There was lots of gossip and details that she would
hound me for.

A few minutes later Will came back into the kitchen looking
a little uncomfortable. I smiled reassuringly and nodded towards the toaster.
“I put that there for you, or have you already eaten?” I asked, wanting to
break the slightly uncomfortable silence.

He smiled gratefully. “No I didn’t eat yet.” He grinned and
nodded at my empty bowl and the box of Lucky Charms on the table. “Glad you’re
eating that crap up, the sugar in it was tainting all of my health food,” he
joked.

I grinned and laughed. “You don’t have health food in the
apartment, Mr I like microwave food so I don’t have to wash up too much,” I
teased, sticking out my tongue. He laughed and pushed the button down to make
himself some toast while I just watched his back wondering if I could ask him
about the tickets that he got for me.

He turned back and crossed his arms over his chest looking
from me to Amy. “So I guess I have some explaining to do?” he asked nervously.

I flicked my eyes to Amy to see her shake her head. “Not
really, Chloe’s explained everything, and don’t worry, I won’t say anything to
anyone. You two make a really cute couple,” she said, smirking at us both
before pushing herself up from the stool and heading out of the kitchen towards
Will’s bedroom.

I cringed and looked at Will worriedly, chewing on my lip.
Why
did she have to say about us being a cute couple?
He smiled at me sadly. I
picked up my bowl and Amy’s and put them in the sink while he just watched me
curiously. “Are you really all right, Chloe? Not freaking out about last night
or anything? You know you can talk to me, don’t you?” he asked, touching the small
of my back softly.

I nodded. I was actually fine. If I could remember more of
it then it would be worse, but at the moment, it was all just a little hazy,
like I was watching someone else through frosted glass or something, everything
was a little distorted.

“I’m fine honestly. Thank you so much, Will, I owe you a lot.
And I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I shouldn’t have danced with that guy, I
was just trying to prove a point and piss you off,” I admitted, feeling stupid
and immature.

He smiled and nodded. “I know why you did it. That doesn’t
make it your fault though, that guy probably would have found someone else to
do that to if it wasn’t you; he had the drugs with him so he obviously planned
it. In a way I guess we were lucky that it was you because I was keeping an eye
on you. I saw him lead you off down the hallway. If it had been someone else,
some other girl that no one was watching, then it could have been a lot worse,”
he replied, smiling sadly and brushing some of my hair behind my ear.

I closed my eyes and turned my face towards his hand,
pressing my cheek against it, loving the feel of his skin against mine again. I
heard a small moan escape my lips and I wanted nothing more than to step
forward, press myself against him and hold him tightly. He didn’t move. His
thumb just traced across my cheek lightly making my whole body tingle. I could
hear his breathing and nothing had ever sounded more important to me.

I knew right then that I loved him. I already knew I was
crazy about him, but it just all of a sudden hit me like a truck or something.
I was totally and utterly in love with him, and no amount of trying to move on
was going to help me get over him. Time I guess would be the only healer.

The toaster popped making me jump. I laughed at how lost in
the moment I was. His hand dropped from the side of my face, and I dragged my
eyes up to meet his just wishing things were different. Wishing I’d met him in
a year, when I was eighteen and had finished school and was starting college or
something. I had nine and a half months left at school to get through then I
could move far away from his handsome face. Maybe the distance would help with the
getting over him.

He smiled sadly and sighed. “I’ll drive you and Amy home
when you’re ready,” he muttered.

“Thanks.”
Is now a good time to ask him about the
tickets? Would I get another chance to ask him if I didn’t do it now?
“Will?” I frowned. Was this just going to make things even more awkward between
us?

“Mmm?” he mumbled, buttering his toast with his back to me.

I took a deep breath. “Why were you working at the club last
night? I thought you would have stopped that now that you were working full
time,” I asked, going for the subtle approach.

He shoved the butter back into the fridge and shrugged. “I
just had some hours to make up before I left.”

“Really? Because Jack said you were paying for some concert
tickets you got.” I watched him, waiting for his reaction. His eyes tightened
marginally but other than that he showed nothing else.
Damn he’s a good
actor… unless Jack was wrong and I’ve just made myself look like an idiot or
something.

“Jack’s mistaken,” he replied, munching on his toast.

“So you’re not working at the club to pay for the Daniel
Masters tickets you got for me?” I questioned. I honestly didn’t know whether
to believe him or not. Maybe Jack was just messing with me or something, trying
to make me think he’d paid for them when he hadn’t.

“Does it really matter?” he asked, looking a little
uncomfortable.

Holy crud, he really is working there for me!
I felt
a little thrill go through me at the thought of him giving up his time for me.
He’d agreed to work there for the next month for me, knowing that he wouldn’t
be able to see Miss Teller because of it, did that mean something?

“It matters to me,” I mumbled breathlessly.

He sighed and frowned. “Then yeah I am. He wouldn’t sell
them to me. I got them in exchange for me working there for another month.” He
shrugged like it was nothing and I felt my heart skip a beat at how sweet he was.

“Thank you, Will, that’s really…” I trailed off not knowing
how to finish that sentence. A lot of words sprang to mind, but I wasn’t sure
which one suited him best: adorable, thoughtful, generous, incredible; the list
went on and on.

“It’s no big deal.” He shrugged defensively.

Wow, no big deal, that is the understatement off the
century. It’s a huge deal to me.
“Yeah I guess the extra money will come in
handy.” I shrugged, trying to make light of it. He was obviously a little
uncomfortable talking about it.

He laughed and shook his head. “It would, but I’m not
getting paid.”

I gasped and looked at him shocked; he wasn’t even getting
paid for it? “Seriously?”

He nodded and put his plate in the sink with the other
unwashed dishes. “That’s the whole idea of payment, Chloe. Wouldn’t be much of
a deal for my boss if I was getting paid
and
getting the tickets on top
would it.” He laughed, flicking my nose playfully.

I smiled gratefully.
Jeez, this guy just gets better and
better.
“Daniel Masters’ tickets don’t cost that much you know. I think
maybe you were ripped off,” I joked, grabbing his hand as he went to poke me in
the ribs.

He laughed and wrapped his arm around me, pinning my arms to
my sides, pressing me against the fridge and freeing his other hand as he
tickled me making me giggle and squirm. “I was ripped off, really? They weren’t
worth my time? Shall I give them back?” he teased, laughing.

I shook my head, pressing my face against his chest as I
squirmed and tried to get out of his hold, giggling like crazy. He laughed and
pressed his face into the crook of my neck blowing a raspberry on me making me
laugh hysterically.

“Stop, stop,” I squeaked breathlessly.

He laughed and loosened his hold on me but didn’t step back;
I smiled and moved my head off of his chest looking up at his face. He was
grinning happily and I felt my heart start to race at how close he was to me. His
chest was pressed against mine; our legs were tangled together as he pressed me
against the fridge.

The smile slowly faded from his face as he looked at me. His
expression was torn, like he was trying to decide something. I could barely
breathe. I could feel the sexual tension sparking up. If this had happened a
month ago, before school started, he would have lifted me onto the counter by
now and made love to me.

I gulped and ran my hand up his chest slowly until I got to
his neck. I slipped my arm around his neck, tangling my fingers into his hair
as my heart started crashing in my chest. He moaned lightly in the back of his
throat as he pressed himself to me tighter, bending a little so our faces were
at the same level as he just looked at me. He looked like he was trying to
memorise every part of my face. He was looking at me so intently that it was
making my legs a little weak.

His hot breath blew across my lips making my mouth water and
my whole body tingle as a hundred butterflies seemed to take flight in my
stomach. He gripped the back of my shirt tightly as he pressed his forehead to
mine, his nose rubbing against mine teasingly making me arch my back so I could
press against him harder. I was pretty sure that if he didn’t kiss me soon I
was going to pass out through lack of oxygen where I just couldn’t seem to
remember how to breathe.

Chapter Twenty-One

His eyes were boring into mine and a small smile pulled at
the corners of his mouth. I tightened my hand in the back of his hair as his
hand stroked down my back slowly making me shiver with desire. Just when I
thought I couldn’t take anymore teasing, he started inching his face closer to
mine.

My insides were jumping for joy at the thought of him
kissing me, if he kissed me then that meant he still wanted me and everything
that he had done for me since we broke up really meant something. Was Amy right
about him still wanting me? He couldn’t look at me like I was a minor; because
his mouth was now dangerously close to mine. Every inch of his hard, toned body
was pressed against me, and I could barely stop myself squealing with
excitement.

Just as his lips were about to touch mine, the bedroom door
opened again and Amy’s footsteps started coming in this direction. Will groaned
as he pulled away from me. Disappointment washed over me.
Damn it, Amy, go
away!
I looked at him pleadingly. He smiled sadly as he stepped back and
let his arms drop from my waist. I felt my heart sink. He just kept doing that
all the time, and it was killing me. One minute he’d look like he was going to
kiss me and the next he was back to just being a teacher again. It was like he
wanted to build my hopes up again, just so he could dash them for fun or something.
I knew he wasn’t doing that though. He probably just couldn’t help himself, he
was a player before we got together after all, so he was probably not used to
being near a girl that wanted him and not doing anything about it. If he wanted
a girl then he had her. I guess being near me was a little hard for him
sometimes because of that. I just wished I was more than sex to him, that he
wanted more than just my body, because he was hurting me so badly without even
realising it.

I sighed and willed myself not to cry. “I’ll go brush my
hair and stuff then I’ll be ready to leave,” I mumbled as Amy walked in the
kitchen. She looked a little sheepish; as if she thought she was going to be
interrupting something. I resisted the urge to glare at her for ruining my
moment with Will for the second time in the same morning. First she ruined my
hug, and now she’d ruined a potential kiss and hot make out session. I loved my
best friend, but sometimes I really could throttle her.