Crush

Follow

Asher

Watching Oliver walk into the principal's office and stop to look at me with his brilliant blue eyes had my heart soaring.

He looked at me. Right at me.

And he said my name.

He remembers me.

He actually remembers me.

I grinned at the thought.

It was hard to keep the smile off of my face for the rest of the day.

Following him around all day, sitting next to him in classes, chatting with him about whatever subject it was .... It felt perfect.

He was perfect. He hadn't changed at all. In fact, he'd only grown more handsome over the years. Tall, muscular, with blonde hair that looked like he'd just rolled out of bed and .... his eyes.

Those eyes.

Those brilliant blue eyes.

I nearly got lost in those eyes several times today. Whenever he looked at me, his eyes drew me in deeper, and I wanted nothing more than to dive right in and soak up all that was Oliver Pierce.

A light shove against my shoulder shook me back to lunchtime in the cafeteria, where I was sitting at the table full of basketball players, all chatting and laughing up a storm. And here I was, squashed amongst them yet staring at their captain. Just like I had been all day.

I could spend all day every day just looking at him.

The empty feeling I'd had over the last year seemed to shrink when I glanced his way. Took in his beautiful face, athletic physique and deep voice.

Is this what was missing?

Was he what was missing?

After following him around all morning, he'd invited me to sit with him and his team at lunch. And I felt happy about it. Almost like I was being included in a bigger part of his life than just school. He'd introduced me to so many of his friends that I was struggling to remember all of their names, along with the names of the teachers, my class schedule and where my locker was. My head was feeling crammed full. But Oliver made it bearable, even enjoyable.

Another playful shove to my shoulder. I turned in my seat to come face to face with one of the guys on the basketball team. Jason? Jenson?

"Hey," he said as he munched on some fries. "So, why'd you transfer here at the end of the school year? And why here of all places?" He scrunched his nose up. Clearly, he didn't like the school.

"My dad wanted me to finish high school at a local school," I shrugged. "He didn't want me to keep travelling far for school every day." Not quite the truth, but no one needed to know that.

"Which school did you go to?"

"Silverlake. It's upstate. I had to drive there every day."

"Man, you must love school to go to that much trouble every day." The guy shook his head.

"Not everyone hates school like you, Jenson," Oliver laughed from the seat next to mine.

So that was the guy's name. Jenson. Got it.

Oliver grinned at me. "No one hates school more than Jenson. Anyone would think he was allergic to it or something."

"Don't hate it all the time," Jenson interrupted. "Just Mondays through to Fridays."

There was a chorus of chuckles from around the table.

"A guy built like you must be into some kinda sport," a guy across the table commented. "You into football?"