The Boy Who Lives In My Garage > jariana (COMPLETED)

seven

I jog over to the barrier. Sure enough, Justin's hair and backpack are moving among the crowd.

"I just happened to look, and there he was," the guy says. "It's lucky I..."

"Justin," I interrupt. No reaction. "Justin," I call, louder. This time, his step falters. He looks around. "Up here." People are staring at me, but I could not care less.

Justin walks toward me. "Are you stalking me?" There's a smile on his face and hint of teasing in his tone.

"Come up here, okay?"

He glances toward the escalator. "I'll be right there. Stay put."

The kiosk employee sighs, and I realize he's next to me, leaning on the banister with his chin in his hand. "He's cute. Definitely worth looking for."

I laugh. "Truth."

A few seconds later, Justin is walking toward me.

"Gotta get back to work," the kiosk employee says. "Good luck, Ariana."

"Thanks for your help."

"No problem. Don't forget. Come see me," he says, motioning to the lotion.

I catch a whiff of chamomile and cucumber and smile. "I won't forget."

Justin approaches, hands in his jean pockets, calm and collected. "Hi, Ariana."

"Hi." I don't continue because I still don't know what to say.

He clears his throat. "I was just going for a walk. Would you like to join me?"

I nod and follow his lead. Thankfully, he's heading toward the food court. Though I can't see a clock, I know I'm already pushing my five-minute limit.

"So," he says, "correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you said the next time you saw me, you would call the police. Should I be concerned?"

Heat rushes to my cheeks. "No. I didn't call the police. I'm not going to."

He nods and is quiet for a few steps. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." The conversation is awkward and forced.

"So...you called me up here why exactly? Oh, I know. You finally decided that you can't get enough of my charming good looks, right?" He grins. The stubble below his smile is gone, evidence of recent shaving.

I take a step away from him. "Sorry. I'm just going to have to walk over here to make room for your big head."

Justin laughs. "What is it, then? What can I do for you?"

"I just..." I stumble over words that still won't form. "It's cold outside."

Justin adjusts his backpack on his shoulder and nods slowly. "That might be weird in July, but last I checked it was still January."

Oh my God. Could I sound any more stupid? We take another turn in the direction of the food court. "I mean it's really cold. Like, they already cancelled school for tomorrow. Like dangerously cold."

"Okay..." he says, like he's waiting for me to continue, but I don't. He shakes his head. "You're going to have to fill in the blanks for me. I don't get it."

"I wanted to make sure you're going to be okay," I blurt out.

He's quiet for a second that slows and stretches into minutes. Hours. Days. Then he says, "Really?"

"Yeah," I say, staring at the ground in front of us. "I mean, I told you not to come back to my garage, but then I thought, what if that's the only place you can go where you'll be out of the cold?" I swallow hard. "What if you're going to die tonight because of me?"