Mending Annabelle (Sequel to I Love You, Jerk Face)

Chapter 4

“How can you eat so much?” her nose wrinkled adorably at him as he reached for her leftovers.

            “High metabolism?” his wide shoulders shrugged, small smile tipping one side of his mouth as he popped another fry in his mouth.

            “If I ate as much as you do I would be as big as a house,” another fry slathered in ketchup disappeared into his well formed mouth. She was keeping up the conversation purely for cover, her eyes seemed to be focusing intently on his facial features.

            His nose had a curve in the bridge, showing where it had been broken never healing exactly right. High cheek bones protruded slightly giving him more of a regal look, only enhancing the devastating affect the bend in his nose created. She could swear that his jaw had been carved from marble, the sharp angles cutting to his chin with its dimple just in the lower left corner.

            “What is that scar from?” the question popped out before she could stop herself. Staring at the jagged line puckering the side of his chin and traveling down the column of his neck a short way. “I’m sorry,” she apologized taking his silence for shame or the desire to keep it to himself.

            “No need to apologize,” his wide smile created a wrinkle just above the scar, her fingers itched to smooth it away or grab for her pad and sketch that overlooked part of him. Deft, slender fingers did what hers longed to do, traveling the path that seemed familiar to them, “I fell on a barbed wire fence,” she winced, “when I was ten. Cut me from here,” one finger stopped just under his bottom lip, drawing her eyes to the only soft part of his face, “to here,” slowly as if entranced her eyes followed as he traced the scar to his bobbing Adam’s apple.

            “Did it hurt?” her voice was thick, eyes never leaving the column of his neck where the corded flesh twitched.

            “I can’t remember,” her eyes rose at the odd statement. “I passed out as soon as I saw the blood and hit my head,” his sheepish look created a giggle deep within her.

            “Clumsy child,” she tsked still laughing.  

            “Terribly so,” his deep chuckled joined hers. “But luckily I finally grew out of that,” his hand scrubbed the top of his head roughly.

            “Sure you did,” his deep grey eyes narrowed at her.

            “I did,” he argued.

            “Okay,” her hands rose in surrender, watch casting a glare of light across her eyes which drew her attention to the fact that if she did not leave now she would be late for class. “Oh no,” the chair scraped across the floor loudly as she stood, “I have to go.”

            “See you later?” he too tried standing, but only succeeding in tripping himself back into sitting.

            “Thought you said you grew out of that?” red stained his cheeks and suddenly she didn’t want to rush off to class. I could miss one lecture…she immediately balked at the idea. It was the first week of class and missing would make a terrible impression.

            “Shut up,” he glowered, but smiled all the same as she swept up her bag. “Are you coming to dinner tonight?”

            “I don’t know,” her lip caught between her teeth as she turned from him. There really was no time because every moment longer she stayed the temptation to blow off class and hang out with him grew stronger.