Fate's Exchange (Twisted Fate, Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-One

David met me in the library the next morning for first period.

Tina still hadn't picked up her phone. If I didn't know what was happening, I might have been hurt or angry, and of course, confused. But I understood, and really, I couldn't complain about the one-on-one time with David, not while he was holding my hand. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to spending time with Tina right now. I was too angry and way too jaded by what had happened over the last few weeks—week? —to sit back and laugh over things that seemed unimportant to me now.

David, on the other hand, was far from unimportant. He made my heart thrum like a little mouse scurrying away from being trapped. I couldn't think whenever he was within range—or breathe or notice anyone else but him. For the first time in my high school career, I was glad I'd woken before my alarm to get ready so that I could look nice for him.

"I'm no longer grounded." I beamed at him, feeling happy.

He squeezed my hand. When I had first seen him, long before we had spoken to one another, I'd thought he was an unnecessary distraction. It was the wrong assumption. He was very necessary. Every girl should be able to experience what I was feeling before they died. It wasn't love—could I fall in love within a week? —but it felt good. My heart raced, my skin glowed and knowing that he was here to talk to made everything that was going on with Tina easier to bear. Hell, looking at him made me forget about Tina and her problems.

It even made me forget about Death's fetish for my soul.

That was something you couldn't put a price to.

"Oh? That's awesome!" He leaned forward in his chair, his head half-turned in a way that allowed him to look up through dark lashes and heavy lids. "Want to hang out tonight?"

"I don't know." I feigned indifference, looking to the side and up at the ceiling. "I guess so. I mean, if I'm not sick of you by the time lunch ends." I shrugged.

He nudged me with his knee and started to let go of my hand so that he could stand. "Then I guess I should just find something else to do—"

"No, no, no," I rushed, clutching his hand with mine to pull him back down to his chair. He let me, and we both laughed. "I was joking! Of course, I want to hang out tonight."

He shifted, settling back into a comfortable position with his legs stretched out in front of him, but he never let go of my hand. Giving me a gentle squeeze, he asked, "Movie?"

"Too predictable," I said. "Let's try something less dark and more active."

"Miniature golf? Tag football?"

"Yeah, um, no." I shook my head, smiling. "I want to go to the arcade tonight."

"Really? Why?" He tilted his head and looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Is this because I've never been to an arcade before?"

I shrugged. "Maybe? Tomorrow I totally want to go bowling."

"You're joking." He laughed and then looked at me, sobering. "You're not joking, are you?"

"No, I'm not joking. It's totally part of my charm."

"I see that." He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, his thumb lingering to trace a path down my cheek. "It's cute."

"Really? Because we just met and I'm talking like we have some great big huge future in front of us. We went for lunch! I wouldn't call that a date or anything," I burst, only pausing to suck in a mouthful of air. "Do you even want a date?" I rolled my eyes and wished that I could just shut up before he thought I was nuts and booked it out of the library. No such luck. "And if we did date, I'd drive you loony, you know. Yeah, I would drive you crazy." I nodded and sucked in another breath.

"I—"

"I totally drive myself batty, too, you know. It's nothing new." I sighed, looking sad after having talked myself out of everything I'd dreamt could happen between us in the fraction of a minute that had passed since I'd begun talking. Ranting. If he didn't get up and walk out, I would be surprised. "But I don't usually talk this much. It's been a stupid week, though, and I—"

He leaned forward and, just as the warning bell rang for the second period, kissed me. It might have been in school—in the library of all places, that was so open and not private it couldn't possibly be special—but it shut me up. My eyes opened wide in shock. Before I could decide whether to struggle or just enjoy it, he sat back in his chair and smiled.

It was totally special.

I licked my lips and sighed. Warmth spread through my body and I had to blink several times before realizing I'd fallen out of the kiss and back into reality. "I know I should ask why you did that, but... Why'd you stop?" I stood to follow him when he got up, and my legs wobbled in protest. How could he look so calm? I cleared my throat but stayed quiet, my lips tingling with pleasure.

"I'll see you in third period." He smiled and leaned in to place a chaste, brotherly kiss on my cheek.

Funny, but it didn't feel so chaste, and not at all brotherly. It just made me want more.

"Save me a dance." He winked.

Nope, not chaste, I thought with a stupid grin and slowed to enjoy the view I had while walking behind him. I had started the week out in the right direction, trading Hell in for Heaven. Maybe this time I could skip over the dying part and keep on enjoying the living part. I couldn't fit the things I wanted to enjoy with David into one week.

The arcade, bowling, movies and dinner were just the tip of what I wanted to do with him, and those were the tamer ideas. Skinny dipping, making out at my bedroom window while my parents slept, cuddling in one of the hot springs hidden in the caves at the edge of town. There were so many firsts I hoped to experience with David. Maybe I was wrong, and you could fall for someone in a week or less. My parents had. They said it was love at first bump as they literally met by running into each other. Now, almost twenty years later, nobody could question the staying power of that relationship.

Still, even if a week was long enough to know you loved someone, it wasn't long enough to enjoy how you felt when you were with that person. The voice had asked why I was willing to fight to save others and not myself. I'd thought that if I died so someone I loved could live, I would be able to deal without regrets. Now? Well, I still didn't want the people I loved to die, but if Death took me on Friday, I had discovered a reason to fight for me. In life, David could be the brightest spot in my existence. In death, he was the one thing that would make me feel like I had been cheated.

At least, if I died, I would have experienced my first kiss.