SHIFTED.✔

77

Keean came early Monday morning. He kissed me and studied my eyes. "Are you okay?"

I smiled and touched his concerned face with my fingers. "Yes I'm okay so stop worrying."

He sat down on the ottoman and pulled me onto his lap. "I haven't stopped thinking about you all weekend; worrying about you."

"Why?" I gave him a quizzical look. "You knew I was okay."

He looked at me sadly and rubbed his hand up and down my back. "Stop trying to make me feel better, Charlie. You were pretty upset. I hurt you because of my...God...because I wasn't taking notice properly. I should have been more..."

I kissed his mouth to cut off his words. "Please stop apologising, I'm okay. I wanted to do it. You gave me the chance to stop more than once. I didn't because I wanted you and okay it didn't come off exactly the way I thought it was going too. But that's because everything leading up to it was beautiful and felt so fantastic. I wasn't expecting the rest." I smiled. "You said it'll get better and I believe you."

He sighed against my mouth. "I love you, Charlie. Have loved you since the first day I saw you in Chemistry."

"I've loved you longer." I laughed and touched his face.

Keean looked at me confused.

"We had English, you walked in and every girl had to take a deep breath. Me included. You sat down at the front. I don't think you were game to look at anyone."

His body shook with laughter. "I remember that, but I don't remember you then."

"Katie and I were sitting right down the back." I couldn't help but laugh at the memory and added, "Though she was standing near the door when you walked in and told me, in her words, that you had the bluest fucking eyes ever."

He laughed again then stood with me in his arms and carried me to my room. Keean put me on my feet, pushed me forwards and said, "You better get dressed." Then he pulled the door closed as he left.

I frowned a little, shook my head at his reluctance to touch me and thought I bet he makes me go to the library every day for the next week. I didn't want him to rush me into doing it again but I did want to fool around more to learn how it all worked properly so it would be better. So we'd know about each other better.

I was right of course. At lunch time he tried to lead me to the library. I shook my head. "We need to make a compromise, Keean."

He smiled down at me. "Oh we do, do we?"

I nodded. "There are three different things we can do and five days to spread it out over. Study in the library. Sit with our friends or under the tree by ourselves."

Keean's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You're not getting bossy are you, Charlie?"

I put my hands on my hips and nodded. "Yes, because I'm not going to sit in the library all week again."

He pulled my bottom lip down with his thumb and let it flip back against my mouth so it made a slapping sound. I pushed his hand away as he tried to do it again.

"Stop that." I laughed as he wrapped his arm around me to stop me from running away. "Let go!" I squealed.

"Okay so what do you want to do?" he asked cocking his head to one side.

"I want to sit under the tree."

Keean shook his head. "I think we should sit with our friends today."

"You're trying to avoid touching me."

He raised his eyebrows. "That's not true, Charlie."

I looked at him carefully. "Don't lie to me, Keean Crone. I know you better than you think I do."

He laughed, took me by the hand and led me to where everyone was sitting.

Peter Ember clapped as we sat down. "Welcome back to the real world," he said. Everyone laughed. I think Peter has a secret ambition to be a comedian.

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

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