Here With You (A Laurel Heights Novel) - By Kate Perry Page 0,10

asked Michael, our English teacher." He smiled.

Her tongue twisted even more.

"Welcome to Laurel Heights High, Rachel Rosenbaum." He shifted his weight, and his hair flopped back onto his forehead. "See you tomorrow in class."

"Uh—I..." She watched him stop at the counter and chat with the blond woman before walking out.

Why had he come in here? She wanted to think he came in just to say hi to her—he'd asked the teacher her name—but she wasn't stupid enough to think she rated. He was probably just acting on a dare or something.

Without thinking, Rachel pulled out her reddish-orange notebook and a pen. She opened it and almost started writing. Habit. She couldn't remember ever not having a journal.

But she caught herself just in time. She set her pen down, torn between wanting to write and wanting to keep the journal fresh. Because this was the last journal her mom would ever give her.

Rachel pushed it aside, leaving it open to the first page. She picked up her hot chocolate and then set it down again, pushing it away, too. It was lukewarm now anyway, and the whipped cream had all melted away.

Chapter Four

Nicole jerked awake as someone shook her shoulder. Gasping, she reached out in the dark.

Her roommate Susan fended off the weak attack and then turned on the bedside lamp. "Nicole," she whispered sharply. "I'm seeing things."

"What do you mean? What time is it?" Rubbing her eyes, she checked the time. "It's three-thirty in the morning, Susan!"

"No kidding. My flight was delayed, and then my bags were misplaced. I just got home. But forget that." She leaned down. "Either Griffin Chase is in our living room, or I'm having delusions brought on by fatigue and vodka."

"You're not having delusions. I told you I invited a friend to crash on the couch for a few days, remember?"

"Griffin Chase is your friend?" Susan exclaimed.

"Shh." Nicole glanced at the door, hoping he still slept as soundly as he used to. "Just go to bed. It's not a big deal."

"Are you serious? We have every woman's wet dream in our living room." Susan goggled at her. "Have you seen him? He's out there sleeping without a shirt on."

Nicole arched her brows.

Susan held her hands up. "I couldn't help noticing. He's laid out like a buffet, and I've been starving for months. You know I haven't dated anyone in forever because of my work schedule."

True. Susan sold pharmaceutical medication and had to travel all the time. She was successful and beautiful, which helped in her sales, but she refused to date any of the doctors she dealt with. Wisely, Nicole had always thought.

"Have you seen his chest?" her roommate whispered in awe. "It's a thing of beauty. Michelangelo would be jealous that he didn't create that. I could lick every—"

"Susan." Nicole winced and sat up, fully awake. "He's my friend."

"Your friend is out there half-naked, and I suggest you go check him out because you'll never see a sight like that ever again." She tapped a finger to her lips in thought. "Although he may very well be completely naked. I didn't check under the blanket."

"And you're not going to." Nicole frowned at her roommate. "Go to bed."

"Can I ask him to join me?"

"No."

Susan shrugged, ever pragmatic. "It's okay. I don't mind that you have dibs. It's enough that you brought him here and shared him like this. At least now I know what to aspire to."

"I don't have dibs. It's not like that." Except that he'd kissed her. A shiver went over her body as she remembered the way his lips had claimed hers.

"It's not, is it?" Susan said slyly.

"No, it's not. I'm going back to sleep now." She turned the light off, flounced over, and covered herself with the comforter. "Goodnight."

Her roommate stood there for a long silent minute. Nicole could feel her staring, but then she gave up and left the room.

Nicole sagged in relief.

But sleep was elusive, because her mind churned on Grif. The kiss. That he'd come to her for help.

That he was lying half naked in the living room.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to imagine that. She'd meant it when she told Susan he was her friend. Years of loving someone didn't just go away because you got annoyed at him.

But she was pretty sure friends didn't kiss each other the way he'd kissed her. It'd been like something out of a romance novel, and she was an expert on romance novels.

She tried to feel weird about