The Summer I Became a Nerd - By Leah Rae Miller Page 0,21
door. No hat, no shades.
Me: Why?
Awesome Logan: Those are the rules.
I toss my phone in my purse and slam my fist against the steering wheel. Then, I shake my hand because that hurt.
“I will not let him get to me,” I say out loud to the interior of my car, but saying it does not make it so. He certainly got to me the other day with his comic book talk and cute watch. I’m convinced I’ll never be able to smell that old book smell and not think of him. Which is not good because I have a boyfriend.
Straight ahead is the backdoor to The Phoenix, and no matter how hard I try to use my imaginary mind powers to get Logan to walk through it, it’s not moving.
He’s really going to make me go through the front sans disguise? What could he possibly have for me that’s worth exposing my nerd tendencies to the populace of Natchitoches?
I won’t do it. I won’t fall for it. He can’t manipulate me like this.
Maybe if I run, I can make it inside before anyone sees me.
He better not be standing there with a box of chocolates and a teddy bear.
I take off my Celtics cap, shades, and hoodie and clutch my purse to my chest with one hand. The other hand rests on the door handle. I take a deep breath and start counting in my head.
One… Two… Three!
I’m out of the car and down the alley between The Phoenix and Mes Amis in seconds. In front of the store, there’s a car in the parking lot. Crap! I shove the front door open so hard the bell overhead clangs like I offended its mother and run at full speed down the middle aisle.
The next events seem to happen in slow motion, like I have the super-ability to stop time. Logan steps out at the end of the aisle, blocking my way to the back, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He puts his hands up to get me to stop. I try to put on the brakes, but it’s too late. We collide, his arms wrap around me as we fall, and our foreheads bang together. My head spins a little as we lay on the floor in a tangled heap, me on top of him.
The moment I get a fraction of my wits back, I brace my hands on the floor on either side of his chest, but when I try to push off, his hold tightens, keeping me firmly in place.
“Are you all right?” His mouth is so close to my ear his breath tickles it when he speaks.
“I’m fine,” is all I can say as I recover from the goose bumps tripping down my arms. “Are you okay?”
When we landed, it felt like he banged his head pretty hard on the not-so-soft floor. My fingers go to the back of his head as I pray I didn’t give the poor guy a concussion. At my touch, he turns his head even more, so his nose and lips are against my jaw. The goose bumps on my arms seem to forget I was trying to recover from them and redouble their efforts.
“Yeah,” he says on a breath, his arms tightening around me. “I’m okay. One could even say I’m euphoric. Ecstatic. Floating on cloud nine, even.”
My brain has gone into full-blown “grin like a fool” mode again. I pull back a little and turn to him. I feel my way over his scalp, searching for a bump, and he hits me with the brightest smile I’ve ever seen.
That’s when my brain just gives up and turns to mush.
Satisfied he isn’t concussed because no one in pain could pull off a smile that flirty, I push up again. This time he lets me. And, here I am, straddling a hot guy in the middle of a comic shop. The apples of his cheeks turn an endearing pink, and his hands drop to my waist.
“Ahem,” a voice says from above us. “I believe you dropped this, m’lady.”
The spell between Logan and me breaks, and I look up. Dan is standing there, holding my purse out to me. His brows knit together, and I think he mouths the words, “No way.”
Logan and I untangle and stand. I take my purse from Dan, curtseying slightly. Isn’t that the proper response when someone calls you “m’lady?”
“Thanks.” I try hard not to look either of them in the eye.