in deeper.
Violet blew out a hefty breath, right in my face. Her breath smelled of mint. “Ace gave you a Gin Blossom ticket?”
“Ye—” Someone knocked into me, a guy. He raised his hands and then winked at me. I pinched my lips at him in response. He blew me a kiss and continued on with his weekend-warrior stride. “Yes, but I think you’re missing the point.”
“The point? The point is that he forgot about me.” She frowned. “How could he?”
“Violet, he stuck the ticket in my back pocket. I didn’t even feel it!”
“Sooo…?”
“Think hard, Violet.”
She screwed her face up, her nose scrunching to almost nothing, like a bunny. I laughed hard and then hit her playfully on the arm.
“I had a hard thing going and you ruined it!”
“Violet, I should have felt him put the ticket there.”
“So you have numb buns.” She shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Wouldn’t surprise me. Who knows what all those years of excessive dancing have done to you. You should mention that to Pnina. But don’t tell her I suggested it!”
“No,” I laughed again, pushing her to get her moving again. “He is bad news. That’s not normal. He had to be slick about it.”
She settled her bag a little more comfortably on her shoulder. “I told you that, remember? The first day he approached you. He was the cinnamon bun in my explanation. Rumor has it that he was sent here because his own parents couldn’t control him. But let’s not be too hasty in our judgment. Perhaps he’s buried his rogue ways and emerged anew. People can change. And they can give you Gin Blossom tickets out of pure kindness. Here’s a thought! Perhaps he’ll be kind to me too. Share the love!” she screamed, and the girl next to her laughed.
I doubted it.
Violet’s hand shot out, just like a snake striking, capturing my wrist, and she squeezed—hard.
“Ow!” I tried to remove my wrist from her vise hold. “Violet!”
“Lord have mercy,” she breathed out.
I followed the line of her sight, past a group of students that had parted, my eyes finding Brando Fausti standing next to a jet black ’57 Chevy Bel Air. I tilted into her, my knees suddenly weak, my breath playing hide-and-go-seek.
This tidbit of car information came to me by way of the boy next to me. He hit his friend to get his attention, whistled, and then spoke the make of the car aloud. Otherwise, it had four wheels and a steering wheel to me. That made it just a vehicle, a means to get from one place to another.
Brando waited with his back against the vintage car, his arms crossed, his ankles the same way. A sucker rolled around in his mouth, and from a glance, he didn’t seem to have a damn thing on his mind, not a care in the world. The tick in his jaw could be something that came out of bored aloofness.
I felt the difference in the look on his face and in his attitude. Sparks of tension radiated in the air. The tension came straight from him, like the threat of an incoming storm during the calm.
Lowering my glasses to get a better look at him, I let out my breath in a rush.
His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses—the same style and brand as mine—and his hair had been slicked back. A white t-shirt, which strained around his shoulders and was loose around his waist, brought out the darkness of his skin and hair, not to mention all of his muscles. Old boots and jeans that seemed tailor made for him completed the beautiful picture.
“His kind of fine never goes out of style,” Violet muttered. “Can you imagine that body in a custom-made suit? He could be Italian royalty. Or! A dark knight. Either one works.”
“Fine” was a weak term to use in regard to him. Could you call Adonis fine? No, never ever.
As though a sensor had gone off inside of him, he found me without even moving. He lowered his glasses to match mine. Our eyes collided.
No smile. No wave. No opening his arms for me to run to. In short, nothing to prove my I did not come in peace assessment wrong.
Violet tilted toward me, her body leaning against mine in secrecy. “What is he doing here?”
Still locked in battle, I refused to drop my stare first. “Reasons,” I whispered back.
Brando cocked his pointer finger at me, motioning for me to