Never to Sleep
Page 3
No, I just thought I felt Nothing. Never mind. Then he blinked and finally pulled me to my feet. Theres no obvious damage. In fact, you look pretty damn good for someone who just got smashed in the face with a door.
His hand lingered in my grip until I reluctantly pulled mine back.
Whats this? He knelt to pick up a dance shirt that had fallen out of the box and half escaped its plastic wrapper. Then he held it up in front of me, obviously trying to picture me in the skimpy, snug halter top.
Its a uniform. Im a dancer.
I could tell by how gracefully you crashed to the floor. His mischievous grin widened. You wear this?
Yeah. Well, I havent worn this one yet, but I will.
And youre going to dance around in it? In front of people?
I dont dance around. I perform. Its a sport. It takes a ton of discipline, and practice, and stamina.
That sounds more like football. I thought dance was about grace and beauty, and self-expression through movement.
I blinked, surprised, and he laughed. Its written on the side of your box.
I glanced at the box on the floor. Beneath the manufacturers label, the definition of dance hed quoted was printed in a pretty, scrolling font.
So which is it? He raised his brows in challenge as he watched me with a quiet smile. A sport or an art?
Its both. An athletic art. Although, at the competitive high school level, it was usually just a bunch of choreographed jumping around and gyrating to recorded music. You have to have perfect control over your body in order to make it say what you want to express.
So, youre saying that you wear this he held the top up by one strap, and for the first time, I realized how little material was actually there while you express things with your perfectly controlled body? And you have a lot of stamina? His brows rose suggestively. I think Im gonna like this school. Then he offered me his right hand to shake. Did I mention my name is Luca Tedesco?
I shook his hand briefly, and too late, I realized his smile was contagious. Youre new? I said, taking the uniform top from him.
I start next week.
Senior? He was tall. Nicely built. He could be a senior.
Junior. You?
Sophomore. But only for the next couple of months. Then school would be out for the summer, and Id return as the first ever junior-year captain of the Eastlake dance team. So, what were you doing in there? I asked, glancing past the door that had nearly killed me into the empty history classroombeyond.
Looking for a little excitement.
Did you find it?
I have now. He looked right into my eyes again, and again I wondered what he was looking for. I feel bad about nearly killing you with a door. Let me make it up to you? I could carry this box full of hard-core sports attirewherever youre taking it.
No, thats okay. Like I was gonna let the pretty new boy anywhere near Peyton before Id had a chance to thoroughly stake my claim.
Since Im the one who gave you this bump He brushed hair back from my forehead, and I winced when his fingers touched a tender spot just above my temple. I think you should let me do the heavy lifting, until youre fully recovered.
Well, if you insist My afternoon was looking better already.
I smiled at him. Im still a little dizzy. Who knows how long that could take?
Ill clear my schedule. He replaced the shirt that had fallen out and picked up the box. Which way?
Take the next right, and head straight for the double doors.
We were almost to the hallway junction when Luca stopped in the middle of the floor. His eyes narrowed at nothing, then closed entirely, and when they opened, he lookedcautious. Like hed seen something or heard something weird. Or like hed felt a draft. But all I could hear were some locker door squeals and muted voices from around the corner, and I couldnt see anything but an empty stretch of hall in front of us. And there was no breeze.
Yeah. Lets go this way. He took my arm and started to turn back the way wed come.
I pulled loose from his grip. The gyms that way.
Is there another route? He frowned at the intersection behind me, and I turned to look again, but there was nothing therejust the junction of two hallways, with a set of restrooms on opposite corners.
Only if we go around the whole building. Are you okay?
Yeah. Luca fell into step beside me again, reluctantly this time, and I took a critical sideways glance at him. He was beyond gorgeous. But Eastlake High was full of pretty people who acted like total freaks. I blame the local water supply. Which was why I drank bottled water.
Still, Luca was new, and he was hot, and he was the first guy whod looked at me with something more interesting than pity in his eyes since my mom died and my boyfriend was committed to a mental institution. If the universe was finally throwing me a boneand lets be honest, it owed me the whole damn skeleton, after the year Id hadI wasnt going to throw it back without at least taking a good look at the offering.
His hand lingered in my grip until I reluctantly pulled mine back.
Whats this? He knelt to pick up a dance shirt that had fallen out of the box and half escaped its plastic wrapper. Then he held it up in front of me, obviously trying to picture me in the skimpy, snug halter top.
Its a uniform. Im a dancer.
I could tell by how gracefully you crashed to the floor. His mischievous grin widened. You wear this?
Yeah. Well, I havent worn this one yet, but I will.
And youre going to dance around in it? In front of people?
I dont dance around. I perform. Its a sport. It takes a ton of discipline, and practice, and stamina.
That sounds more like football. I thought dance was about grace and beauty, and self-expression through movement.
I blinked, surprised, and he laughed. Its written on the side of your box.
I glanced at the box on the floor. Beneath the manufacturers label, the definition of dance hed quoted was printed in a pretty, scrolling font.
So which is it? He raised his brows in challenge as he watched me with a quiet smile. A sport or an art?
Its both. An athletic art. Although, at the competitive high school level, it was usually just a bunch of choreographed jumping around and gyrating to recorded music. You have to have perfect control over your body in order to make it say what you want to express.
So, youre saying that you wear this he held the top up by one strap, and for the first time, I realized how little material was actually there while you express things with your perfectly controlled body? And you have a lot of stamina? His brows rose suggestively. I think Im gonna like this school. Then he offered me his right hand to shake. Did I mention my name is Luca Tedesco?
I shook his hand briefly, and too late, I realized his smile was contagious. Youre new? I said, taking the uniform top from him.
I start next week.
Senior? He was tall. Nicely built. He could be a senior.
Junior. You?
Sophomore. But only for the next couple of months. Then school would be out for the summer, and Id return as the first ever junior-year captain of the Eastlake dance team. So, what were you doing in there? I asked, glancing past the door that had nearly killed me into the empty history classroombeyond.
Looking for a little excitement.
Did you find it?
I have now. He looked right into my eyes again, and again I wondered what he was looking for. I feel bad about nearly killing you with a door. Let me make it up to you? I could carry this box full of hard-core sports attirewherever youre taking it.
No, thats okay. Like I was gonna let the pretty new boy anywhere near Peyton before Id had a chance to thoroughly stake my claim.
Since Im the one who gave you this bump He brushed hair back from my forehead, and I winced when his fingers touched a tender spot just above my temple. I think you should let me do the heavy lifting, until youre fully recovered.
Well, if you insist My afternoon was looking better already.
I smiled at him. Im still a little dizzy. Who knows how long that could take?
Ill clear my schedule. He replaced the shirt that had fallen out and picked up the box. Which way?
Take the next right, and head straight for the double doors.
We were almost to the hallway junction when Luca stopped in the middle of the floor. His eyes narrowed at nothing, then closed entirely, and when they opened, he lookedcautious. Like hed seen something or heard something weird. Or like hed felt a draft. But all I could hear were some locker door squeals and muted voices from around the corner, and I couldnt see anything but an empty stretch of hall in front of us. And there was no breeze.
Yeah. Lets go this way. He took my arm and started to turn back the way wed come.
I pulled loose from his grip. The gyms that way.
Is there another route? He frowned at the intersection behind me, and I turned to look again, but there was nothing therejust the junction of two hallways, with a set of restrooms on opposite corners.
Only if we go around the whole building. Are you okay?
Yeah. Luca fell into step beside me again, reluctantly this time, and I took a critical sideways glance at him. He was beyond gorgeous. But Eastlake High was full of pretty people who acted like total freaks. I blame the local water supply. Which was why I drank bottled water.
Still, Luca was new, and he was hot, and he was the first guy whod looked at me with something more interesting than pity in his eyes since my mom died and my boyfriend was committed to a mental institution. If the universe was finally throwing me a boneand lets be honest, it owed me the whole damn skeleton, after the year Id hadI wasnt going to throw it back without at least taking a good look at the offering.
