I shifted my gaze away, slightly embarrassed that I had just lost my cool and a little annoyed that he wasn’t even looking at me. My eyes squinted as I glanced at the library doors, swearing that I’d seen a shadow pass by, but that was likely my head messing with me because I suddenly felt exposed. “So…” I started as silence encased us. “You kissed my cheek so people would talk? And watch me?” My hands fell to my lap. “I’m not really a big fan of having eyes on me.” This was already off to a bad start.
“I know.” Isaiah finally glanced up at me from his phone. His expression was soft, but his voice held an undeniable amount of sternness to it. “But there are things you don’t know, Gemma. There is a lot more riding on me staying at this school than I’d ever care to admit.”
Silence pressed on us, as if we were stuck in that tiny linen closet again. “And there’s a lot more riding on me getting my hands on a new ID than I’d ever care to admit.”
Our eyes clashed together again, and I swore time had stopped. Everything had stopped existing except for the two of us. There was something heated about our conversation, like hot coals seconds from bursting back into flames. I felt the walls caving in, the room growing smaller.
But then, Isaiah’s phone buzzed, and the moment was gone. The air conditioner kicked back on, and the papers on Mrs. Groves’ desk fluttered to life. I watched as Isaiah ran his hand through his dark hair, pushing it off his forehead to reveal two slashes of brows.
My chin jerked when he raised his phone in his hand. “Duty calls.”
“What?” My voice was all breathy, and I quickly shook my head. “Wait. We’re done for tonight? We didn’t even study.”
His lips curved. “I don’t need a tutor, Gem.”
Gem. “I thought you were failing your classes?”
Isaiah stood up, hovering over me. “I am. But it’s not because I’m incapable of learning. I just don’t do the assignments.”
My mouth opened as I peered up at his tall stance. “Oh.” I began to stand up, feeling somewhat bothered by the fact that Isaiah was pretty much just using me as a cover and that he didn’t actually need my help studying. But then again, I was using him too, so I had no right.
Isaiah grabbed the chips off the table, and I stood back and watched as he swiped the crumbs back into the bags. His gaze shot to mine at the last second, and his brow hitched. “Should I lick it to be sure, or…”
My lips begged to curve upward, but I didn't allow myself to smile. I only sighed and shook my head, acting as if I were just as exasperated as Mrs. Groves was earlier, but I wasn’t.
As soon as Isaiah flipped the lamp off, he came up behind me and opened the door, allowing me to step into the hallway. His arm brushed mine as he reached over and turned the lock, and even though I was wearing long sleeves, tingles still flew to my skin. My blood was humming as he walked in stride with me. The hallways were empty, the lights dimmed to a minimum. I peeked up once, only to see him staring straight ahead with his face completely free of anything going on inside his head.
Leveling my gaze with the hallway, I took even breaths, willing my body to behave in the way that it always had before, but the truth was, I’d never been alone with a boy as much as I’d been alone with Isaiah since coming to St. Mary’s. It seemed the more we were pushed together, the more silent exchanges we shared, and that only led to my body reacting in ways that scared me. It scared me because I had the strongest urge to step in front of him and beg him to see me. To put his eyes on me and learn of everything that lurked inside.
That was the total opposite of who I was. I didn’t want anyone to look at me. I didn’t want anyone to see what was on the inside, because it was dark there. It was really, really dark. But still, Isaiah Underwood and his
hot and sultry looks and random dimpled grins were becoming more and more alluring to me. It was the way that he could somehow coax me into speaking my mind, instead of hiding behind shy smiles and hidden thoughts, that was enticing. In a way, Isaiah was seeing me, and that was because I wasn’t holding much back when it came to him, and I had no idea why.
Once we’d rounded the girls’ hallway, he stopped, stepping in front of me. His dark hair swayed down on his forehead again, and I wanted to push it away just so I could see him better. “I need your phone number.”
I stumbled over my words even though I’d just spent the last several seconds practicing leveled breathing. “Wh—what?”
His lips moved slowly. “I want your phone number, Gemma.”
“Why?” I asked, still very aware that he was only a few inches in front of me. If I breathed too deeply, I bet our chests would brush.
His brow furrowed, another stray piece of dark hair tumbling down. “Because I’m not done with you, but I have to go do something.” He slowly raised his hand and brushed his hair back, showing off his clear skin.
I rocked back on the heels of my shoes, feeling the pressure intensify in my chest. “I can’t give you my number.”
His head slanted. “What do you mean you can’t?”
I blew out a breath, placing my hands into the back pockets of my black jeans. “My uncle will likely pull my phone records. He gave me the phone before I got here, and I haven’t touched it.” I felt stupid for asking my next question, but I did it anyway. “Can you see who people call? Or text? He can look that up, right?”
Isaiah looked to the tall ceiling above our heads and sighed. “Yes.” I heard the grinding of his teeth before he shook his head. “Okay, don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.” His phone vibrated again. He didn’t even bother looking at it. “Don’t come back out of your room tonight. Okay?”
My brow furrowed as I glanced around the dark hall. “Okay...” I wasn’t sure why he said that, but either way, I wouldn’t be leaving my room.
Isaiah’s brows crinkled for a fleeting second before he recovered. “And if anyone asks, we were tutoring together until ten, okay?”
“Until ten?”
He nodded sternly, his jaw hardened to stone. “I have to go. Go back to your room.”