winking at me.
I smirked at him.
“Try to guess what this is.” He made different gestures with his
hands but at the end he shook his hands in front of himself to indicate it was
a question.
I tilted my head at him. “What are you asking?”
He grinned, but his eyes sparked something mischievous. “Say yes.”
“Yes?” I whispered carefully, making hand signs to say it.
“What did you just get her to do?” Gabriel said, yawning.
Luke smirked. He held up five fingers. Since it was out of
context, I didn’t quite understand. It took a few moments before I remembered
he kept score any time someone at school asked me to marry them.
“God damn it,” Gabriel said, and he must have realized the same
thing. He grabbed at my arm, pulling me toward the bed. “You can’t do that shit
to her.”
Luke laughed, tugging at my other arm. “Hey, you can’t pull on my
fiancée like that.”
“It doesn’t count. You tricked her.”
“Guys?” I whispered, grinning.
Luke let go of my arm. “She’s gotten a bunch already.”
“That makes you as bad as Rocky and that other idiot,” Gabriel
said, pulling me onto the bed with him. I crawled up until I was sitting on the
edge. Gabriel stuffed the blanket around his shoulders as he sat next to me. He
rubbed a palm at his sleepy eyes. “Which reminds me, we need to figure out how
we’re going to stop this stupid obsession. If this catches on, it’ll turn into
guys bullying her instead.”
The house creaked. I froze, trying to fix on the sound. Was it a
normal house settling creak or something else?
Gabriel was oblivious. “And Rocky’s on the football team. We don’t
need the whole team doing that to her.”
I leaned over, hovering above him, as I extended a finger out to
his lips, pushing a fingertip to his mouth to get his attention. His eyes
widened and his lips closed. My cheeks teased with heat. It was like he was
kissing my finger.
A distinctive creak of the pushpin being pulled from the wall sent
me falling to the floor in a panic. I meant to get out of the way for Gabriel
to get past me to get inside the attic. Instead, he shoved the cover over his
head.
Luke seized me by the waist, dragging me into the attic with him.
I spilled out onto my back. My shirt got shoved up, exposing my stomach and my
back scratched against the wood. My bad ankle locked into an odd position, and
I bit at my tongue to try to ease the pain. Luke hovered on all fours over me,
closing the door behind us.
The door to my bedroom crashed open against the wall.
“What are you doing in bed?” Marie’s voice filtered through to us.
I heaved a sigh. While it wouldn’t be good for Marie to catch Gabriel here, it
wasn’t as bad as my mother.
Through the attic door, Gabriel groaned, girly, muffled.
“Sick?” Marie asked. “Why’d you move your stuff around?”
More mumbling.
Dry air clamped down on my throat. I started coughing. Luke
shifted above me, drawing himself down against my body and covering me with his
frame. His hand found the back of my head and he stuffed my face into his
chest. I tried to swallow and breathe but it felt like the more I breathed in,
the more I needed to cough.
Outside in the bedroom, Gabriel started coughing, too, masking my
noise.
“You’re not going to puke, are you?” Marie asked. “I came to check
in. I’m going back. She’s asleep again.”
Tears threatened my eyes. My body shuttered against Luke’s as I
tried to swallow back a cough. His lips found my ear.
“Hang on, sugar,” he whispered. “One more minute.”
I pressed my face to his chest and smashed my mouth against his
shirt.
“You should get some water,” Marie said.
Silence lasted for a few minutes. I swallowed over and over again
to hold back a cough.
The attic door burst open. Gabriel lunged inside and Luke pushed me
out. Coughing spasms took over. I scrambled for the bed.
The door was still wide open but Marie was gone. I gasped for air,
got up from the
I smirked at him.
“Try to guess what this is.” He made different gestures with his
hands but at the end he shook his hands in front of himself to indicate it was
a question.
I tilted my head at him. “What are you asking?”
He grinned, but his eyes sparked something mischievous. “Say yes.”
“Yes?” I whispered carefully, making hand signs to say it.
“What did you just get her to do?” Gabriel said, yawning.
Luke smirked. He held up five fingers. Since it was out of
context, I didn’t quite understand. It took a few moments before I remembered
he kept score any time someone at school asked me to marry them.
“God damn it,” Gabriel said, and he must have realized the same
thing. He grabbed at my arm, pulling me toward the bed. “You can’t do that shit
to her.”
Luke laughed, tugging at my other arm. “Hey, you can’t pull on my
fiancée like that.”
“It doesn’t count. You tricked her.”
“Guys?” I whispered, grinning.
Luke let go of my arm. “She’s gotten a bunch already.”
“That makes you as bad as Rocky and that other idiot,” Gabriel
said, pulling me onto the bed with him. I crawled up until I was sitting on the
edge. Gabriel stuffed the blanket around his shoulders as he sat next to me. He
rubbed a palm at his sleepy eyes. “Which reminds me, we need to figure out how
we’re going to stop this stupid obsession. If this catches on, it’ll turn into
guys bullying her instead.”
The house creaked. I froze, trying to fix on the sound. Was it a
normal house settling creak or something else?
Gabriel was oblivious. “And Rocky’s on the football team. We don’t
need the whole team doing that to her.”
I leaned over, hovering above him, as I extended a finger out to
his lips, pushing a fingertip to his mouth to get his attention. His eyes
widened and his lips closed. My cheeks teased with heat. It was like he was
kissing my finger.
A distinctive creak of the pushpin being pulled from the wall sent
me falling to the floor in a panic. I meant to get out of the way for Gabriel
to get past me to get inside the attic. Instead, he shoved the cover over his
head.
Luke seized me by the waist, dragging me into the attic with him.
I spilled out onto my back. My shirt got shoved up, exposing my stomach and my
back scratched against the wood. My bad ankle locked into an odd position, and
I bit at my tongue to try to ease the pain. Luke hovered on all fours over me,
closing the door behind us.
The door to my bedroom crashed open against the wall.
“What are you doing in bed?” Marie’s voice filtered through to us.
I heaved a sigh. While it wouldn’t be good for Marie to catch Gabriel here, it
wasn’t as bad as my mother.
Through the attic door, Gabriel groaned, girly, muffled.
“Sick?” Marie asked. “Why’d you move your stuff around?”
More mumbling.
Dry air clamped down on my throat. I started coughing. Luke
shifted above me, drawing himself down against my body and covering me with his
frame. His hand found the back of my head and he stuffed my face into his
chest. I tried to swallow and breathe but it felt like the more I breathed in,
the more I needed to cough.
Outside in the bedroom, Gabriel started coughing, too, masking my
noise.
“You’re not going to puke, are you?” Marie asked. “I came to check
in. I’m going back. She’s asleep again.”
Tears threatened my eyes. My body shuttered against Luke’s as I
tried to swallow back a cough. His lips found my ear.
“Hang on, sugar,” he whispered. “One more minute.”
I pressed my face to his chest and smashed my mouth against his
shirt.
“You should get some water,” Marie said.
Silence lasted for a few minutes. I swallowed over and over again
to hold back a cough.
The attic door burst open. Gabriel lunged inside and Luke pushed me
out. Coughing spasms took over. I scrambled for the bed.
The door was still wide open but Marie was gone. I gasped for air,
got up from the
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