A Surreptitious Relationship

:A Surreptitious Relationship: Chapter Forty-Seven

            It was four o’clock in the afternoon when Chris pulled up to my house in his car. After grabbing my backpack and string bag, I hurried outside to it, trying to avoid being soaked by the rain that was falling down heavily. He popped the trunk for me and I quickly threw my stuff into it, taking not at the other bags already in there. I glanced into the car and realized the passenger seat was left open for me. Smiling, I climbed in, looking back into the backseat where Lance, Lexi, and Aaron were. “You guys left me shotty?”

            Aaron grunted. “No, we were forced to leave you shotty.”

            “Holly, put on your seatbelt,” Chris ordered flatly.

            I grinned at him, obeying his command. “Aw, is someone a little grumpy?”

            “If so, I like him when he’s grumpy,” Lance commented, smirking. “He doesn’t talk very much.”

            “I can kick you out of this car, you know,” Chris retorted threateningly. “Or I could crash it. That way I wouldn’t have to chaperone at all—”

            “Chris,” I interjected with a frown.

            He sighed. “I’m kidding. I’ll only kill myself.”

            “Chris!”

            Lexi giggled from the backseat. “You’re like an old man, Mr. Heywood.”

            “No, I just don’t like rollerblading,” he corrected her, putting his arm over my headrest and turning his head so he could back out of my driveway. “Nor do I want to be in the same place with your class for eight hours.”

            To be honest, I felt a little mixed up about Chris chaperoning all our senior week events. A part of me was excited I was going to be with him almost literally all week, but another part of me was annoyed because I knew girls would be all over him. After all, we were just about to graduate. They were probably thinking that because of that, Chris might be interested in them now. It definitely showed at school today. I scowled at the memory. As if Chris wanted to hang out with them this weekend…

            “Right, Holly?”

            “Um, right?” I responded, pulling myself from my thoughts.

            The car erupted into snickers and even Chris smirked. “Is that so, Holly?”

            “Is what so?”

            “You and Heywood would rather spend the evening snogging in his apartment,” Lance informed me.

            I blushed, glowering at him. “No! I mean yes— I mean not tonight! But I mean…”

            “Aw, Holly, you’re so cute!” Lexi cooed. “I’m so jealous you blush so easily!”

            “That’s not a good thing,” I muttered.

            Chris reached over with his right hand and squeezed my hand. “I think it’s cute.”

            I turned my nose up at him. “Yeah? Why don’t you try blushing when you just smile at someone cute?”

            “You think other people are cute?”

            “You’re the cutest,” I responded him quickly.