You and I

CHAPTER 4

A small part of me - okay, a really big part of me - hoped I'd see the guy from the field party. I wanted to see him in light. I wanted to see if he was okay. And, I hoped, maybe he'd want to see me too.

Once I had directions to my locker, I went to look for it, feeling accomplished. Actually finding it was another thing entirely. With people filling the hallways, many of them in their lockers or in front of their lockers or making out against their lockers, I couldn't see them. Finding 654 was basically impossible.

"You doing good?" Abhi's voice came from behind me, and I nodded, not wanting to tell him I wasn't exactly great and would probably be late for my class.

"Where's your locker?"

I thought about how to answer that and just handed him the paper with my locker number on it.

"You already passed it," he replied, nodding back down the hall. "Come on. I'll show you."

I didn't have time to write down an argument. Instead, I just followed him. He was going to help me anyways and, if I admitted it to myself, I kinda needed his help.

Unlike when I had walked down the hallway, fighting through the packed bodies, everyone created a path for Abhi. It was like he was Moses and this was the Red Sea.

"Move the make out fest over about five inches. Nandini can't get in her locker," Abhi told a couple who were in mid-grope session.

"Who's Nandini?" the girl asked, turning to look at me. She had big brown eyes and olive complexion. Her long black hair fully straightened.

"My cousin," Abhi answered sounding annoyed.

I marked that usually his vocal tone to me is much more pleasant than the one he used with this girl. That means he can't totally hate me. Right?

"You got a cousin?" she asked, surprised. The guy's hands which were previously on the girl's bottom, moved to her hips and he shifted her over. Before I could see the guy's face, Abhi stepped back and held my locker open for me. "There you go. I'll eb around if you need me again." Then he left me there and walked away.

I didn't make eye contact with or even look at the couple beside me. The girl giggled, then I heard the guy whisper to her—the word mute was something I didn't miss. Apparently, Abhi had told people I was mute. I guess at least I wouldn't have anyone trying to talk to me.

"She don't talk?" the girl whispered back, loud enough for me to hear her.

I quickly put my books in my locker before closing it, making sure to hold on to my textbook and a notebook for my first class. Determined not to look at the couple, I kept my head down. My gaze landed on the guy's hands, now gripping the girl's bottom again. I guess this was something I was going to have to get used to.

I stepped into the hallway without looking up, and a hard body hit me in the side, knocking me backward.

"Shit, sorry," a male voice said as I collided with the gropey make-out couple. Great. "You okay?" asked the guy who ran into me.

I looked up to see the clearest blue eyes I'd ever seen set against pretty latte-colored skin. The combination was definitely striking but, unfortunately, he wasn't the mystery guy.

"Watch it," the girl behind me snapped, shoving me off of her.

The textbook and notebook in my hands fell to the floor, causing even more of a scene. I didn't like to draw attention, but that seemed to be all I could do.

"God, Soha, I ran into her. Chill the fuck out," the guy said as he bent down to get my books. I watched in fascination as large well-defined muscles popped from his snug short-sleeve shirt.

Soha laughed, but it sounded more like a wicked cackle than anything. "She's mute, Aryaman. And she's Abhi's cousin. So you can stop with the chivalrous thing. She ain't your type."

Then, from behind me: "Don't be a bitch, babe." That voice. I froze. I knew that voice. No . . . don't let it be.

"Abhi's got a cousin?" Aryaman asked as he stood up and held my books out to me.

I was afraid to turn around and look. Maybe I was mistaken. The guy making out with the girl beside me could not be the guy who kissed me Friday night. The guy who kissed me had been nice to his mother. Could a nice guy like that kiss another girl when he already had a girlfriend? Wasn't he a good guy deep down? I had convinced myself of that all weekend while I replayed our kiss over and over.

I tried to look unaffected as I took my books from Aryaman and tucked them against my chest.

"Yeah, he does. Surprise, surprise." That voice again. It was him. Oh God . . . it was so him.

I dropped my gaze to my books. I didn't want to look at anyone. I knew my cheeks were pink. I just wanted to be alone and get over this surprise in private.

My mystery guy continued, "She's something to look at, but Abhi's made her completely off-limits. So, Soha is right. Let it go. I did."

But he hadn't stayed away. Did he know Abhi had made me off-limits when he kissed me? Was that why he was acting now like he didn't know me at all? What a jerk! I'd let him kiss me. What had I been thinking? I wasn't normally weak just because a guy had a pretty face. My father had a pretty face too, and not once had my mother been able to trust him. I was smarter than this. That was a mistake I wouldn't make again.

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