The Academy

Chapter Eight

"Yep. I wouldn't have preferred to grow up anywhere else. That place has absolutely everything, and the city is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." His eyes flickered back at me. "Well, one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen."

I could feel my cheeks get hot and my stomach flip. Was he flirting with me?

"It sounds great," I replied, trying to prevent eye contact with him. In Bunting, guys didn't usually flirt with me. And, if they did, they were usually the weird kind of guys who spend all night playing video games in their basements. I wasn't exactly used to extremely cute guys flirting with me. But, hey, there's a first time for everything.

"So, where do you want to go? The harbor, a museum, or a park?"

"Is 'all of the above' an option?"

Tatum smirked at me, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Actually, it's the only option. I was going to take you to all of them. First, we're going to the Museum of Fine Arts. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

The museum ended up actually being pretty cool.

Actually, the entire city was absolutely magnificent. It surpassed my expectations completely.

All the people we crossed on the street were so kind and understanding, even though it was obvious I has absolutely no idea where I was going. More times than I would care to admit, I would get too enthralled with my surroundings to follow Tatum and would end up getting a bit lost. While I'd search wildly for him, the passing citizens would just go around me, shooting me a welcoming but sympathetic smile. It made me feel a bit less out of place, if that was possible.

Now, we were at the Boston Harbor. We stood at the edge, watching the lights from surrounding buildings bounce off the surface of the water, creating a beautiful illusion.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" I said to Tatum. I definitely felt like a tourist, feeling wowed by all the new people and new scenery.

"Very," he replied as his eyes landed on me, smirking a bit. "Are you having fun?"

I nodded and smiled back at him. Tatum stepped toward me slowly, as if any sudden movements would startle me. Carefully, he put his arm around my shoulders.

"Now," he said, pulling his arm away just a second after he placed it there, "let's go to the Public Garden."

He had already started to walk away when I was just standing there, wondering what in the world had just happened and why he yanked his arm away so quickly. Since I had met him, I couldn't deny our chemistry and the butterflies that would flutter in my stomach every time I made eye contact with him, and I thought he felt the same way. Although something told me that he did, I couldn't help but wonder.

The Public Garden was—as expected—a huge, well-kept garden. It contained a large variety of structures and sculptures, one of which especially interested Tatum. He couldn't take his eyes off of a small fountain.

"Did you ever watch The Jungle Book?" he asked me.

"Of course."

"Remember the panther? This is a sculpture of him. Bagheera. I think that was his name. But The Jungle Book was my favorite movie when I was younger. I owned it on VHS. It was one of those movies I could never get tired of." He glanced over at me, his eyes vulnerable. "Can I tell you something?"

I nodded.

"When I was about five, my dad was on the verge of losing his job, and my parents fought constantly. They didn't really care whether I heard them or not. I would lock myself in this den we had and would watch the movie every time I heard the fighting start. It helped keep my mind off of it. My parents are fine now, but I love to come look at this statue or watch the movie. It makes me calm."