Over the remaining few days of the week, things at school are very interesting. Before we parted ways on Wednesday night, Lorrie and I agreed to take things slowly in this situation until we knew exactly what we wanted from each other, and more importantly, until we knew that we were safe. Lorrie went over Enzo's and Thea's relationship with me, explaining to me all of the times that they were too clumsy with their relationship, mistaking comfortability with stupidity. He explains that they were too expressive in public, showing the world that they were incessantly in love with each other. He also explained that they were too stubborn sometimes. When they fell out, they would not talk or go near each other for days, putting Thea at risk of being abducted. Thea also refused to let The Rose Street boys protect her, declining their protection scheme for her pride, always telling them that it was unnecessary. I can't help but feel sorry for her, all she wanted was to be safe and normal with the boy she loved...
So, over the next few days, Lorrie and I don't interact with each other more than we usually would. Watching him make snarky comments at me in front of our friends, pretending to ignore me, dropping arrogant winks at me, and teasing me meticulously, any other person would think that we are still the awkward pair in the group; the pair that like to piss each other off too much. But only I can see the way that he secretly looks at me from the corner of his eye during our lessons, the way that he supresses a grin every time I get an answer right in our classes (which tends to be a lot), the way his hand accidently brushes mine in the common room, the mix of excitement and energy behind his eyes when we argue with each other, the subtle way he glares at other boys when they try to talk to me, and finally, the secret moments alone we get together in the corridor before lessons where he takes my hand and gazes at me with fondness, letting his guard drop for a few treasured moments. It makes me feel like we're playing some kind of game together, always running and trying not to be caught. It makes me feel alive.
On Friday afternoon, I practically push my way down the corridor, weaving with rapid speed between sweaty teenagers, desperate to get to history early for the final period of the day. When I finally get there and look through the window in the door, my heart flips twice at the sight of Lorrie making notes from an old textbook. He came early too. Without missing another beat, I push open the door and make my way towards him. On Wednesday, I took the exact same route that I am taking now but with anger and determination fuelling my stride. Now, two days later, I float in a cloud of eagerness past all of the empty desks. I notice Lorrie smile down at his textbook, obviously realising that it's me without looking up.
"You're-" checking his watch, he continues, "-two minutes late this time."
I scoff, throwing my bag onto my side of the desk in mock-annoyance.
"Am not." I reply.
Finally, he looks up with a devilish glimmer in his eyes, pushing the textbook to the side. Annoyingly, colour rises to my cheeks as he does his familiar assessment of what I'm wearing. Taking his time as he does so, I cross my arms over my chest and raise a brow.
"Looking for something?" I ask, cocking my head to the side. He tears his eyes away from my tight jeans and baggy hoodie combo, meeting my eyes with an amused expression that somehow makes all of his dark features look sharper. Don't be intimidated by him.
"You look cute today." he says, picking up a pen and placing it between his teeth. "But you're still two minutes late."
"Or are you just two minutes early?" I smile, manoeuvring myself around the desk to sit in my seat beside him. My body buzzes with warmth after his compliment. "It's a matter of perspective really."
This time, it's his turn to scoff.
"Pazza signora." He says, shaking his head. I give him an I don't speak Italian look and he chuckles, taking the pen from his mouth and placing it on the table. "Crazy lady." He translates.
"Ah." I say, nudging him in the side. "Thank you for your honesty."
"Speaking about honesty, I do believe that it's question time." Turning to face me, he pokes my thigh, willing me to do the same. I comply, swivelling around so that our bodies are facing each other, my legs flanked by his.
"Shoot." I say, curious about what he's going to quiz me on today. That's the thing about Lorrie, he's the least predictable person I've ever met.
"If you could go anywhere in the world, right now, where would you go?" he asks, eyeing me with a questioning expression.
"Cairo." I say without missing a beat. He seems surprised, probably by my direct, quick answer.
"Why?"
"Because it's where my parents met. Mom was on holiday with some of her college friends and Dad was at a car rally, working abroad for a racing team. They met at the airport and went on a date a few days later when Dad got a day off. They went to visit a famous pyramid together. Mom said that it was one of the most beautiful places she's ever been." I say, smiling at the idea of my parents in an exotic place, happy together.
"That's sweet." He says. Even though he isn't smiling, I can see that his eyes are radiant with some kind of fondness. "Your turn."
I think for a long few moments before my mind settles on an adequate question that has been floating around inside my head for a few days now.
"What are the names of the six other guys in your squadron thingy that you were telling me about on Wednesday? You said that they were all our age right?" I ask.
"Yeh, they're all seventeen. Most of them go to high school outside of Phoenix. There are seven of us and we were put together in a team based on our chemistry, group dynamic and different weaponry preferences, two years ago." He says. I give him a nod, willing him to expand. "Well, there's me first, I'm the squad captain. Then there's my second in command, Lucan De Luca, but of course you already know him from our common room."
"Lucan?" I interrupt, failing to hide my surprise. "But he's in our friendship group! He's your best friend! He's all sweet and approachable!"
Lorrie scoffs, raising both of his eyebrows.
"You should see him with a cross-bow. Not so approachable then." He says flatly, shutting me up. "Then there's the joker of our group, Esidore Favre, he's the light-headed, always-calm-in-a-not-so-calm-situation member of our team. He always goes for some kind of hammer or axe-looking thing on mission. He'd like you because you like to fight me all of the time, like he does." He chuckles when I prod him with my finger. "Then there's Caesar Venturi, the quiet member of our group. He's the most loyal, always trying to make my life easier, anything to please the group leader. He's also excellent at handling knives and daggers. Then there's Valentino Locatelli, Val, the trouble maker. He has a short temper and tends to get quite moody when he doesn't get what he wants. He's loyal enough though, and very talented when it comes to handling any type of gun."
"I don't think I'd like to run into him any time soon." I say, making a face at Lorrie. He simply raises a brow.
"Then there's Gianni Zanetti, the brainbox out of all of us meat heads. He has the brain of a computer, his weapon is literally his IQ. I've seen that boy talk his way out of a deadly situation. When it comes to it, Gia is our guy for disarming explosives, assessing perimeters, discussing deals with the enemy, and stuff like that."
"I'd like to see him take me on at a biology fight-to-the-death quiz." I say, wriggling my eyebrows at an amused-looking Lorrie.
"That's my girl." He says, smirking as my skin tinges red. "And last but definitely not least, there's Pierro Rossi, our youngest member. He's our Shuriken expert, gifted with his aim and precision. He's quite wary but nice enough.."
"And what's your weapon of choice then?" I ask, searching his expression. His face moulds into a smug smile. Confidently leaning back, he considers me for a moment.
"I'm trained in martial arts and hand to hand combat. Like my Papa. I was trained by him, the best of his kind when it comes to hand to hand combat. I'm also pretty confident with a gun or a knife, but nowhere near as gifted as Val or Caesar. Getting up close and personal is more my thing." He says, offering me one of his arrogant winks.
I scoff, triggering him to abruptly lean forwards and catch my hand in his. I gasp out of surprise. He was right when he said that he was trained by the best. His reflexes are so quick that I hardly even saw him move towards me. His body so graceful, that I didn't even realise that my hand was intertwined with his.
"Told you." He says smugly, fashioning a smirk. My already-blushing face must go luminous as I realise how close his face is to mine. It's almost as close as we were in the botanical gardens the other night. Close enough for him to kiss-
Pulling my hand free from his grip, I push him on his broad chest. Although he doesn't have to, he lets me push him away slightly, the smirk staying plastered across his face.
"My question." He says, looking pleased with himself. "Would you let me meet your family?"
Considering this, I know the answer is definitely yes. Mom would melt on the spot if she saw his face and body. Maddie would probably grill him to pieces before welcoming him to the quickly-becoming-Italian family with open arms. George would go outside and drool over his Harley the whole time that Lorrie was there. Gran would probably lock us up in one of the many rooms so that we couldn't escape each other. I decide not to tell him this though, it may be a little too soon for that level of intensity. I don't doubt that he can manage intense families, maybe just not ones quite as weird as mine.
"You might scare them all to pieces." I say instead, shrugging as his expression turns exasperated. "What? You're a scary-looking guy. They might think that you're here to mug us all. You're definitely capable of it." He scoffs at my joke, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I'll have you know that I've never mugged anyone before." He says, proud of himself. "And I can be a sweetheart when I want to be."
"Yes, I'd let you meet my family, but you've got to earn that privilege. My family is the most important thing to me, any boy that I take home has to have earnt their right to my family's love."
Lorrie's eyes shine with the urge to compete.
"You're a sweetheart all of the time really." I continue. "You just try to hide it. I know you're all fluffy inside. Scary guys don't watch The Vampire Diaries." Recalling the awkward moment on Teddy's doorstep when he revealed that the pair were watching The Vampire Diaries, I give him a wink.
"Oh no you didn't." he says, replacing his exasperated expression with one of surprise. He claps his hands over his heart in an effort to show me how hard I've hit him.
Sitting back in my seat, happy with my victory, I smile smugly at him. Before I can ask my next question, Miss White walks into the room carrying a large mug of coffee.
"Oh I do love seeing you two early birds here on a Friday afternoon. It really sets the mood for the weekend doesn't it?" She muses, grinning brightly at the pair of us. We both smile down at the table, sharing a moment of amusement together.