Chapter 3

After the last bell of the day rings, I go to my locker to drop off my textbooks before I go to meet my new friend, Morana. My last three classes of the day have the guy from the library in them. Today must be the first day that he has been in attendance because trust me, I would have noticed if he had been there any of the other days.

Today in class, I tried my hardest to keep from staring at him. Thankfully, he never even seemed to notice. Maci and her friends kept grappling for his attention like the desperate leeches that they are, so I doubt he even got a chance to look around the room. Not that he would notice me even if he had gotten the chance.

I am kind of invisible to hot guys. Either that or I am their punching bag. So I prefer to be invisible. That kind of guy, the hot guy, goes for girls like Maci. Maybe it's because she is always in their face, making a fool of herself. That must be what gets her noticed. But I am totally not the type to ever do that. It was honestly pathetic to watch. I feel so bad for Noah. He has no idea how his 'perfect' girlfriend acts when he is not around.

After the last bell of the day rings, I rush from class as if there is a fire behind me. I have already grabbed everything I needed from my locker so I am ready to just head home. I push through the exit with four other students, bumping my elbow on the door. Ow! Then I see Morana by the fountain and I rush over to her. “Hey.”

“Hey!” She grabs my wrist lightly and pulls me to the parking lot with her. We pass car after car until she comes to stand beside a black 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS and I nearly faint. It's beautiful.

“Hot damn! This is my dream car!” I swoon. I give her a sultry look, fanning my face in an exaggerated fashion. “It's so sexy!”

“Thank you.” A very deep and sexy, masculine voice says from behind me. A voice that I recognize right away.

I spin around in fright. “Oh my God. You scared me.” I say to him, looking up into his beautiful face. I feel the same nudge in the back of my mind that I felt when I first saw him in the library. It is almost like a sense of recognition, even though I know I do not know him. But it is also a burning interest in him that courses through my body. I always have this urge to go to him or to look at him, but I fight it. I do not want to seem like a stalker.

“I get that a lot.” He smirks at me. He's wearing his signature look again. Dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He is even sexier in the afternoon light. “So, you're just out here admiring my car?” He asks me with a raise of his brow and a quirk of his lips.

“Your car?” I ask, looking at Morana suspiciously.

“I am going to need the car. You can walk home.” Morana tells the guy. Her boyfriend?

“Hell no. You can walk or I can give you a ride, but you aren't taking my car.” He tells her.

She grins up at him and makes a pouty face, batting her lashes. “Please? Please? Pretty please?”

“Yeah, that's not going to work.” He says, glaring at her. “Are you walking or are you getting a ride?”

“You can walk with me,” I tell Morana, looking between the two of them curiously.

“Or he could give us a ride. How far away is your house?” Morana asks.

“Um, about thirteen minutes from here by car,” I tell her.

“How far is it on foot?” She asks, curious.

“About thirty-five minutes or so,” I answer. She gets a strange look on her face but says nothing.

“Yeah, we'll take that ride.” She tells the guy. “Come on Bronwen.” She turns to me, holding the door open for me to get in.

“Bronwen.” The guy repeats, grinning at me over the hood of the car. I shoot him a glare but he only winks before he slides in behind the wheel.

“Since you are our guest, you can ride up front,” Morana says but I shake my head.

“That's not necessary-”

“Get in.” The guy says with a bite in his voice. Morana crawls into the small back seat and I slowly sit in the passenger seat. When the guy throws it in reverse, squealing out of the parking lot, I hold onto my door handle. 

“Andras! You're going to scare the shit out of her!” Morana yells at him from the back seat. He gives me a sexy smirk then looks at her in the rearview mirror.  shiver, but I'm not sure if it's from the look he just gave me or from the fact that he has the windows rolled down and there is cold air buffeting me as he speeds down the street.

“She will be fine.” The guy- Andras, as she called him, says to her.

I pull out my cell phone and dial my brother's number. I can barely hear the ringing of my phone over the purr of the engine and the rush of the wind. “Hello?” His voice is almost inaudible in my ear.

“Alec! Can you hear me?”

“Barely. Where the hell are you?” He demands loudly in my ear.

“On my way home. Where are you?”

“Out with Noah. But you're safe. Samuel is at Myrna's for the week. He packed a bag earlier and left.” I let out a sigh of relief. So, it's safe to bring Morana to my house.

“Have fun with Noah,” I say. I almost tell Alec to tell Noah that I said 'hi' but I'm not that bold. After Noah kissed me, I would have no idea how to act with him or what to say to him. I am still the same girl that he has wanted nothing to do with for years. I don't expect one unexpected kiss to suddenly change his mind about me.

“See you later, Wen.”

I pocket my phone and direct Andras towards my place. When he draws near outside of the old structure, I figure he would stop in the road for us to get out, but he parks the car in the driveway. I get out and let Morana out. “Uh, thanks for the ride.”

“You aren't going to invite me in, too?” He asks me with an almost snide grin. I think he likes getting under people's skin. It's an annoying trait but luckily he has a face that will make a few allowances for him.

“Why would you want me to?” I ask, surprised.

“Why not? I have nothing better to do.” He gets out of the car, closing the door. "Besides if I stay, I won't have to just turn around and come back later for Morana. It saves me a trip."

Umm... “Okay then.” I turn and lead them up to the door. I'm pretty embarrassed by my house. We were never wealthy, but we were well off before my dad become a drunk. No, we are practically destitute because he drinks every bit of money we get. We are only able to stay afloat because of Alec. He gets me everything I need.  

"Well, um.. come on in,” I tell them, holding the door open. Morana walks through and Andras follows. Both stop in the living room, looking around. “I've never had anyone over, so I have no idea how to play at being a host. Do you want a drink? We might have something in the refrigerator.”

“Sure. Anything is fine.” I go to the kitchen, but I only find beer and water. Grabbing the waters I turn around to find the both of them standing behind me.

“Shit. You two move very quickly and very quietly.” I accuse, handing them each a bottle of water.

“Thanks,” Morana says.

Andras nods at me. Morana slides an arm through mine, nudging my shoulder with hers. “Do you have any more pictures that you can show me? I have been dying to see more, since the other day.”

I am embarrassed that she mentioned it in front of Andras, who immediately looks at me curiously. I turn away with a blush on my cheeks. “Upstairs in my room.”

“Will you show me?” She asks me, excited. Her bouncing jostles my arm and I giggle.

I'd rather not with him here, I want to say but how can I? “Sure.” With her arm still linked with mine, I lead her up the stairs to my bedroom. When I push open the door, she runs in ahead of me. My walls are covered in pictures I have drawn over the years of me and Alec or of my mother.

“Wow.” Morana looks around in awe. “I knew you were insanely talented, but this is just. wow.”

I feel Andras behind me, feeling his presence in every fiber of my being. He moves into the room, looking at the pictures on the walls. He lifts a hand to one, but I don't see which. He turns to me with a serious expression. “These are amazing.”

“Um, thanks. I just play around at drawing-” I begin, unsettled by the praise I'm receiving.

“This isn't playing around at anything.” He says quietly. “This is clearly a passion.”

I remain silent. It feels weird having people in my bedroom, but it feels even weirder having him in my room. I glance around, noting my unmade bed and the dirty clothes on the floor. When I spot a pair of panties on the ground, I flush crimson and move forward.

I take my toe and try to kick them under the bed. My stupid shoe won't do it or maybe I'm too nervous, but either way, they stay where they are, much to my annoyance. I lean down quickly, picking them up and tossing them under my bed. When I stand up I see Andras watching me with a grin.

“Who is this hottie?” Morana asks. I move over to see her pointing at a picture of me and Alec.

“That would be Alec,” I tell her.

“He is stunning.” She tells me, fake fanning herself.

“He thinks so too,” I tell her with a grin.

“When am I going to get to lay eyes on this gorgeous specimen?” She asks me. I glance at Andras to see if he is showing any signs of jealousy at her words, but he isn't paying any attention I guess.

I hear a door slam. “Wen?” A voice shouts. “Whose car is that in the driveway?”

“Now, it seems. Come on.” I grab Morana's hand, pulling her out of the room behind me.

“Wen?” Alec shouts again.

“Coming!” I shout back. “Hold your horses.”

“Speaking of horses, that is a sexy fucking car outside!” My brother says, with a huge grin. He starts nerding out over the 'horsepower' of the engine and talking about 'v' numbers and pistons.  I zone out, heading to my own little world in my head. But I notice the exact moment when Alec spots Morana and his eyes widen. He stops mid-sentence and gapes at her. “Is the car yours?”

“My brother's.” She answers him.

“Brother?” I ask her, surprised. I thought he was her boyfriend. She must notice my shocked expression because she glares at me.

“Eww... you did NOT think he was my boyfriend, did you?” My guilty flush gives me away. “I might actually be sick. Come on! I have standards. Admittedly, they can be low at times, but not THAT low.”

“Just how low are we talking here?” My brother says, sounding flirty. Woah tiger, keep it in your pants! I want to shout at him, but I bit my tongue. He is staring at Morana as if he's never seen a pretty girl before and I have to fight back a grin.

“Hmm... play your cards right and you might just get to find out,” Morana tells him with a wink.

“Eww,” I say, thoroughly disgusted by their banter. “Morana, this is Alec. Alec, my friend Morana.”

“Morana. That's a beautiful name.” My brother says.

“Thanks.” She says.

They start talking quietly to each other, Alec moving closer to her. It's then that I notice Noah in the doorway. He moves over, grabbing my hand and quickly pulling me from the room. He leads me up the stairs, without saying a word to me or even looking at me. When we get upstairs, away from Alec and in relative privacy, he pulls me into his arms.

“Is this a better time?”