Page 24 of Infinity Chronicles 1
Oliver steps closer to me and drops his arm around my neck. The warm tingle reminds me why I need to do this. “Come on Laura, you look like you’re about to get in the car with a stranger offering candy. I promise you’ll be perfectly safe, and we'll be on our best behavior.” His pointer finger makes a small X over his heart and he grins down at me.
I peer over at Milo and wonder if he can tell how I feel with Oliver touching me. Would he still have the easy smirk on his face if he knew about the butterflies in my stomach?
No, I don't think he would.
I pull away and look down. “The back is fine, you called the front.”
“Damn,” Oliver curses and when I look up, he and Milo are staring at each other. Milo’s smirk has jacked up to a full-blown smile.
I shuffle in and scoot over so I'm behind the driver’s seat and Milo wedges himself in next to me. He grunts when he falls into the seat.
“We need to get a different car man. I'm tired of crawling in and out of the backseat.”
Dante's hand caresses the dashboard. “Not giving her up.”
I lean to the side and let the strap of my bag slide off my arm. It drops to the floor and I settle back in the seat.
Ten
As the rumble of the engine purrs to life, I have a second of indecision. I know my life is changing, veering into something I scarcely recognize. I also know getting out of the car now wouldn’t stop the changes from coming, maybe delay them, but probably not.
Dante pulls out of the school lot, making a right turn. Oliver reaches over to the radio, tapping the power button. Instinctively I slam my palms over my ears when it blares to life. He fumbles for only a second before the volume drops dramatically.
“Holy loud Batman,” I utter in shock.
Milo, who feels entirely too close to me in the small backseat, chuckles.
“You’ll get used to it. Dante is half deaf.” From the small grin on his face, I think he’s joking about the Dante being deaf part.
Oliver throws his elbow over the front bench seat, turning to face us. He eyes thespace between Milo and I before peering at me.
“Hi,” he offers with a sweet smile tipping his lips.
I blush, and I don’t even know why. “Hi Ollie,” my voice is small. It’s the first time I’ve used his nickname, I hadn’t even planned on it. That’s just what came out.
He bites the corner of his mouth and breathes in deep. Milo reaches forward and pushes his arm off the back of the seat, a little too hard, if the look on Ollie’s face tells me anything.
I look down at my lap, feeling like I just got caught. Was I flirting?
Milo leans into my space a few moments later. I tense, expecting him to warn me off his boyfriend, instead he says, “I’m starving, how about you? You hungry?”
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He doesn’t look angry. I turn my head enough to see him slouched in the seat, his legs spread wide to accommodate the front passenger seat.
I’m actually starving. I didn’t get my lunch today, but I’m not sure eating would be a good idea.
“Maybe a little.” I shrug.
Milo angles forward on the seat and leans to Dante’s side of the car, bringing him even closer to me. I push back into my seat. Feeling like I’m taking up too much space.
“Let’s hit a drive-thru.I’m hungry and I don’t feel like making anything when we get home.”
Dante’s head turns to his friend, then his eyes find me in the backseat through the rearview mirror.
“I’m down,” Ollie replies.
I order a cheeseburger with no mustard and an iced coffee. Hoping the sugar and caffeine will help me get through the next hour. The guys call out several numbers, each ordering more than a single meal.
Before we even pull up to the window, I have five singles flattened out, which I’d retrieved from my bag. I lean forward enough that the cash is over Dante’s shoulder. He looks over at me, then down to the money in my hand. He opens his mouth like he was going to say something, but stops himself.
