Just You by Rebecca Phillips Read Free Book Online Page B

mortification. “I’m going back to Devon,” she said. She
leaned over to give me a one-armed hug, whispering in my ear, “Have
fun.” Then she winked at me, nudged Michael’s shoulder with hers,
and slipped back into the crowd. We both stared after her for a
moment.
    “As I was saying,” Michael said, turning to
me again, “or trying to say, before…do you want to go somewhere a
little quieter?”
    I swallowed, forgetting I had still had gum
in my mouth, and almost choked. “Quieter?” I said, coughing a
little. Was he asking me to go in a bedroom with him? Alone? So he
wasn’t really nice, after all. It made sense. Someone who looked
like him had to be a conceited jerk.
    “Outside. It’s a little cold, but—.”
    “Oh, outside.” Relieved, I started laughing.
“Okay. Fresh air would be good.”
    He looked slightly confused by my laughter,
as if it never occurred to him that I might take his invitation to
mean something else. This made me feel better. I was just being
superficial again, judging him based on appearance alone.
    We made our way outside to the deck and
stood near a stainless-steel grill that could have roasted an
entire cow. Numerous chairs and benches lined the deck railings,
all occupied by smokers. And going by the pungent, skunky smell
that kept drifting over, I knew it wasn’t just cigarettes that were
being passed around.
    “I’m sorry again for the elbow thing,” I
said. I’d only met the guy yesterday, and already I’d embarrassed
myself enough to last a lifetime. It amazed me that he hadn’t run
in the opposite direction when he saw me, like I’d done with Buzz
Cut Boy.
    “My fault,” he said, waving away my apology.
“It was a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ kind of thing.”
    Out here, with the tiny lights strung along
the deck railing and the low, full moon above us, I was able to see
him more clearly. His eyes, I noticed for the first time, were not
an ordinary blue. They were grayish blue, steely and dark, like a
summer sky right before a thunder storm.
    “You want a drink?” he asked.
    Dropping my gaze, I pretended to brush
something off my jacket. I’d quickly discovered that if I looked at
him for longer than a few seconds, I’d start blushing like a moron.
“Sure, um…water, I guess.”
    “Be right back.”
    He went inside, and I let out a shaky
breath. My forehead felt sweaty again, like it had last night, so I
leaned over the railing in an attempt to get a cool breeze on my
face. Below me, I could make out a patch of bushes and a
perfectly-landscaped garden. I leaned over further, trying to make
out what kind of flowers were growing.
    “Here you go.”
    I whirled around, almost knocking into
Michael once again. This time, he dodged out of the way before we
collided. He laughed and handed me an unopened bottle of water.
“Thanks,” I said, and I figured it was best to laugh with him at my
lack of grace.
    He slid in next to me at the railing, his
arm resting right against mine. I sneaked a quick peek at his
profile. He had a nice one, all clean angles and straight lines.
His jaw was strong, angular, with a faint shadow of stubble. I
thought of my slightly-too-big nose and definite lack of high
cheekbones and suppressed a frown. At least my eyes were an
interesting shade of green. My hair got a pass too…long and thick
and chestnut brown. One of my best features, or so I’d been told.
Brian always said it smelled like coconut.
    Brian. Just thinking his name was like a
bucket of ice-cold water over my head. What the hell was I doing
out here talking to this guy who was not only hot and nice, but
also seemed interested in me, for whatever reason? I did not want
this. I did not want him. I was done with boys. Period.
    “I should…” I started to say, but then
stopped when Michael turned to look at me, putting us only inches
apart. I backed away, cleared my throat, and tried again. “I should
go. I promised my dad I’d be home by ten tonight.” I’d