More Flirting Games (The Flirting Series - Young Adult) by Stella Wilkinson Read Free Book Online Page B

romantic between her and me,
there never has been, so you really don’t need to worry.” That was the most she
ever got out of him. She tried very hard not to rubbish Diana to him as he just
got cold and his eyes took on a shuttered look. She had to be content with
that, they were otherwise getting on too well for her to want to ruin it with
an argument.
    Her
favorite time with him was always last thing at night. When everyone else had
gone to bed they would both sneak back down to the West Tower Common Room and
snuggle up on a sofa together. This was a luxury that would end when the rest
of their schoolhouse returned as there was nearly always someone staying up
late studying in the Common Room.
    One night
she tackled him about the necklace. She hadn’t taken it off, except to sleep,
since he’d given it to her. She had started to close her hand around it
whenever she felt the need for comfort or reassurance.
    Rose lay
with her head in Leo’s lap and lifted the necklace up to look at it again. She
let the silver horse spin in the dim light. “I’ve been meaning to ask about
when you bought this?”
    “Tarnation.
I was hoping you’d not ask.” He tried to distract her with a tickle, but she
playfully slapped his hand away.
    “Why not?”
    “Well, I
didn’t want you to know how long I’ve liked you.”
    Rose sat
up, very interested. “How long?”
    “October.”
He rolled his eyes at his own perceived weakness.
    “Oh.” Rose
said, disappointed. “That’s not so very long.”
    “It was still
three months of asking myself what in sweet heaven I was thinking.”
    “What made
you buy it?” She was intrigued to hear more.
    “Actually
it was Nate Naverly. You were in the pub in the village with your friends and
he was all over you. For some reason it really got my back up. I just thought
you were too good for him. It never bothered me when you were with Ben, but the
idea of Nate getting his hooks into you made me madder than a box of frogs. I
don’t trust him.”
    “Neither do
I.” She laughed, “But he does seem to be making Ellie very happy. They’ve been
together two months now and still seem totally into each other. So you hardly
have to worry about him going after me.”
    “Hmmm.” He
didn’t look wholly convinced. “Well, he definitely was after you, and it got me
thinking. Thoughts I didn’t want to have, about wanting you for myself. Then,
one Saturday visiting day, I was out having lunch with my mother in Bristol and
she dragged me into an antiques shop and I saw the necklace. As soon as I saw
it I thought of you, you have winged horses drawn all over your art folder and
Diana’s mentioned your poster.” He shrugged as if that was all there was to say
but she poked him to encourage him to continue.
    “Fine,
fine.” He grumbled but carried on. “I’d bought it before I’d really thought
about it. I suppose that somewhere in my mind I hoped that one day I might be
able to give it to you and that you might like me back.”
    “I do like
you back. A lot.” She kissed him with passion.
    The
holidays ended all too soon. In some ways it was great when classes started
again. She and Leo had all the same classes and spent a lot of time exchanging
secret looks and smiles. The occasional squeeze in the corridor and knees
touching under the table in the science lab where they had to share a bench.
But the real highlight turned out to be the art studio. They both loved art and
although their friends were around them during lesson time, no one questioned
either Rose or Leo if they said they were off to the art studio for some extra
time on their coursework.
    After the
first art class of the year, Leo stayed back, chatting with the Art Master, and
Rose stayed at her bench after telling her friends that she was going to spend
lunch finishing the painting she was working on.
    Shortly
after everyone else had gone, Mr Grimes, or Grimey as he was obviously called
by the students, wrapped up his