Sometimes, I liked to get up in the middle of class, to ask Mrs. Dawes a question during an exam, or to throw away something in the bin by her desk… just so I could feel his eyes on me. Of course, I never knew if he was actually looking at me. But in my mind, he always did. He made me so nervous. I would turn around to go back to my seat and never dare to glance in his direction., just in case he actually was looking. My heart would beat wildly out of my chest. Is that really all it took to get me going? To feel the sweat rising up on my palms? To get that nervous lump in my throat? Pathetic.
Of course, my symptoms haven't decreased in the slightest since we've actually started dating. He knows his effect on me. My breath always shortens when he walks into a room. I find it extremely difficult to get that first word out. I find it hard not to stare. Nothing about him should be as amazing as I'm imagining it to be. His beautiful green eyes; when I stare into them closely I can see the freckles imprinted on his pupils. His smooth dark hair. And of course, the infinitely charming smirk, infinitely plastered on his youthful face.
"Clare? Snap out of it." I jerked out of my daydreaming to his smooth, deep voice. We were sitting across from each other in the cafeteria.
"What's on your mind, Edwards?" he asked.
"Just… thinking about next period. I didn't… get to study for that Math quiz as much as I wanted." I lied. I was a terrible liar. The worst.
"Sure." Eli smirked, as he took a bite out of his apple.
We stared at each other for a few seconds until the school bell broke us from our shared reverie. Eli threw his messenger bag over his shoulder and reached his hand out for mine. I stood up and took it. Even his grip on my hand was warm and inviting. It was firm, but not overpoweringly so. It was loving and soft.
I hated to let it go as we branched off in the hallway. His, for French class, and mine, for Math. As the last bit of heat from his hand left my fingertips, my throat hitched. How ridiculous am I? Having to leave Eli for a 45 minute class period felt like an eternity. I turned to see how far he had gotten from me. He was standing still in the middle of the hallway, still looking at me. He hadn't moved an inch. I ran the few feet it took to be back at his side, and put my hand on his shoulder. He smirked and leaned in close. "See you after class," he said. I felt his warm, sweet breath on my face. I couldn't take it. I closed the remaining inches from our faces and pressed my lips to his. I could have stayed there forever.