Beyond - Volume 1 (YA Paranormal Romance) by S.P. van der Lee

clumsy.” I try to laugh it off, but I’m so embarrassed right now. “That’s the second time you’ve saved me,” I say.
    The left corner of his mouth goes up and forms a lopsided smile. A very cute and sexy smile.
    “I know how you can make that up,” he says.
    I take a strand of my dark red hair and tuck it behind my ears. “What do you mean?”
    “Want to get together and talk this afternoon?”
    I almost choke. The guy who saved me wants to hang out with me!
    “Is that a no?” he says.
    My mouth hangs open. I realize I look ridiculous and close it. “No, yes, no, I mean yes,” I stutter.
    He laughs.
    “Yes,” I say again, to make my answer clear.
    “Here’s my number,” Damian says while writing on a piece of paper and handing it over to me. The handwriting looks familiar, but I don’t know why.
    “Is something wrong?” he asks.
    I look at him and realize I’ve been staring at the note. “No, it’s nothing,” I reply and I take out my cell phone and put in the numbers.
    “Meet me at the fenc e, after school. I’ll text you the time,” he says and winks.
    My eyes follow him into the classroom, until I can no longer see him.
    I feel hot and I’m sweating. This is ridiculous.
    Why am I meeting up with someone I don’t know? I just met him. And why do I feel so excited?
    I c an barely keep my eyes off him. There’s some kind of unexplainable chemistry between us. I don’t understand it. I’ve been through some weird stuff these past few days. I just moved to a new town and have more hallucinations than ever before. And I’m going to have a get together with Damian Hayes, the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on.
    “Wow, is this for real?” I hear Lillian’s voice behind me.
    I turn around and see her standing behind me. “Are you hanging out with him?”
    “Just for a talk, yeah . Why? Is that a problem?” I ask, even though I do agree it’s kind of weird.
    “No, but he’s a bit … strange. That guy never talked to a girl before. As in, the first move. Ever. To Damian it’s like we don’t exist.”
    “Now you’re exaggerating ,” I say and shrug.
    “Really, I think you melted his stone cold heart.” She chuckles and then walks into the classroom. My heart skips a beat.
    I walk after her, feeling radiant, and I throw the paper in the trash. I already have his number safely locked away in my cell phone.
     
    ***
     
    Damian’s waiting for me at the fence after school. He hasn’t fetched his motorcycle yet. As I walk up to him, I run my fingers through my hair, so it looks decent. Under normal circumstances I would never worry about my looks, but I keep on fiddling with my hair.
    “Hi,” he says and greets me with a smile that makes my heart jolt.
    “Hi!” I say with a high pitched voice. He makes me so nervous. “Don’t you want to take your motorcycle with you?” I ask.
    “No, I’ll get it later. It’s kind of hard to talk with you when I’m on my motorcycle and you’re riding your bike.” He gestures his hand toward the sidewalk and invites me to walk with him. It’s a clear day, not a speck in the sky. A beautiful day to take a walk. “Nice motorcycle you have,” I say to break the silence.
    “Thanks. It’s an Aprilia RS125. Second-hand, but still works.”
    “I don’t know anything ab out brands, but it looks cool.” I laugh uncomfortably and blush when he smiles back. We walk into town. I don’t know what he’s up to or where he’s taking me, but I hope to find out soon.
    “So … what did you want to do?” I ask.
    He shrugs. “Hmm … nothing much. Walking. Talking. You know.”
    “Hmm, okay .” I don’t know where to look: the sidewalk or his handsome face.
    “You don’t want to do that?” He seems genuinely worried that I might not be interested in the two things he mentioned.
    “No, that’s not what I meant. I just wondered where to and what about.”
    “I just want to get to know the girl I brought home.” The corners of his