More Flirting Games (The Flirting Series - Young Adult) by Stella Wilkinson Page B

behind and he turned, his face lit
up by his warm smile.
    “Couldn’t
sleep, huh?” She teased.
    “Not with
you on my mind.” He teased back.
    She curled
herself into his lap. He slid his hands inside her dressing gown and round her
waist. They sat there and smiled at each other for long seconds, all time
together was precious and so it went so fast.
    He finally
bent his head, and kissed her slowly, with great tenderness. She sighed against
him in happiness, her fingers pushing through the soft hair on the back of his
head.
    She noticed
nothing, felt nothing but him, floated in his arms until quite suddenly…
    “Oh! OH!
How could you!”
    Rose jumped
up. Diana was standing in the doorway. Tears were streaming down her face, her
hands pressed over her mouth and her eyes wide with horror and hurt…

Chapter Nine
     
    Diana fled
through the door, not towards their room but instead out to the stairs going
from the Common Room down to the rest of the school.
    Rose put
her hands on her hips and turned to Leo. “How could I? Who does she think she
is? It isn’t up to her what I do. How bloody melodramatic was that!”
    Leo sighed
running his hands through his hair. “Not how could you , Rose. How could I .
She was talking to me.”
    “What the
hell is going on with her, Leo?”
    He
shook his head. “Sorry, Rose. It’s none of your business.”
    “None of my
business?” she felt her voice rise to a screech.
    He just
shook his head again. “I’d better go after her.”
    Rose glared
at him “Don’t you dare! You owe me an explanation before her!”
    He just
looked at her. She thought she might thump him if he shook his head again, but
he just looked kind of sad.
    Her
shoulders slumped. “I see.” Well, she knew where his priorities were now.
“Well, I guess that’s that then. You’d better go and pander to the princess.
But don’t expect me to still be here when you get back!”
    She spun on
her heel and stormed up to her room.
    She cried
quietly under the covers. She hoped he would tell Diana it was none of her
business. But she had already seen in his eyes that Diana came first. It took
Rose several hours to fall asleep. By the time she did, Diana still hadn’t come
back.
    ***
    Leo knew
where Diana would be. He hurried straight to the first floor. Once there, he
went round the corridor until he got to a large bay window covered with a heavy
velvet curtain. Behind the curtain was a window seat covered in cushions. Diana
was curled up in a ball on the cushions.
    Leo climbed
onto the seat next to her.
    “I’m
sorry.” He reached out and hugged her.
    “Why her
Leo? Anyone but her!”
    “I
understand. But it’s not her fault, Di. Don’t give her a hard time, she hasn’t
done anything.”
    Diana
sniffed. “I know. I’m being completely unreasonable. I can’t help it. I just
hate her! She has everything and now she wants you too… It’s not serious
between you is it? Please promise me you won’t get together with her, Leo,
please. Is it so much to ask?”
    Leo looked
down at her tear-streaked face and felt the heavy weight of responsibility.
    “Of course
it isn’t. I won’t go near her except when I have to, ok? But you have to
promise me to cheer up. I know Christmas was awful for you but you’ve got to be
stronger.”
    Diana
nodded and cuddled deeper into the cushions. “Can we stay here for a while?”
    Leo put his
arm around her. She still looked so young and childlike to him. He wished she
were more confident. Like Rose Falcon. He pushed images of Rose back out of his
mind. Oh well, it had been great while it lasted. But until Diana was over her
trauma, he would stay away from Rose. He wondered if that was likely to happen
any time in the next year and a half. Would he have to watch as Rose got
together with someone else? Maybe he would find someone else himself. After
all, he never meant to get involved with Rose. Sure, she was pretty, and funny,
and intelligent, and she had fantastic legs