So Into You [The Jane Austen Academy Series #2] by Cecelia Gray Page B

then righted himself.
    "What are you doing in my room?"
    "Hey, Ellie. Thought you might be hungry."
    He pointed to her bed—to a tray with a beet salad lunch plate and a glass of iced tea.
    "Anne mentioned the lunch rush would be crazy," he added when she didn’t say anything. "I brought the tray to the lunch room but she saw me and said maybe to leave it here . . . sorry . . . should I go?"
    "No!" She wanted to hug him, but worried she’d smell too awful for that. "Thank you—this is . . . the nicest thing. I’m so hungry—but if you don’t mind . . . I feel kind of . . ."
    "Oh, right." He grinned. "A shower. I’ll wait."
    "You’ll wait?" she asked.
    "Yeah. We gotta make those four million seconds count. Just in case."
    She grinned hard as she grabbed a change of clothes and her shower caddy. She’d never taken a faster shower. She didn’t bother with drying her hair and instead pulled it back into a loose bun at her neck. She towel dried but knew there were still errant drops of moisture on her arms and legs as she pulled on her board shorts and a tank top.
    She also brushed her teeth—for good measure.
    She didn’t know why she was so unsure of Edward. He always pulled away just as things were going great. Maybe he was just shy about making the first move because he wanted to be sure that she was sure. So she needed to show him she was sure.
    She did a second brushing and took a swig of mouthwash.
    He was right—they needed to make those four million seconds count. Starting with right now.
    Ellie made it back to the room in just over five minutes. Edward was still turning in the chair and he pulled up beside her bed as she sat on it, picked up the fork, and speared a beet.
    Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore.
    "Do you hate beets?" he asked nervously as she twirled the fork.
    "No . . . not at all . . ." She had no idea how to approach this. How to get closer to him. His hand was on the bed, so she laid her palm on top of his.
    His whole arm went rigid.
    She stared at him, willing him to look at her.
    Finally he lifted his head. Their eyes met.
    "Thank you again," she said.
    "No problem," he croaked, clearing his throat.
    Ellie leaned in closer so there could be no mistaking her interest, no misinterpretation, no possibility of pulling away.
    She heard Edward’s breath quickening, felt his pulse beating at his wrist where their hands touched.
    He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, his lips inching closer. His eyes squeezed shut.
    "Edward?" she whispered.
    With a groan, he pulled away and wrenched his hand out from under hers. "You should eat," he said. "There’s not much time before class. I’ll see you later."
    "Edward—" But he was out the door.
    Ellie felt queasy, her hunger returning with confusion and frustration. He liked her. He must! Why wouldn’t he just kiss her? Why couldn’t they just admit it?
    Why did her mom have to be right?
    When you wanted something too much, the universe took it away.
     
    * * *
     
    When she returned to her room after dinner service, she pulled out her homework, forcing herself to concentrate. The most foolish thing to do would be to fail her classes after working so hard, both mentally and physically, to stay.
    She had just finished the last assigned question when Emma twirled into the room.
    "Where have you been?" Ellie hissed. "You missed a whole day of class!"
    "I’ve been everywhere ," Emma said dreamily. "After Josh and I watched the sunrise, we drove to the ocean. You would have loved it. Tons of hot surfers. The waves just like you’re always describing them."
    "You missed school ."
    "So I wouldn’t miss life ." Emma fell back on her bed. "We ate shrimp tacos off this taco cart, right on the beach. Then Josh rented a motorcycle and he took me on a ride through the hills."
    "Does he even have a license?"
    "No," Emma admitted. "But he learned how to ride for a movie role and the rental guy recognized him—people everywhere recognized him!