I’m behind on my homework schedule and fervently writing down notes as I skim the books in front of me. I’ll read them thoroughly later on.
When someone knocks on my door, I don’t even look up before yelling, “Come in!”
“Do you ever do anything else?” Hunter chuckles as he opens the door.
I turn around and see him standing in the doorway with a coy smile on his face.
“I need to get this done in time,” I say.
“Oh, c’mon, you can work me into your schedule.”
I hear him stomp as he walks inside. “Sorry, but I don’t have time for sparring today.”
“I’m not talking about sparring.”
He’s right behind me. I know because his body creates a shadow on my work, and I can’t really see what I’m doing anymore. He reaches forward and grabs my book.
“Hey!”
“Chill. I’m just putting it away. See?” He puts the book back onto my shelf. “You really need to relax sometimes.”
“I am relaxed,” I say.
And then he places his hands on my shoulders. His fingers squeeze my flesh, and he starts pressing. Soft and hard, pinch and release. He’s massaging me.
“See? All tensed up. Can’t be good.”
I struggle not to moan from his touch.
“Tell you what, why don’t we go hang someplace today? Takes your mind off things for a while.”
“But it’s almost evening, I can’t—”
“Because it’s evening?” he jests. “C’mon. You gotta give me a better cop-out story than that.”
“I need to get this done.”
“Homework can wait. You need to have some fun once in a while.”
“But …”
“I’m starting to think you’re just making up excuses so you can avoid having to hang with me. Are you afraid?”
He leans forward and gazes into my eyes with a playful look on his face. I can’t deny that he looks so goddamn cute when he does that cheeky smile.
“No, of course not,” I stammer.
“Do you want me to drag you out of that seat then? And that’s not an empty threat.”
His words stir my insides, heating them up.
“Oh, all right,” I say. It’s impossible to say no to him.
“Awesome, let’s go.”
Hunter turns the chair with one hand, spinning me around. He grabs my hand and pulls me up.
I almost squeal as he drags me along the corridor and out of the dorm.
We walk through the city for about thirty minutes before Hunter stops on the corner of the street. He peers up at the movie theatre just ahead and then points at it.
“We’re going to the movies?” I say with my eyebrows raised.
Hunter’s eyes scan the area, as if he’s checking whether the coast is clear. Then he nods.
“I can’t pay for that, you know,” I say.
“Don’t need cash to have some fun,” he says, and he grabs my hand and pulls me to the rear entrance.
“What? You want to sneak in?”
He puts his finger to his lips and shushes me. “Do you wanna get caught?”
I shake my head as he opens the shoddy door. “I can’t do this.”
“C’mon, live a little,” he says softly. “We won’t get in trouble if you keep your mouth shut. It’ll be fun. Trust me.”
He pulls me through the door and checks the hallways for any guards. My heart is beating in my throat as we barely pass an employee on his break.
“This way,” Hunter whispers, and he pulls me to the side and into another door that says ‘SERVICE ONLY.’
We come out in a room with booming sounds, filled with red chairs. A movie is already playing, and there are people who are watching it and are unaware of our presence.
“Quiet,” Hunter whispers into my ear, and it tingles against my skin.
We go to the back row and slump down on the seats, hoping nobody will notice us. My heart is still going crazy, and it surprises me that Hunter’s relaxing already, putting his arms over the arm rest. I get the feeling this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this.
“Do this often?” I whisper.
“Sometimes.”
“But if we get caught, we’ll be in major trouble.”
“I’ve done this often enough to know how not to get caught,” he says, staring at the screen.
We watch the movie, and after a while I settle in more. I’m getting used to the idea we’re doing something totally against the law. The only way I can make this okay for myself is by telling myself I won’t be doing this again anytime soon.
But damn, it’s exciting.
I never expected going against the rules was so freaking thrilling.