Accidentally Yours

The One Exception

By Wednesday morning, I had made a decision. I was going to ignore Lucas Bennett.

It wasn't because I disliked him, because that would have made everything much easier. The problem was that I actually liked talking to him, and I was beginning to notice him far more than I wanted to.

I liked the way he remembered little things I said. I liked the way he teased me without ever making me uncomfortable, and I especially liked the way his expression softened whenever he looked at me.

That was exactly why I needed some distance.

I had transferred to Westbrook High because I wanted a fresh start, not because I wanted to become the newest subject of everyone's gossip. Lucas was already one of the most talked-about students in school, and getting involved with him after only a few days seemed like the fastest way to make sure everyone knew my name.

So, for the first time since meeting him, I decided that I would stop giving him my attention.

“Good morning, Carter.”

I heard Lucas's voice behind me as I closed my locker.

I kept my eyes on the combination lock and pretended I hadn't heard him.

“Morning.”

I started walking toward class.

Lucas caught up easily and fell into step beside me.

“You're walking away.”

“I have class.”

“So do I.”

“Then you should probably go.”

He smiled. “I am going.”

I glanced at him. “You're following me.”

“We're going in the same direction.”

“You could walk faster.”

“I could.”

He paused for a second before adding, “But then I wouldn't be walking with you.”

I stopped and looked at him.

He looked completely serious, which somehow made the stupid little smile threatening to appear on my face even harder to suppress.

“You're annoying.”

“I've been told that before.”

“You seem proud of it.”

“Only when you're the one saying it.”

I quickly turned away so he wouldn't see me smile.That was another problem with Lucas.

He had an irritating habit of making ordinary conversations feel like something more. He could say the simplest thing and somehow leave me wondering whether there was another meaning hidden underneath it.

We continued toward class, with Lucas staying beside me despite my obvious attempts to walk faster.

Several students greeted him along the way.

He returned some of the greetings with a nod, but he never stopped for long. He seemed completely uninterested in the attention that followed him through the hallways.

I watched him from the corner of my eye.

Lucas wasn't rude.

He simply didn't seem interested in giving people more attention than necessary.

Then someone bumped into me.

“Sorry,” I said automatically.

Before I could regain my balance, Lucas reached out and lightly caught my elbow.

I looked at his hand around my arm.

Then I looked at him.

He released me immediately, but his eyes remained on me for another second.

My heart, however, seemed to have forgotten how walking worked.

When we reached the classroom, I took my usual seat near the window. Lucas sat beside me, and I immediately opened my notebook so I would have something to look at.

“You're avoiding me,” he said quietly.

“I am not.”

“You've barely looked at me since you arrived.”

“I've been looking at the teacher.”

“The teacher isn't here yet.”

I slowly turned toward him.

He was smiling.

“Do you keep track of everything I do?”

“Not everything.” He leaned slightly closer. “Just the things that interest me.”

My face warmed. I immediately turned back toward my notebook.

“You're impossible.”

“I've heard that too.”

“You seem to collect complaints.”

“Only from you.”

I pressed my lips together to keep myself from smiling.

The teacher arrived before I could think of another response.

The lesson began, and I concentrated harder than necessary. I refused to give Lucas another opportunity to distract me.

It worked for almost twenty minutes.

Then our teacher announced our history project.

“We'll be working in pairs for the next two weeks,” she said. “You will research a historical event, prepare a visual presentation, and present it to the class. Since I have already assigned your partners, there will be no changes.”

I looked at the board. Lucas looked at me. I already had a bad feeling.

The teacher began reading the pairs.

When she said our names together, several students turned around. I heard a few whispers behind us.

I ignored them.

Lucas leaned closer. “Looks like you're stuck with me,” he chuckled.

I shook my head and returned my attention to the board.

A few minutes later, Lucas slid a piece of paper toward me. I looked down.

Library after school?

I wrote underneath it.

Do we have to?

He read my answer and wrote back.

We're partners.

I added: I know.

He took the pen from my hand without asking and wrote one more line.

Then come with me.

I stared at the paper.

For some reason, the simple request made my stomach flutter.

I crossed out the last sentence.

Fine.

Lucas smiled when he saw it.

“Good.”

“Stop looking so pleased with yourself.”

“I can't.”

“Why?”

“Because you said yes.”

I looked away.

He really was impossible.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and when the final bell rang, I went directly to the library.

I expected Lucas to be late.

Instead, he was already there.

He had chosen a table near the windows and had several books open beside his laptop. When he saw me, he immediately moved his backpack from the chair beside him.

“I saved you a seat.”

“You knew I was coming.”

“You said you would.”

“You sound very confident.”

“I had faith in you.”

I sat down. Lucas pushed a bottle of water toward me.

I stared at it.

“What is this?”

“You always forget to bring water.”

I looked at him. “How do you know that?”

“You didn't bring any yesterday either.”

“You noticed?”

He shrugged as though it were nothing. “I notice things.”

I picked up the bottle.

“Thanks.”

He smiled and opened his laptop.

We worked for nearly an hour.

To my surprise, Lucas was serious about the assignment. He organized our research, checked sources carefully, and even explained a complicated section when I couldn't understand what our teacher wanted.

“You're actually good at this,” I admitted.

He looked at me.

“Was that a compliment?”

“Don't get used to it.”

“I'll remember it anyway.”

I smiled despite myself. Lucas leaned back in his chair. “You smile more when you're not trying to ignore me.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You've been ignoring me all day.”

“I have not.”

“You walked three steps ahead of me this morning.”

“That proves nothing.”

“You also changed seats at lunch.”

“I wanted to sit somewhere else.”

“You looked at me when you did it.”

I stared at him. “You really do notice everything.”

“Not everything.”

He smiled.

“Just you.”

I lowered my eyes to my notebook before he could see how much that affected me.

I tried focusing on the project, but Lucas's words stayed in the back of my mind.

After a while, he noticed my notebook. “What are you writing?”

“Nothing.”

“That means it's something.”

“It's private.”

He immediately raised both hands.

“Okay. I won't look.”

I glanced at him. He had actually turned his attention back to the laptop.

That somehow made me more curious than if he had tried to peek.

“You really won't?”

“No.”

“Even if I leave it open?”

“I said I wouldn't.”

I smiled faintly. There was something strangely comforting about that. Most people would have teased me until I gave in.

Lucas simply respected the boundary.

A few minutes later, I accidentally left the notebook open while reaching for one of the books.

Lucas glanced at the page but immediately looked away.

“I told you I wouldn't look.”

“You already saw it.”

“I saw a drawing.”

“You don't have to pretend.”

“I wasn't pretending.”

He waited. Then he looked at me.

“Can I see it?”

I hesitated before turning the notebook toward him.

It was a sketch of the library window. I had drawn the sunlight falling across the empty chairs and the bookshelves beyond them.

Lucas studied it quietly.

“You're really good.”

“It's just a sketch.”

“No.”

He looked at me. “You make ordinary things look different.”

I didn't know what to say.

“What does that mean?”

He smiled.

“I just like the way you see things.”

I quickly closed the notebook.

“Thank you.”

He nodded. For some reason, I couldn't stop smiling.

When we finally finished the outline, Lucas closed his laptop.

“Do you want to get something to eat?”

“Where?”

“The café across from school.”

“You're hungry?”

“A little.”

He stood and picked up his bag.

“Come on.”

I remained seated. He looked back at me.

“Please?”

I stared at him. That one word should not have affected me as much as it did.

The café was busier than I expected, but Lucas found us a table near the back.

Before sitting down, he pulled out the chair for me.

I looked at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You're staring.”

“I was just surprised.”

“By the chair?”

“By you being polite.”

He smiled.

“I can be polite.”

“You're usually too busy bothering me.”

“I can multitask.”

I laughed. We ordered our drinks and sat across from each other.

For a while, we talked about school and the project. Eventually, the conversation shifted toward our lives outside the classroom.

Lucas rested his arms on the table.

“Why did you transfer here?”

I stirred my drink.

“You already asked me that.”

“I know.”

“Then why ask again?”

“Because I don't think you gave me the real answer.”

I looked at him.

“I needed a fresh start.”

“From what?”

“From people who already decided who I was.”

His expression changed.

“I understand.”

I studied him.

“Do you?”

“More than you think.”

“What about you?”

I paused.

“Why did you come to Westbrook?”

“I didn't choose it.”

“Your parents did?”

“Yes.”

“You don't seem like someone who lets other people make decisions for you.”

“I usually don't.”

“Then why stay?”

Lucas looked toward the window. “Sometimes leaving isn't as simple as people think.”

There was something behind his words, something he clearly wasn't ready to explain.

I wanted to ask more.

Instead, I simply nodded.

“You know you don't have to tell me everything.”

He looked back at me.

Then he smiled.

“But I want to tell you eventually.”

My chest tightened slightly.

“Eventually?”

“Yeah.”

“When?”

“When I know you won't disappear afterward.”

I stared at him.

He said it lightly, but there was something sincere underneath it.

“I don't plan on disappearing.”

His smile softened.

We finished our drinks and left the café together.

The afternoon air had cooled, and the sky was beginning to turn gold.

As we walked toward the school gates, Lucas stayed close beside me.

Every few minutes, our shoulders brushed.

Neither of us moved away.

“You're unusually quiet,” he said.

“I'm thinking.”

“About?”

I hesitated.

“You.”

He looked at me. I immediately realized how that sounded.

“I mean, about what you said.”

He smiled.

“You're cute when you panic.”

“I am not panicking.”

“You are.”

“I'm going home.”

“You're going the wrong way.”

I stopped.

He pointed toward the opposite side of the street.

I stared at the road.

Then at him.

“I knew that.”

“Of course you did.”

I lightly hit his arm.

He laughed.

We continued walking.

After a few steps, he reached for the strap of my bag.

“Give me that.”

“I can carry it.”

“Why?”

“Because it's heavy.”

“It isn't.”

“Emma.”

I looked at him.

He was already holding the bag.

“Let me.”

I sighed.

He smiled and carried it without another word. We reached the corner where our paths separated.

Lucas handed my bag back to me.

“I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

I took a few steps before turning around. He was still standing there.

“Why are you still there?”

“I wanted to make sure you crossed safely.”

“You're ridiculous.”

“Probably,” he smiled.

I turned and walked away. After a few seconds, I glanced back. He was still watching me.

I smiled before I could stop myself. Then I remembered my carefully made decision from that morning. I had spent the entire day trying to ignore Lucas Bennett. It didn't work. Not even close.

The worst part was that Lucas hadn't done anything dramatic.

He had simply remembered my water bottle. Saved me a seat. Carried my bag. Waited until I crossed the street.

And somehow, those little things had stayed with me more than they should have.

For someone who seemed to ignore almost everyone, Lucas had somehow made me his one exception.