I Teased His Kidney, He Kissed Me

Chapter 5

Holden: Did you put anything on that knee?

He texted me on Insta.

I flinched so hard my phone almost flew out of my hands.

Feeling a little flustered, I typed back.

Luna: No, not yet."

Holden: Oh? You want me to come do it for you?

My eyes went wide.

What the hell is he saying?

Luna: You wanna come?

I was out of my mind. I typed it and hit Send before I could stop myself.

But Holden never replied.

Great.

I'd just made a complete fool of myself.

I was kicking myself internally, and then my phone buzzed with a new message.

Holden: Got your meds. Come down.

I stared at the screen. Huh?

Then it clicked. I walked over to the window.

Outside the girls' dorm, a tall figure was standing under the locust tree, looking totally out of place among all the girls going in and out.

Sunlight spilled over his long frame, making him look like something out of a movie.

As if he felt my eyes on him, Holden looked up.

My heart squeezed. I stopped breathing without even realizing it.

A shrill ringtone snapped me back to reality. Holden was calling.

"What's taking you so long?" he asked.

"I, um, I can just do it myself," I said, my palms all sweaty.

"I came all the way here."

His voice carried a note of something almost like a pout.

So there I was, in my slippers and pajamas, hair a total mess, staring at Holden like a deer in headlights.

This was bad.

I'd been in such a rush that I almost twisted my ankle on the stairs.

"I, uh, I..."

I was fumbling for words, completely flustered.

Then a shadow fell over me, and his face was suddenly right there in front of my eyes.

A faint scent of citrus hit my nose.

Holden scooped me up like a princess and set me down on a bench by the path.

He rolled up my pant leg and started applying the ointment, gentle and careful.

"Next time, take your time," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

Called out like that, I felt my face burn bright red.