[Otto's POV]

  "I’d pick a vacation with family over a beach holiday to flirt with boys any day!” Lindsey shouts.

  "Oh, come on, you strange anti-sexual girl! I’ll admit that your little brother is cute, but I don’t think it is healthy that you don’t look at other boys!” Jessy counters.

  Meet Jessy and Lindsey. Usually, they get along just fine, but a simple “Hey! Long time no see! How was your vacation?” somehow turned into… this. They’ve been throwing words back and forth for the past ten minutes like a high-stakes tennis match, and I’m starting to feel like I’ve been watching it from too close by.

  “We can’t all prance around at the beach in skimpy bikinis just to see how many heads we can turn,” Lindsey snaps.

  "It’s better than covering up like a nun! At this rate, you’ll end up like a lonely spinster,” Jessy shoots back, aiming for an ace.

  "Just because I take my sweet time doesn't mean that I'll die a virgin, Jessy! You, on the other hand, might end up becoming a teenage mom,” Lindsey fires back, scoring a brutal point. For a brief second, I regret not keeping score. How much does this make? Game? Set? Match?

  Jessy’s expression turns thunderous. “Oh. My. Did you just call me a slut?!”

  And that is my cue to intervene, before this turns into a full-blown catfight.

  "Oh, for crying out loud! Are you two seriously going to argue all morning? Because if you are, I’m leaving.” I raise my voice just enough to startle them. Jessy and Lindsey blink at me, stunned into silence. But then—dangerous smiles curl their lips.

  "Did you hear that?” Jessy murmurs as she nudges Lindsey. “The second the conversation turned to sex, Otto can’t handle it.”

  Lindsey giggles, all arguments between them forgotten. “Sweet little Otto. Still so innocent”

  "Oh, no, you did not! Seriously? You turned on me?!” I exclaim in exasperation. “That’s it, I’m leaving. I wonder where Jasper is—”

  Before I can take a step, they both pounce on me, smothering me in a hug.

  "No, Otto, don’t leave!” Jessy wails.

  “Not Jasper! Please, not him!” Lindsey begs melodramatically.

  I can’t help but laugh. It’s a very typical reaction for both of them. Jessy doesn’t mind Jasper. She, Jasper, and I have been friends since kindergarten. We know each other so well that we barely need words anymore. Lindsey, though, only joined our class two years ago. Jessy tried to pull her into our group, but the fact that she still has friends in her previous class and that she never warmed up to Jasper have made her the odd one out. I have no idea why she doesn’t like Jasper. Sure, he’s full of shit, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

  A deep, amused chuckle cuts through the moment.

  "That looks like fun! Group hug!"

  Jasper’s voice sends Lindsey bolting for safety as he crashes into the hug.

  “Ah! Good morning, Jasper,” I say, turning in his arms to return the hug.

  “You’re too close,” Jessy grumbles under her breath, clinging to me a little tighter.

  "Good morning ladies! How are you today?" Jasper asks, grinning.

  "I'm so glad you're finally here! These two have been arguing and bullying me all morning!" I complain. "Where have you been anyway? You're late!"

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Right? Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you," Jasper says quietly so only Jessy and I can hear him. He is smiling his shit-eating grin again. I hate it when he smiles like that. He only does it when he knows something we don't. Without waiting for either of our reactions, Jasper releases us from the hug and takes a theatrical step aside, his hands making a grand sweeping motion as he reveals someone standing behind him.

  I suck in a breath.

  Alex! The boy from the park!

  He is standing behind Jasper, looking slightly awkward and out of place, but still as unfairly good-looking as I remember.

  I’d made the mistake of commenting on his good looks that day, in the same way someone might react to seeing a real-life celebrity or, I don’t know, a fairy.

  Sadly enough, I'd only realised that it was a mistake when I'd seen Jessy grin at me slyly.

  Over the years, she has tried to set me up with a boyfriend, but the only thing her match-making has resulted in so far is that I cringe every time she introduces me to a new boy. I’d made her to stop, and she’d reluctantly agreed—but I hadn’t considered Jasper joining in. What did she bribe him with?

  I glance at Jessy out of the corner of my eye. She catches my look, presses her lips into a thin line before shaking her head just enough for me to notice. A tiny shrug follows. Translation: “Wasn’t me. But hey, let’s roll with it.”

  I resist the urge to roll my eyes, since the boys would undoubtedly read it the wrong way, and bring my focus back to Alex.

  He looks completely different now, in his summer uniform, compared to the T-shirt and shorts he’d worn that time in the park. His black hair, darker then ink, has that effortless ‘just ran a hand through it’ look, and his shirt fits in a way that actually does justice to his lean but strong frame in a way that a summer T-shirt never could.

  Oddly, though, he looks nervous.

  Why would someone with his looks be nervous? People like him are usually overflowing with confidence—borderline arrogant. I bet it has rotten his personality too.

  Jasper breaks the silence.

  "Jessy, Otto, Lindsey? Meet Alex. Alex, these are Jessy, Otto, and Lindsey. You’ve met Jessy and Otto before, right?”

  Alex nods.

  "Yes, I have. You were at the park that day," Alex says as he extends a hand towards Jessy.

  "Hi! Nice to officially meet you!" she says enthusiastically as she grabs his hand with both of hers and shakes it energetically. He nods again before turning to me, offering the same handshake.

  I hesitate.

  It’s just a handshake, Otto. Be normal about it He isn't the devil. Shaking his hand won't seal some kind of deal. All I have to do is say "Hi" and shake his hand like Jessy did. Polite and spontaneous.

  "Hi," I say as I manage a polite smile and finally reach for his hand.

  I regret it instantly.

  The second our hands touch, an electric current jolts through me. Not in a painful way. More like… my entire body is screaming for more contact. For the briefest of moments, I can imagine myself moving closer to rub myself against him like a cat with an itch. An utterly terrifying thought!

  I barely manage to shake his hand once before I let go of his hand with flying haste, subtly swipe my hand at the fabric of my uniform skirt and finally place them in my sides in a (failed) attempt to hide my awkwardness.

  Shit… What the hell was that?!

  I can still feel the tingling sensation on my palm and need all my willpower to not rub it against my uniform again to get rid of the strange feeling.

  Jasper lifts a brow. Jessy looks at me like I just made a terrible life choice.

  And Alex? He looks confused. Borderline hurt.

  And I caused it.

  My stomach twists. I want to fix it, to explain, to—

  No

  This is better. If I act cold, he won’t look at me twice.

  …

  Good. That way, I won’t have to worry about accidentally leading him on.

  A sharp click snaps me out of my thoughts.

  Alex flinches and I look up to see Lindsey holding her phone up towards Alex.

  “Did she just take a picture?” Alex asks, confusion dripping from his voice.

  Click.

  “Yeah,” Jasper sighs. I can tell that he's wondering if Lindsey's timing could be any worse.

  Click. Click.

  "Alex? Meet Lindsey. She's an aspiring photographer." Jasper says.

  "Ok. That explains why she's taking pictures," Alex says. Another click. "How many is she going to take?"

  Click. Click.

  "As many as she wants," Jasper shrugs. “Don’t worry, only the best pictures make it into her online portfolio. And she makes the most awesome yearbooks!”

  Click!

  Alex looks seconds away from shielding his face.

  “Lindsey” I finally step in. “Can’t you you’re making him uncomfortable?”

  Lindsey finally looks up, blushing slightly. "Sorry. I should have asked first. When I see the perfect shot, the camera tends to walk away with me."

  Alex blinks, processing. Then clears his throat. “That’s… alright. I guess I’m just not used to people taking my picture.”

  Jessy and I exchange a look.

  Yeah, right.

  Honestly, it surprises me that Lindsey has held out as long as she has. It is strange to call a boy beautiful, but Alex is beautiful in the same way you'd call a diamond beautiful. Heck, he is beautiful enough to confuse him for a real wood nymph!

  Yet I couldn't shake the strange feeling that his reaction was genuine.

  The bell rings, mercifully ending the conversation.

  For once, I’m grateful for the start of class.