Читать книгу Deborah Kerbel's YA Fiction 3-Book Bundle - Deborah Kerbel - Страница 19

Can you guess what the first thing I did when we got back from Tiberias was?

Unpack my suitcase?

Nope.

Take a long shower?

Uh-uh.

Call Marla?

Wrong again.

Run down the street to buy a pack of gum from Nasir?

Exactly!

Okay, I admit I was a little bit obsessed. But it’s not like I’m some kind of crazy stalker or anything — I just needed to see him.

So imagine how my teenage heart soared with joy when he looked happy to see me, too. Happy, and quite a bit relieved.

More than anything, I wanted to run over and tell him where I’d been and apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. But I had to stop myself — I knew he wouldn’t talk to me while there were other people in the store. I glanced around; there were two other customers cruising up and down the well-packed aisles. Parking myself next to the potato chips, I gave them all the hairy eyeball and silently willed them to get out.

Five minutes later I got my wish. I hurried up to the counter before anybody else walked in.

“Muck-and-zee! Where have you been?” Nasir asked, flashing me that great white smile.

“I went on a trip with my dad to Tiberias — an archaeological dig, actually.”

“Oh, really?” he replied, his smile fading a little. “Did you find anything?”

“Yeah, a few pottery shards, a bunch of coins, and some old bones. It was cool.”

“Cool,” he echoed. Those eyes of his were practically glued to my face. I’d almost forgotten how intense he could be. Suddenly, I felt a little bit warm.

“Well … uh, anyway … I’m back now,” I managed to squeak.

“I’m glad. This whole time I was worried you were buying your gum somewhere else.”

“No way, I wouldn’t do that,” I mumbled shyly. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on my lip. I prayed he wouldn’t notice.

“Listen, I shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered, leaning a little closer.

I turned and looked over my shoulder; there was nobody else in the store.

“Doing what?” I whispered back. “And why are you whispering?”

“I want to talk to you. Do you want to meet me after work? I get off early tonight.”

I was suddenly so hot, my clothes felt like they were melting.

“Oh, um … sure!” I said quickly, before he could change his mind.

“Great. But don’t come here — meet me at Emek Refaim at eight-thirty. I’ll be waiting in front of the Aroma coffee shop.”

“Okay.”

Behind me, I heard the door open and a new customer walk in. Nasir reacted with a startled jump and then immediately turned away and began fiddling with the cash register. I hurried out of the store, not daring to say goodbye. I spent the entire walk home wondering how on earth I was going to get Dad to agree to this.

It wasn’t until I got to the apartment that I noticed I’d completely forgotten to buy any gum.