“Oh.” I felt like that was the only thing I ever said now. Oh. But then I remembered the walls of books in Landreia’s house and I perked up. “I’ll see if Landreia has that book, then maybe I can know who this Gandalf is.”
Gigi grinned and stopped just inside the big room of people. “That’s a great idea, but there’s also movies of it and those are so much better.”
“And that is the only time I will allow you to say that a movie is better than a book.” Savannah said from suddenly right in front of us. She arched one eyebrow at her friend, then looked to me and took my tray of food. “Here, sit.”
I sat in the blue chair. It was cold to the touch, even through my jeans and sweater. Savannah and Gigi took the chairs beside me so that I sat between them – which I was sure was not a coincidence. “Why is this movie better?”
Savannah closed her eyes and moaned. “Two words: Aragorn and Legolas.”
Gigi sighed and fanned herself. “What a sandwich.”
I scowled. “You like the movie because of the food in it?”
Savannah snorted and water spilled from her mouth. She buried her face and laughed.
Gigi tried not to laugh but failed.
I sighed. “You’re not talking about food, are you?”
“Oh, they’re edible—”
“No, we are not.” Gigi shook her head, still grinning. “They’re men. Extremely attractive men. You’ll see. We’ll marathon it with you and then you’ll get it.”
I groaned. “I hate not knowing what anyone is talking about.”
Gigi opened her mouth, then closed it with a grimace.
I smiled. “It’s okay, you can ask me about it.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”
“No reason to be. I’m not dying, I just can’t remember anything.”
“Anything at all?” She frowned. “Landreia said you could only remember your name…I guess I was hoping she was exaggerating.”
I shook my head. “Sadly, no.”
Savannah reached over to my tray and picked up my apple. “You don’t know anything about you yet you remember a piece of fruit. What a fickle thing.”
“Must be hard for you, I can’t even imagine.” Gigi cocked her head to the side and the golden tips of her hair fell over her shoulder. “How are you handling all of this?”
“I’m not sure? It’s only been a day. But my psychologist recommended going to school and making friends, and I think she may have been right.” I gestured around the room behind me and glanced over my shoulder. “This is…a lot to take in, but being alone last night was awful.”
“Then no more being alone.” Savannah winked. “Right, Gigi?”
“Right,” she said without a beat of hesitation. “And feel no shame, you can ask us about absolutely anything.”
“Exactly, think of us as your memory-buddies.” Savannah picked up her pizza.
My stomach growled. I’d forgotten about the food for a moment, but now that I looked at it my mouth watered. The pizza looked the most enticing. I peeked up at Gigi and Savannah and saw they were both holding theirs in their hands, so I reached out and picked mine up. It was warm and soft in my hand. I lifted it up toward my mouth when something moved in my peripheral vision. I glanced up — and froze.
Across the walkway, standing just outside the large window straight across from me, stood a tall figure…wearing a black hood. My heart lurched and breath caught in my throat. I recognized the tall form and broad shoulders…and the black hood covering most of a face. It may have been broad daylight but in my mind the sky was black and the air was bitter cold against my bare skin.
My pizza slipped out of my hands and crashed onto the bowl of French fries.
“Whoa, Saffie, are you okay?”
No. No, I am certainly not okay.
It’s HIM.
Chapter Eight
Saffie
It’s him.
HIM.
I gripped the edge of my chair as the world spun around me
No. No, it can’t be him. He’s just some other guy wearing a black hood. I’d seen other boys walking down the halls in black hoods…then again, I hadn’t thought any of them had been him. The guy was standing there looking down at the phone in his hands. His fingers were long and tanned. On his left middle finger was a large raw amethyst ring, though I couldn’t have said how I knew what stone that was. The black hood hung low over his face, casting the top half in a dark shadow.
It’s not him. It can’t be. It can’t.
And then he turned and headed straight for the door just off to my left. My pulse skipped. He stormed inside, his long legs carrying him over the threshold in a few steps. The doors seemed to open for him without anyone touching them, which was ridiculous, I knew.. A cold gust of wind swept in behind him and slammed into my face yet I felt only heat rushing through my veins.
In the back of my mind, I heard Savannah and Gigi talking to me but their voices were far away. It was definitely him. I’d recognize the rhythm of his steps in my sleep. My fingers burned from how hard I gripped the chair. Everything seemed to slow down around me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
A few feet inside, he reached up with his left hand and the amethyst on his finger sparkled under the bright white lights in the ceiling. He pushed the black hood off of his head and I gasped. Pale, golden hair tumbled forward in light waves that fell past his shoulders. His skin was tanned from the sun. His face was all sharp, glorious angles that I had the sudden urge to run my fingers over.
He looked up and his big, bright golden eyes met mine. My breath left me in a rush. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart against my chest. My lungs burned and each breath scorched a fiery trail down my throat.
“Ohhhhhh.” Savannah leaned against my side, her voice close to my ear. “That’s Zachariah Martin.”
Gigi leaned against my other side. “I heard our teacher refer to him as Riah. It’s so hot.”
“That’s dirty hot,” Savannah whispered. “He’s too beautiful to look at.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded. I’d told the police he was pretty, but I hadn’t realized that was the understatement of the year. He was gorgeous. I didn’t know what dirty hot meant, but I liked the way it sounded. I liked the way my heart fluttered with every step he took in our direction, his black boots thudding heavily against the wood floor.
He wore the same black hood but today he had a black leather jacket on over it. I liked the way his black jeans clung to the muscles in his long legs as he walked and the way his gray shirt seemed to be transparent. His golden eyes drank me in for a long minute, or maybe I was imagining it. But then he turned and moved down the walkway, walking away from me like nothing had happened at all.
Maybe nothing did happen.
My thoughts swirled. I knew it was him I’d seen sitting by that house by that wharf. I could never make up a face as beautiful as his. But I just didn’t understand. Why him? Why is he following me? What’s he doing here? A group of guys jumped up from their table and clapped him on the back.
Wait. They said his name was Riah and he’s a student here. I peeled my gaze away from him and glanced around the room…no one was alarmed by his presence. Sure, every girl within the radius of a few tables was staring at him, but I couldn’t blame them. I was too. He was that beautiful. No one was afraid or concerned at all. The guys at the table with him laughed and carried on their boisterous conversation…like he totally belonged.