“Leah?”

She refused to look at Luke, instead taking interest in the stairs she sat upon. She examined the intricate wooden railing tracing the sides of the stairs down into the front hall. If I don’t look at him, maybe he’ll leave. Ignoring him as he sat down beside her, she made sure her face was completely turned away. Just pretend he isn’t there.

He sighed. “Leah . . . don’t be so melodramatic.” When she didn’t respond to that, he went on, “I mean, I can understand you being angry at me . . . but you should be yelling, not keeping quiet.”

Don’t do it, she told herself. You don’t want to do it. Even if you think you do, it would come back to bite you later. Don’t do it! She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep herself calm.

“You can’t keep it bottled up forever, you know.” His voice was so confident, but it wasn’t in a smug way. In fact, it was quiet. “One day, it’ll burst out when you least expect it. And then, it might hurt someone.”

She resisted the urge to look at him, knowing that if she did she would let loose her fury. I can’t do it. I’ve never gotten this angry at someone, and I know that if I let it out, it might do more damage then I want it to. I can hold it in a little bit longer . . . She planned to let it all out somewhere she could be alone, like in her room or in a park. Right now, though, she was going to grin and bear it.

Luke sighed, and she barely stopped herself from glancing at him curiously. “Come on, Leah. Would it help if I said sorry?” When she didn’t reply, he seemed to hesitate for a moment or two. Then, he shifted nervously beside her and mumbled, “Alright. I’m sorry, Leah. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You’re great at writing poetry.”

She gritted her teeth. Say it like you mean it. She couldn’t tell him, though, because she could risk saying everything else as well. You said you can read me like a book. Prove it! She could feel his eyes on the back of her head, but she kept her gaze on the rail.

“I’m being serious! You’re way better than me!” When she still didn’t respond, he moved into what was probably a ridiculously arrogant pose as he told her, “Ms. Dertell laughed at the last one I made. And with my private tutoring, you’d think I’d be amazing at it, but yours was way better. That’s saying something, isn’t it?”

Yeah, it’s “saying” something. She gulped. But he doesn’t mean it. He’s right, it was terrible. The corners of her eyes began to sting with fresh tears, and she quickly rubbed them away before realizing she shouldn’t show how sad she was. Ugh, too late!

“You’re not crying, are you?” He tried to look at her face, but when she continued to keep it hidden she heard him inhale sharply. “Oh, come on, don’t do this to me! I hate it when people cry! It’s so . . . Leah, come on, don’t!” He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to turn her around, but she refused to move. “Leah! Stop it and look at me!”

“No,” she choked, and then cursed herself silently for the pathetic sound. Man, I sound so . . . weak! Why can’t I be calm and smooth like him? He finally succeeded in turning her around, but she shut her eyes so she didn’t have to look at his expression. If I do, I’ll break down. And I can’t do that. Not in front of him.

“Open your eyes, Leah.” When she shook her head, he sighed and repeated, “Open your eyes.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

She only shook her head again. Why can’t he just leave me alone? I obviously don’t want to talk! All he knows how to do is bother, annoy and hurt people! She kept that to herself, of course, but she could feel her temperature rising and dropping drastically in turn. It was a sign she was at her emotional limit, and she knew she had to avoid bursting at all costs. But how? He won’t leave me alone!

His hand tightened its grip, as if knowing what she was planning to do. Then, he moved so both of his hands were on either of her shoulders. She could feel his breath on her face as his voice dropped to a whisper. “Leah, just let it out. I know you’re angry at me, and it’s not healthy to hold it all in. Just let it all out.” A pause. “Please.”

She gulped, and despite everything she told herself she squinted an eye at him. His face was serious for once, and she couldn’t help but think of how unnatural it looked. He’s almost never serious. She found a lump in her throat when she opened her mouth, and eventually she opened both eyes completely to stare at him. She didn’t know what to say.

As she stared at him, Luke’s eyes flickered from her tears to her open mouth, as if expecting her to either scream or cry some more. His jaw was set in a grim frown, and he gulped for some reason unknown to her. He looked nervous, but she couldn’t exactly place her finger on why. Did he expect her to throw all of her hatred at him? It was what he asked her to do, after all. Maybe he was afraid of what she’d say.

She suddenly hiccupped, making both of them jump at the startling sound. Almost immediately, her face split into a grin, and she couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled from her throat afterwards. He blinked, but then he returned the smile and chuckled as well, and soon they dissolved into a bout of blissful laughter at the unexpected sound as they sat on the stairs. It might have been because of the tension that they found it so funny, but either way it was a welcome relief that caused all of the stress in their bodies to melt away. They eventually quieted to a few giggles and snickers, and eventually they were silent as they smiled at each other after the enthusiastic exchange.

Suddenly, she found her face growing warm at his intense stare, and she quickly turned her head away to hide any signs of embarrassment from him. He seemed to begin to feel a bit awkward as well, because his hands quickly slid from their places on her shoulders as he cleared his throat nervously. She began to fiddle with her thumbs as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but the uneasiness didn’t seem to leave. Where’d this come from? And why do I feel so nervous sitting next to him? A bit afraid to know the answers to her own questions, she avoided his gaze and tried to pretend he wasn’t there anymore. Back to square one . . . and yet, everything’s different now.

But . . . why?