“It will be every Tuesday and Thursday after school and continue for two hours.” Miss Davis explained how the tutoring system worked, “There will always be a couple of seniors around to do teaching, but the number of other students there to learn will vary day to day.”

Eli took the form she gave him.

“Fill it out and drop it in by the end of the day.”

“Can I start today?” Eli stuffed the form into his book and noticed the strained expression he earned from Miss Davis in doing so. He silently took the sheet back out and straightened it.

She smiled at him. “Of course.”

As he left her office Sinclair ambushed him. “It’s lunchtime”

Eli frowned at her. “Did you follow me?”

She rolled her eyes. “What were you meeting about?”

He noticed she didn’t answer his question. “I,” Eli paused a moment, but couldn’t think of any reason to hide it, “I’m signing up for the student tutoring thing.”

“You can’t just study at home?”

“If I could I would.” Eli recalled the disaster that had been last night’s ‘study’ session. He hadn’t even gotten the homework finished. “Even google can’t help me”

Sinclair led them to the same cafeteria spot as before. Eli watched her take out her lunchbox and fiddled with his own plastic fork before speaking. “You wouldn’t happen to know any places around here that are hiring, would you? Like weekend work, that kind of thing?”

Sinclair titled her head. “Give me your phone.”

Eli frowned at her outstretched hand, but handed it over.

“I may know a place.” She tapped away at his screen for a moment. “I can drive us by after school.”

“That would be great.” Eli said eagerly, “Ah, wait, no, I have the tutoring thing so—”

“We can go after that.” Sinclair handed him back his phone. “I put my number in there, and we’re friends on every social media you have on that thing. Except BoyZ.”

“I don’t have BoyZ.” Eli scowled at her.

“You’re on BoyZ?” Phoebe giggled.

“What’s that?” Cameron asked.

Eli hardly spared Cameron a glance, but shot Phoebe a look as she sat down. “Sinclair’s just messing.”

“It’s cute.” Phoebe smiled, unconvinced by him.

“Seriously, what is it?” Cameron pulled out his phone. Eli saw the web browser open. Acting on instinct, he snatched it from his hands before he googled it.

“It’s nothing.” Eli glared at Sinclair.

Cameron stared at his empty fingers, then looked at Eli with a slightly shocked expression. It was as though he couldn’t believe Eli had taken his mobile off him. “What?”

“That—” Cameron reached for his phone, his arm was a blur in Eli’s vision.

Eli’s arm moved by itself, putting Cameron’s phone out of reach. Cameron’s eyes narrowed. His hand was reaching into empty air, and he was half out of his seat. His gaze moved from the phone, now too far away for him to get, and settled on Eli’s face with a piercing intensity. A shiver raced down Eli’s spine. He remembered the domineering asshole he’d met the other night, and then he remembered his ridiculous response to that asshole.

His shoulder prickled.

Eli shifted uncomfortably and moved the phone into Cameron’s outstretched hand. Cameron wrapped his fingers around the phone, and Eli‘s wrist. The slight pressure around Eli’s wrist reminded him acutely of being pinned down, and the command that had been in Cameron’s voice.

“Sorry.”

Cameron’s gaze darkened, and the grip on Eli’s wrist tightened. Cameron flicked his gaze to Eli’s shoulder, then back to his eyes. Eli bit his lip as his stomach flipped. He was thinking about the same thing.

“Cameron,” David’s hand clapped on Cameron’s shoulder.“You said you’d wait up for me, what gives?”

Immediately anger flashed across Cameron’s face. He shot David a withering glare, and Eli winced as the pressure around his wrist sent pain up his arm. He had a close-up view of how hard David was gripping Cameron’s shoulder. A wordless exchange took place between the two. It ended with Cameron slowly sitting back down, then releasing Eli’s arm. His jaw was clenched tight.

Another ‘what the fuck?’ struck Eli. Why did he say sorry? Why couldn’t he have just said, ‘hey, mind letting go of my wrist?’ But even as rational thought flooded in, the tumbling in his stomach and the racing beat of his heart told another story. He flicked his eyes up and saw that Sinclair was looking between the two of them with a raised eyebrow. She hadn’t missed the exchange.

Daniel sat down next to Sinclair, and Eli could see the glare he was shooting Cameron. He was sure the others could see it too, since it was far from subtle. Cameron glared right back at him. A halting conversation came back to the group, nobody bringing up the weirdness that just happened.

Eli rubbed his aching wrist. He peeked at Cameron and found his gaze had shifted to him already. It was smouldering and made Eli’s mouth go dry. He looked away quickly. In doing so he once against caught Sinclair’s eye. He pretended not to notice and turned to his food for the first time since sitting down.

Cameron’s hand rested on his knee.

Eli’s breath caught. This was definitely the part where he should speak up. He didn’t need to make a big deal out of it, just subtly move his hand off. Eli reached for the hand, and Cameron curled their fingers together sliding their intertwined hands down his leg. Eli looked at him with a scowl, but it only took one look for the anger in him to dissolve. Eli was finally able to identify that look in Cameron’s eye, because it was what was now burning hotly in his chest. Desire.

Eli suddenly stood up. Cameron’s hand dropped away.

“And you’re going where?” Sinclair asked.

“Bathroom.” Eli made his escape.

Eli glared at his reflection in the mirror. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he act rationally? Cameron was an asshole. He was domineering; he was forceful and way too cocky. Eli hadn’t even held a proper conversation with the guy, he didn’t like him — so why the hell was he responding like that to him? His body completely disregarded anything his head was telling him and just… he met a pair of green eyes in the mirror.

Eli swallowed hard. He really didn’t think being alone with him was a good idea. His chest was still going ninety, and he needed time to compose himself.

“You’re an asshole.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

Eli retreated a step as he came further into the bathroom, “You’re way too pushy. What makes you think it’s okay to grab someone like that?”

“Says the guy who snuck into someone else’s bed while they were sleeping.” Cameron pointed out.

“That was different.” Eli scowled at him, “And how you acted that night was way out of line too.”

Cameron had him backed into the corner and rested his forearm on the wall next to his head. The exit was cut off. Excitement curled in Eli’s stomach. He internally slapped himself.

Cameron brushed his fingers along his jaw. “You certainly didn’t seem to mind the way I ‘acted’ out of line.”

“I didn’t seem to mind? How about when you twisted my arm—“

“How about,” Cameron pressed his lips to Eli’s ear. “When you started moaning from a few little kisses?”

Eli flushed red. Embarrassment turned his tongue to lead, and another type of heat made his heart hammer uncontrollably.

“Or,” Cameron’s hand slid under his shirt and around his side. “When you pressed against me as tightly as you could?” The hand moved around to his back, leaving a trail of heat. Unconsciously Eli arched against it.

Eli struggled to keep his breathing level. “What do you want?”

Cameron chuckled against his jaw, where he was nibbling Eli’s skin. “You have to ask?” Cameron’s hand slide into his hair and tilted his head gently up. Eli struggled to keep his eyes from drifting shut.

“Cameron.” Eli panted.

“You.” Cameron answered, his breath caressing Eli’s lips.

Cameron closed the small space left between them and kissed him. Eli’s eyes drifted closed the rest of the way, and he leaned into the kiss. Hesitantly, he raised his hands, slowly gripping Cameron’s sides. The kiss was gentler than all their previous encounters, and Eli couldn’t help but melt against Cameron, or stop the pleasured sigh that left his lips. He wasn’t expecting the kiss to be like this, but he didn’t want it to stop. In fact, he wanted the opposite. He wanted more. Eli’s grip tightened, and he tugged Cameron towards him.

Cameron made a sound of approval in his throat and leaned into him. He murmured something against Eli’s lips, then his tongue slid into his mouth. Eli’s groaned. He didn’t fight for dominance and let Cameron control the kiss.

Cameron’s hands slid around his waist, and with a single, smooth movement he lifted Eli onto the counter. Eli scooted to the edge, and ran his hands through Cameron’s hair as the kiss deepened, and lost any of the innocence it had at the start.

“Oh.” A startled voice sounded from the doorway.

Cameron broke the kiss. “Get out.”

“Got it.”

Eli opened his eyes in time to see a student disappearing out the closing door. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to be concerned about that. Himself and Cameron looked back at the same time. Their eyes met as they assessed each other.

Cameron was panting in the same manner Eli was. His cheeks were stained red, and his hair was tousled from Eli’s efforts. His eyes were gleaming bright green. As their lips returned together, a second figure came in.

Everything vanished from Cameron’s face, apart from one emotion. Anger. “David,” he growled, “I swear to fuck I will kill you if you interrupt again.”