Каран Андерс - The Book of Firsts

"It’s not that I don’t think you perfectly capable of mastering this curriculum, Mikaela," she said. "But these additional IB credits are very intensive, and you may have underestimated the workload." She held up a hand as I started to speak. "I have no intention of wasting your time or mine attempting to persuade you to change your courses. But I am suggesting you consider putting in a special circumstances application to Dorner House. Since you have no relatives in the city, I’ve no doubt the application would be accepted, moving you to the top of the waiting list for a room in the dormitories. With your study load, you don’t need the added burden of travel, let alone the practicalities of living alone."

She handed me a pamphlet about Corascur’s boarding facilities, and I promised to consider it, tucked the pamphlet away, and then headed to pick up a sandwich before climbing a tree. I wasn’t going to rush just because I might be going to kiss someone—and didn’t quite know who.

My self-restraint paid dividends as I neared the top of the wall. Voices. I froze on a lower branch, listening.

"…pity to leave it empty. Why don’t you eat lunch here every day?"

"I’d be a poor president if I cut myself off so frequently. Going around and about at lunch gives people a chance to raise issues with me informally—and I’ll hear more of the gossip. Besides, I like the idea of this garden as a special retreat, a place where I can shut myself away and concentrate. Along with holding the occasional council meeting. You sure you’ve got everything this time?"

The question held both a smile and an ironic note, and though I was too low to see over the wall, I could well picture Rin’s expression. A few muffled, indeterminate sounds followed, and Rin laughed.

"No, Vicki. Really and truly no."

Rin’s companion made an exasperated sound. "I’m not fooled by this story about only focusing on study this year. No-one believes you mean it. What’s going on?"

"What people believe doesn’t matter," Rin said lightly, to the accompaniment of the faint squeak of the gate. "And it will always be really and truly no, Vicki."

That last sentence had held a great deal of flint. I would wince to be on the receiving end, and felt a rush of sympathy for the unseen Vicki.

Swinging my feet, I waited as the gate shut once again, and the key turned. I had no classes in common with the Three Kings, but even without reading the forums, simply keeping my ears open the previous week had provided a wealth of detail. Not everyone was a fan, but they all seemed to have an opinion, and a general picture had built up. Bran was troubled, distant and eccentric. Kyou, despite a weakness for jibes, was competent and helpful. Rin, warm and kind, had by far the best reputation—that of a perfect gentleman—but there had been a mention of a dislike of being pushed, and an occasional hair-trigger temper. He hadn’t struck me at all as warm and kind, and I found the contrast intriguing.

"I feel like I should call here kitty kitty ," Rin said, from beyond the wall. "Are you there, Cheshire?"

I climbed up from my branch to perch again on the wall. "A proper Cheshire would just sit here, spouting cryptic comments and snark," I said.

"A maddening creature, to be sure." He was gazing up at me with a faint, gentle smile that I didn’t trust at all.

"And you were right about winning, I see." I jumped down, and was struck once again by how tall he was. I wasn’t used to feeling short.

"Nothing like being first," he said, voice dropping a note in tone. "Thank you for playing, Cheshire."

Because being there at all meant I’d agreed. I would kiss Rin now, and later Bran and Kyou, then progress down a list. I suspected I was going to enjoy myself immensely.

"Ready when you are," I said.

Rin placed his hands behind his back, then leaned forward. An unhurried brush of the lips, and a gentle taste. No clumsy attempt to thrust his tongue down my throat, but instead an incremental increase in intensity, until I found myself pressed against the wall while Rin, hands still held so there was no chance of touching me, sent tingles all through me.

At last, he lifted his head, enough so that we were no longer touching. I needed a moment before I could speak.

"I think that was more than a minute."

"I wasn’t counting," he replied, still smiling faintly. "And I begin to understand that the next couple of weeks might constitute a peculiar form of torture."

His mouth was still very close to mine, and I laughed softly, knowing he would feel my breath.

"You three are the ones who came up with that list. Didn’t you think over what it would do to you?"

"A slow build up makes the pay off all the better. In theory. Whether I can get through the next few steps…"

He drew back a little, kissed me on the cheek, then stepped away.

Rin was not the only one the drawn-out nature of the challenge was going to test to the limit. Deciding that, with today’s encounter complete, there was no reason to remain, I climbed back to the top of the wall, glanced down at him watching me, and then dropped down to the nearest branch.

I was going to have to exercise the strictest mental discipline over the next couple of months. And start bringing spare underwear to school.

Friday was overcast, rain threatening but not emerging. I had an irritating morning in Mr Mullen’s class, a teacher whose style involved light mockery for any student who didn’t have the answer to his abruptly rapped-out questions.

Determined not to let him get my back up, I secured my sandwich and went to climb a tree. Since Tuesday had been taken by Rin, today would be Kyou or Bran. I couldn’t decide which one I would rather find.

No voices this time, but no sign of anyone in the garden either. I munched my sandwich until the faintest whisper caught my attention. Paper turning? Tucking my empty wrapper away, I transferred to the wall, and found Kyou sitting at the café table, flipping through a sheathe of papers.

"The tea’s getting cold," he said, without looking up.

Two cups and a cast iron teapot were sitting on the table, and so I dropped down and took a seat. Kyou poured: green tea, still quite hot.

He waited until I was drinking to continue.

"Would you prefer we use condoms?"

Entertained by this blatant attempt to make me choke, I took an unhurried moment to consider. The test results, expensively expedited and shared on Monday, had been clear all round, so disease wasn’t a factor. I’d also contributed a record of a three-year contraceptive implant. The brand boasted one of the highest prevention rates available, but few birth control methods were infallible, and condoms would add certainty while saving some cleaning up. However, they would also be evidence, the kind of thing that, if not carefully disposed of, could cause large consequences.

Putting my cup down, I mimicked his serenely indifferent tone: "So long as you don’t do anything to impact those admirably spotless medical records, I’ll leave that to your choice. What happens on rainy days? Climbing that wall won’t be fun on wet winter days."

He picked up the other cup and sipped. "There are arrangements which can be made regarding rainy days. But it’s clear that we need a method of communicating issues like Rin’s visitor. I’ll have Bran put something together."

I didn’t comment, drinking my tea and considering the garden. If someone arrived while I was here, I could lurk around by the tap, but there was no real hiding place.

"Anything on the list that you want to change?" Kyou asked. "Any requests or suggestions?"

"Clean is better," I said. "Shower beforehand if needed."

He nodded, his gaze heavy-lidded as he studied me, searching for reactions. "All this is hardly binding," he said. "You’re free to back out at any time. But if you’re having second thoughts, it’s better to tell us early."