Love Along The Paperclip novel Chapter 5

Colton doesn't say anything but I think he might've smiled when we turn to go into the house.

Dinner

"Welcome to our humble abode," Danielle motions to the living room like a showcase girl.

It's a good-sized room with a worn yellow couch and mismatched armchairs. Beyond is the kitchen, and stairs on the left lead up to the floor above.

"Great, why don't you go put some clothes on while I show Carlson around." Colton suggests to his sister.

"Clothes on?" Danielle raises her eyebrows.

I stare at her outfit. She's wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt. Looks like clothes to me.

"Yes, go cover your legs." Colton orders.

"Why don't you go get OML some water."

"...Fine."

Once he's out of the room Danielle rolls her eyes and says to me, "I swear, Colton wants me to become a nun. He would love it if I was completely covered and lived in a castle without doors."

"That's Rapunzel!" shouts Colton from the kitchen.

Danielle frowns. "I can never keep my Disney princesses straight."

"Here you go." Colton hands me a sweating glass and sits on the couch. I join him and Danielle sits in an armchair.

I'm hit by how surreal this all is. Here I am, sitting in Colton's living room, talking with his little sister, and I'm actually enjoying myself.

I sip my water and turn to find Colton staring at me. He quickly looks away and I have to fight a blush that threatens to overtake my cheeks. I hurriedly take another drink of water and look up to see Danielle smirking at me.

Curse my redhead complexion. I'm sure my face is quite red by now. I gulp my water.

"So, OML," Danielle says, crossing her legs. "What do you like to do besides get good grades and ignore my brother?"

That's a good question, since both of those things take up a great deal of my time. And time spent not arguing with Colton is spent daydreaming about him; so, all in all, it takes quite a bit of time doing all three.

"I like to read." I finally say.

"What do you read?" Danielle asks, looking truly interested in my answer.

"We're leaving." Colton stands and helps me get to my feet. "We'll be in my room. Call us when dinner's ready."

I feel a gentle pressure on the small of my back and it leads me upstairs, down a hall, and into a boy's bedroom. It's fairly messy, with clothes hanging off furniture and on the floor. A computer desk is littered with old papers and wrappers. The bed is unmade and a small television set balances precariously on a makeshift table of books.

Colton quickly moves to the closet, shoves a few things into it, and closes the door. "Sorry." He actually seems embarrassed. Maybe he's nervous?

I smile and sit on the carpet, leaning my back against his bed while Colton putters around the room. "Hey, isn't that your history textbook?" I point to one of the books the television is balanced on.

Colton barely spares a perfunctory glance at the book in question. "Oh, yeah."

"But you said you lost it ages ago and that's why you always shared mine..." I trail off. Colton is facing his computer, his back to me, but the back of his neck is a flaming red.

I laugh. Colton turns, his face still slightly pink, but he looks relieved. He coughs awkwardly. "I, uh, sorta wanted to spend more time with you."

Now I have to fight my cheeks turning red. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Not knowing what else to do, I grab the remote from Colton's nightstand and flip on the TV. I switch channels until I discover an old black-and-white horror movie. Colton sits beside me and we watch it for a while, not talking.