Free Amethyst Tears (YA Paranormal Romance) (Luminescence Trilogy) by J.L. Weil

kidding? Friends don’t kiss.
    Well in our defense it had only been once and in a dream. Did that even count? Lukas and I weren’t just friends. We had experienced some kind of weird dream thingy for years. And now, I didn’t know how to act around him. Things weren’t the same as they were in my dreams.
    “So how long is this… strange vibe we h ave going to last?” he asked, flashing those lethal dimples at me. Leave it to Lukas to just lay it all there on the table.
    I exhaled and smiled trying to relieve the tension in my shoulders. “I’m glad it’s not just me. It’s just so strange still seeing you for real. My mind doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with what my eyes see.”
    “Understandable. I look at you and I still can’t believe how much more beautiful you are in person.”
    That did it. My cheeks deepened, and I sheepishly tucked my hair behind my ear. I wasn’t the best at receiving compliments. Luckily I was saved by our server.
    We placed our order s, and I used that short time to regain some of my lost composure. The conversation moved to a less fervent topic. I couldn’t have been more grateful.
    “Have you thought about what you are going to do after high school? What school you would like to attend?” he asked me. His magnetic eyes shimmered under the dim glow of candles.
    I shook my dark head and fiddled with t he moonstone and amethyst at my neck. “School has been the furthest thing from my mind.” And my grades were starting to show it.
    “I know a really great school…” He let his words linger in the air. We both knew he was talking about his college. Like a seasoned frat boy he tried to sweeten the proposal. “Just think how convenient it would be to practice magic, and I could always use someone to spar with. There aren’t many witches there, so we would be doing each other a favor.”
    Chewing on my lip, I considered what he said. Before all this, that had been my school of choice. Now…I wasn’t so sure I even wanted to go to college. “I’ll think about.” It was the best I could do for now. A part of me couldn’t commit to anything until I knew where Gavin and I stood.
    I prayed that would be sooner th an later.
    Lukas grinned heavenly at me, like he had won a small victory. “That’s better than no. And in the meantime, I will take every opportunity to convince you.”
    Wonderful . I think I just opened a can of worms.
    Our food arrived and the air wafted with parmesan and tomatoes. Lukas dug right in. I, on the other hand, pushed my food around the plate in circles. I was having fun, but there was a strange tug in my belly. Being here with Lukas was nice, normal even, but…
    He cleared his throat , pausing between shoveling monstrous bites of meatballs in his mouth. “So this thing with…,” he paused. “What’s his name again?”
    I looked up from my half eaten plate of noodles, meeting his quizzical gaze. There was just the slightest light to them. He had been watching me aimlessly play with my food. We both knew he remembered his name. “Gavin,” I supplied.
    He scratched his chin. “Right. This thing with Gavin is seriously bugging you.”
    I sighed heavily , leaning my elbows on the table. “To say the least.”
    “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
    I made a face. “I don’t want to spoil dinner.”
    “It might make you feel better, ” he dangled like it was a piece of pie.
    True, though I wasn’t sure he was actually the person to be my sounding board, but really, who else did I have? My aunt, Tori and Austin were out of the question for obvious reasons. Sophie was his sister and although I could probably talk to her, it felt wrong. Lukas might just be the only person out there.
    I gave in. “Let’s just say that he didn’t take it well when he learned that I had met the guy in my dreams.”
    He grinned wolfishly. “Clever. I like the sound of that. Hopefully it didn’t come out just so.”
    I snorted. “Hardly, but no