Free Stars (Penmore #1) by Malorie Verdant

so close to him.
    “So, Stars, I’m happy to keep sitting here, but it looks like class is over,” he tells me as he tilts his head sideways, throws his arm across the back of my seat and tries to dim his shit-eating grin.
    Crap .
    I look around this time, actually seeing the classroom and what I’ve been pretending to stare at, and realize the hall is , in fact, empty. So apparently in the time I spent waiting and watching for Grayson, I missed the introduction of the lesson. Then when he finally arrived, I watched him find me and locate a seat right beside me, which caused me to miss the middle of the discussion. And as he pressed against me and whispered in my ear, I seemed to have been so consumed in his presence that I didn’t notice the lecture ended and everyone left.
    Well, great.
    I really thought I had hit my quota of embarrassing activities in this lecture hall.
    “Oh, um, yeah.” Awesome. He just grins at me. Way too pleased with himself. I reach down for my handbag and begin to put my laptop away. Letting my curly hair hide my face as well as the mortification of my stupid mumbling and actions. When I stand up and straighten, he reaches out and shifts the hair that has fallen in front of my face to behind my ear.
    “Highlight of my week,” he says softly. His face has lost all prior cockiness, instead appearing fervent and attentive.
    “Um.”
    “Should probably know your name though,” he tells me, his eyes filled with humor.
    “Parker.”
    At least I finally managed to get my name out.
    “Okay, Parker. So as much as I want to make out with you right now, I’m not going to. You seemed a little pissed at that suggestion,” he states, teasing me a little as he looks into my eyes. Then he reaches for my hand. “But I’m going to kiss your palm. If it’s going to be a whole week before I get to see you, I need to at least have a little taste. Don’t run.”
    I can’t do anything except just nod and remain transfixed, standing completely still in our small corner of the lecture hall. The little part of me that was never totally healed from being ignored by my first crush vanishes. In its place, the fact that I finally managed to tell the angry eight-year-old boy my name fills me with shock. I was also completely bewildered by the fact that Grayson was looking at me as if I’m the most amazing thing he’s ever seen. I was actually witnessing the unattainable boy-next-door softly pressing his lips to the inside of my slightly shaking palm, while we stood alone in my divine sanctuary.
    If I had just met him, having no idea who he was, and was faced with this tall, handsome stranger with ocean eyes kissing my palm, I’m sure my heart would have fallen for him. But my heart was already slightly his because I knew who he was; I knew how special, thoughtful, funny, athletic, strong and caring he could be.
    So instead of falling in this moment, my heart crashes at his feet.
    Completely obliterated.
    A thousand tiny pieces scattered across the polished concrete floor of the lecture hall.

GRAYSON
    I’m stalking her. I followed her after spotting her walking into Reed Hall, and now I’m waiting for her class to finish. Fuck. I think the police would absolutely classify my actions as stalking. I do have coffee though. Surely, it doesn’t count as crazy, possibly homicidal pestering if you bring a hot beverage. I’m pretty sure none of the chainsaw-toting, knife-wielding serial killers I’ve seen in the movies brought a caramel latte to their victims. Yep, she won’t freak out. Maybe I should have also bought her a pastry?
    This is Marissa’s fault. I tell her I met a girl in class, who is unlike all the others. She hasn’t shoved her phone number in my back pocket, so she can really feel my ass. She hasn’t accidently dropped things in front of me so she has to bend over and pick them up. She is the first girl, besides Marissa, who hasn’t given me sex eyes and nodded when I explained this would