Free Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis Page A

the
pillow.
    I’m fast asleep when I suddenly bolt
upright in the bed, my brain jolted awake. I glance at my watch through a
blurry haze. It’s four a.m. I force my eyes shut and pray for sleep, but it’s
futile.
    On autopilot, I get up and head to the
library.
    The second my foot hits the floor, my eyes
dart to the figure through the glass. He’s here again , my befuddled
brain acknowledges. Walking quietly toward the window, I sink onto the cushion,
my nose pressed firmly against the glass. Across the water, he mirrors my
position.
    This time I don’t even have the illusion
of reading to mask my ogling. I am here purely to stare at the boy who has
captured my mind and all sense of reason along with it. An inner war wages an
ugly battle inside me as I attempt to snap out of it. But it’s no good. As much
as I accept that this is peculiar beyond all explanation, I can’t drag myself
away. We continue to stare at one another as I plead with myself to summon some
self-respect from somewhere.
    Then he ups the stakes.
    I stare at the large, white piece of paper
pressed up against the glass. “I’M LOGAN. WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”
    Logan. I test his name out in my head and
I like it. A lot.
    I jump up and walk to the large cabinet at
the back of the room. Helping myself to some paper and pens, I start scribbling
furiously. “I’M SADIE.” I hold the page tight to the window.
    Logan hunches over and then lands another
page on the glass. “WHAT’S YOUR D-PAD ADDRESS?”
    Cripes. He wants my digipad address so he
can message me. Massive butterflies swamp my belly, and I’m giddy to the point
of nausea. I write my address down and request his, which he duly complies
with.
    Logan holds another piece of paper to the
glass. “I’LL MESSAGE YOU TOMORROW.”
    I’m already sick with nerves and
excitement. Which is totally idiotic, considering I’ll only be conversing with
him digitally, not actually speaking to him in person. But it’s enough to push
my inexperienced body into sensory overdrive.
    A cavernous ache builds in the pit of my
stomach as the craving to touch him, to hold him, takes me prisoner. I don’t
understand these feelings or where they’re originating from, but I’m powerless
to halt my body’s natural reaction.
    You need to sleep .
The thought enters my mind and I yawn. Pulling myself up on tired legs, I
glance at Logan one final time. He smiles and waves, and I do the same without
thinking about it.
     
    ***
    Jenna eyeballs me as if I’m deranged the next morning at breakfast.
Honestly, I can’t blame her. Even I think I’m acting weird. I can’t stop
fidgeting in my chair, and I haven’t managed to force more than two spoonsful
of cereal into my mouth.
    “What’s with you?”
    It’s high time I shared some of this with
her. She is most generous in filling me in on her rapidly developing love life,
and I’m already keeping secrets. I promised myself I wouldn’t retreat into a
shell here, and I haven’t been sticking to that promise.
    Besides, she’s already acknowledged that
I’m quirky, so I don’t think my odd behavior will bother her in the least. “I
have stuff to tell you,” I whisper. “About the hottie.”
    A roguish glint appears in her eye, and
she claps her hands in glee. “I’ll be back in a few,” she tells Odie, planting
one on him.
    I’m quite certain that’s largely for
Neve’s benefit. The ice-cold glare she sends Neve’s direction is most
definitely meant for her.
    “You could be nicer to her,” I suggest as
we walk. “She isn’t going to take him from you.”
    “The jury’s out on that one.” She grits
her teeth as she drags me into the dorm. “Forget about her. Deets, now.” Her
hands fly to her hips, as she demands answers with her penetrating stare. So, I
fill her in.
    She punches me in the arm with force, and
I yelp in pain.
    “Ow! That hurts!” I rub my hand over my
throbbing skin.
    “Good. It’s meant to. I can’t believe you
kept that