Chapter Ten

The familiar pounding headache was present when Blair woke up on Saturday morning. She groaned loudly and turned over on her side into the fetal position, clutching her churning stomach.

'You look how I feel,' Hailey commented wryly sipping from a steaming mug in the bed beside her.

Blair was struggling hard. She was having the most odd flashbacks and memories from the previous night. When Hailey left the room to go and call Jacob, had Cade had come over and kissed her? She shook her head lightly trying to shake the image, surely that hadn't actually happened?

'You crashed pretty hard last night,' Hailey said to her smiling. 'As soon as I got back from calling Jake you were sprawled out across the mattress snoring.'

'I do not snore!' Blair exclaimed laughing despite herself. So maybe she had dreamt it. She was slightly annoyed with herself for starting to bloody dream about making out with Cade but it was better then it actually happening, wasn't it? The two girls got up and made their way into the spotless kitchen where Jane was making pancakes. The smell had wafted into the living room practically flying them into the kitchen.

'I hear pancakes are a good hangover cure.'

Blair and Hailey exchanged weary looks at Jane's welcoming words. Uh oh.

'Are they?' Hailey asked innocently. 'How do you know Mum?'

Jane just raised an eyebrow piling the pancakes onto two plates for the girls and setting them at the counter for them. The girls pretty much devoured them two minutes later which didn't really help their innocence with the whole hung-over debate. Jane wasn't born yesterday, she smelt the alcohol on them last night.

It wasn't until Cade entered the kitchen through the side door, dressed in a simple pair of black running shorts, some high tech looking shoes and nothing else - did some more flashbacks race through Blair's mind. He had his earphones in blasting music loud enough the whole kitchen was aware he liked a bit of punk – and he was sweating profusely, with the droplets down his back and chest.

Instead of being ridiculously grossed out, Blair was fighting hard not to find him attractive. He took his earphones out and poured himself a large glass of water drinking it down quickly.

'Did you go for a run?'

Jane, Hailey and Cade all turned to look at Blair slowly.

Cade chuckled and raised an eyebrow, 'Good detective skills.'

'Oh Blair, you do crack me up sometimes,' Jane was laughing despite herself.

Blair wasn't sure exactly what possessed her to state the bleeding obvious. She was just so distracted by his muscles... The entirety of the conversation now was fresh in her mind from the previous night. She hadn't dreamt anything, Cade did come up and kiss her last night. What the heck did that mean?

'What are your plans for the day sweetheart?' Jane asked Cade as he finished his second glass. 'I wish the girls here would be a bit like you and get some fresh air in the mornings.' She added pointedly.

Cade grinned, 'I'd be happy to take them on my route next time.'

The girls shot him death glares.

He laughed again, 'Actually I'm planning to study today. Unfortunately the different curriculum is messing with my head a little bit. I'm way behind in maths and English.'

Jane frowned and her eyes landed on an unsuspecting Blair. No, Blair thought wildly. She knew exactly what Jane was thinking.

'Well Blair here is the smartest girl you will ever meet,' Jane said nodding her head. 'Why don't you help Cade catch up with the school work. I've already had two of your teachers call me to tell me how well your doing. As though it might be a surprise to me.'

Jane laughed but Cade was peering curiously at Blair.

'Oh Jane thank you, but I don't think I'll be much help,' Blair dismissed her quickly but just knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

'Well if your head isn't pounding too much, I think it would be a good idea,' Jane responded firmly with a small wink at Cade.

He smirked, 'I'm going to grab a shower and I'll meet you in my room?'

Blair watched Cade's back exit the kitchen with a sense of unease and foreboding. Their kiss replayed in her mind and she squirmed in her seat. What was he playing at?

'Hailey, maybe you should sit in on the tutoring,' Jane suggested gently. 'When I asked the teachers who called... well they said you might benefit from some light tutoring.'

Hailey sat up straight in her seat looking panicked. Blair knew she had plans with Jacob all day, and as much as she'd love Hailey to buffer her tutoring session with Cade she didn't want to ruin her friends plans.

'I really don't think I'd be able to tutor them both at the same time Jane,' Blair interrupted quickly. 'Its hard to keep one person concentrating on Math, I cant imagine having two.'

Hailey shot Blair a grateful look.

'I'll tutor Hails another time.'

Jane beamed, 'Very well then, thanks Blair.'

'Well I better go and get my books...' Blair was fairly certain she'd rather be dying in bed slowly then tutoring Cade. That was the only bad thing about living at Hailey's house. If it was her Mum telling her to do something she'd tell her to get lost.

...

'Just a second.'

Blair paused outside Cade's bedroom door after she knocked. Suddenly the door swung open wide and a disheveled looking Cade stood there, his dark green shirt a little wrinkly as though he literally just thrown it on. He had a small black towel in his hand and was drying his hair with it as he gestured for her to enter the room.

'Excuse the mess, I didn't expect to have company.'

Blair let out a short laugh because the room was pretty much spotless, she trailed off when she realized he wasn't joking. Weird. 'Ok let's get started.'

'You like getting right to business don't you Blair?'

She turned her head sharply to stare at him still standing over by the door, he had a small smile on his face. She watched as he strode across the room to his desk where he'd set up two chairs along with all his school books. 'So what's first? Just letting you know, I'm not really that behind. Your school is just a bit ahead.'

Blair smiled despite herself, 'Yeah, yeah if you ask me you must be pretty far behind to ask for help. Your ego is way too big!'

'Shut up you,' Cade wrinkled his nose at her, but he was smiling at her and Blair really wanted to look away.

'So I assume its differentiation you're having trouble with?' Blair snapped back to her book, felling her cheeks tinge red.

'Why would you say that?'

'I think I was the only one in our class who passed it,' Blair said matter of fact. She wasn't even exaggerating. 'It's really easy, here...' She went on to explain the math problem in a simple manner. Blair was sure it was so simple even Hailey would understand it. She trailed off when she noticed Cade had stopped scribbling down everything she was saying.

'Why aren't you writing this down?'

He smiled at her, 'You're a bit of a nerd aren't you?'

'Shut up,' She ducked her head annoyed with herself for getting embarrassed.

'No, it's cool.' He argued with that familiar smile she was beginning to grow attached to, 'It's a different side to you.'

'Why did you kiss me last night?'

Blair's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, what the hell possessed her to ask him that?

He simply stared at her for a few minutes, then rolled his eyes. 'Why do girls always make something into a big deal in their own minds?'

Blair felt like he'd slapped her, 'Gee, thanks Cade. You can't blame me for wondering! One minute you're yelling at me the next minute you're kissing me. Way to confuse someone!' Her voice had risen a little bit and she was gaining back her confidence

'I could say the same about you,' he retorted. 'You scream your bloody heart out at me and rant on and on about how bad I am for you, and the next minute,' his voice dropped extremely low and Blair felt a tingle go down the back of her neck. 'The next minute you can't keep your hands off me.'

'I don't like you Cade,' Blair replied evenly. She couldn't help noticing their chairs were pushed close to each other, and his knees were knocking against hers.

'The feeling is mutual,' he rolled his eyes and grabbed her shirt roughly pulling her into him into a fast, heated kiss.

...