A deep sigh emanated from her. “I thought we were supposed to be mapping stars?”
“We are.”
“No, we’re not. All I have is a scribbly line and you have nothing.”
“That scribbly line is between the Delta and Gamma.” I leaned over, connecting the dots. “Here is the Theta and this is the Alpha—brightest star. See, we are halfway done.”
She frowned, slowly shaking her head as she turned her gaze to the sky. While she was distracted, because I was done with the astronomy shit, I leaned in further, my shoulder pressing into hers as I finished the map, completing our homework assignment.
I turned my head. “Now we’re done mapping stars . . .” Our faces were inches apart, and I heard the soft inhale of breath. She didn’t move away, and my smile went up a notch. “See? That wasn’t hard.”
Avery’s gaze dropped, and I knew she wasn’t paying a damn bit of attention to what was coming out of my mouth even though she was staring at it. Not that I was complaining. She could stare at my mouth all she wanted.
Those thick lashes swept up and our gazes locked once more. A sudden, tangible pull spread out between us. Neither of us moved, and I wanted to. I wanted to pull her into my arms. Where the whole slowing down things went to I had no idea. She moved, visibly uncomfortable, and the good, decent part of me said to look away, to crack a joke and make her feel better, but I couldn’t resist the lure of her eyes. In the darkness, they were like black pools.
I forced myself to say something. “You think you learned anything about the stars?”
There was no response, which was probably a good thing, because that was lame. So I went to what I really wanted to know. “Have you ever been on a date?”
Still no response.
My lips curved up. “Are you listening to me?”
Shortcake blinked like she was coming out of a daze. “Huh? Yes! Yes. Totally.”
There was no mistaking she was feeling what I was feeling. Not when she had stared at me that long. “Yeah . . . so, you haven’t been on a date?”
“What?”
I chuckled. “You really haven’t been listening to me at all. You’ve been too busy staring at me.”
“I have not!”
“Yes, you were.” I nudged her shoulder.
The expression she made was like she tasted something bad. “You are so beyond the acceptable level of arrogance.”
“Arrogant? I’m just stating the truth.” I tossed my notebook aside and leaned back on my arms, watching her. I couldn’t resist teasing her. It was like finding a new hobby. “There’s nothing wrong with staring at me. I like it.”
She gaped at me. “I wasn’t staring at you. Not really. I sort of . . . dazed out. That’s how thrilling talking to you is.”
“Everything about me is thrilling.”
“About as thrilling as watching your tortoise cross a road.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”
“Keep calling me sweetheart and you’re going to be limping.”
Ah, I liked that. “Oh, listen to you.”
“Whatever.”
“We should do it.”
Her lips puckered. “Do what? Go home? I’m all about going home, like right now.”
I smiled. “Go on a date.”
Six
Shortcake stared at me like I’d just suggested that we strip naked and run through the cornstalks. She snapped her notebook closed and grabbed her bag. “I’m not sure I’m following this conversation.”
“It’s really not that complicated.” I laughed at her hateful look. “We should go out on a date.”
She stared at me a moment and then shoved her notebook into the bag with lethal force. “I don’t understand.”
Why wasn’t I surprised that she didn’t understand? Lying back, I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the bones pop. I watched her gaze sweep down the length of me, getting hung up on the skin exposed between my shirt and belt.
My smile spread. “Typically going on a date is when two people go out for the evening or sometimes during the day. Really, it can be any time of the day or night. It usually involves dinner. Sometimes a movie or a walk in the park. Though, I don’t do walks in the park. Maybe on a beach, but since there aren’t any—”
“I know what a date is.” She jumped to her feet, eyes like chips of black ice in the darkness.
“You said you didn’t understand. So I’m explaining what a date means.”
Her lips twitched as she crossed her arms. “That’s not the part I don’t understand and you know that.”
“I was just making sure we were on the same page.”
“We’re not.”
Grinning shamelessly, I lowered my arms, but didn’t tug down my shirt. “So now that we both know what a date entails, we should go out on one.”
“Uh . . .”
I laughed as I sat up. The confusion on her face was adorable in a weird way. “That’s not really a response, Avery.”
“I . . .” Shaking her head, she took a step back. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
Where in the hell did Shortcake get that idea? “A girlfriend? No.”
“Then who was that brunette stumbling out of your apartment Wednesday night?” she demanded.
As her words sunk in, I smiled from ear to fucking ear. “Have you been watching me, Avery?”
“No. No!” Her face blanched. “What? I wasn’t watching you. I do have a life.”
I arched a brow. “Then how do you know about Stephanie?”
Shortcake shifted her weight. “That’s her name?”
“Well, yes, she has a name and no, she’s not my girlfriend. And she wasn’t stumbling. Maybe shuffling.”
She rolled her eyes.
“So how did you see her if you weren’t watching me?” I crossed my ankles. “And I don’t mind the idea of you watching me. Remember, I like that.”
Her chest rose in a deep breath, and I could tell her patience was running thin. “I wasn’t watching you. I couldn’t sleep and I was staring out my living-room window. I just happened to see you walking her out to her car.”
I didn’t believe her. Hell to the no. Who just happens to be staring out the window at that time of night? As much as I’d love to tease her, it looked like she was about to punt kick my head, but I was a gambling sort of man. “Well, that makes sense. Not nearly as entertaining as you standing by your window hoping to catch a glimpse of me.”
She stared at me.
I winked. “Steph’s not my girlfriend by the way. We aren’t like that.”
Her hand went to the bracelet on her left wrist. “I’m not like that.”
“Like what?”
Turning her stare to the many stars, she raised her hands. “I’m not like her.”
“Do you know her?”
“I don’t just hook up with guys for fun, okay? I don’t see anything wrong with it. Totally not judging here, but that’s not me. So I’m not interested. Sorry.”
“Wait a sec. I’m confused. You’re not judging her, but you’ve made the assumption that she’s into random hookups? That she’s my fuck buddy? Isn’t that kind of making a rash judgment based on assumptions?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You’re right. I don’t know if that’s what you guys are about. Maybe you’re just childhood buddies or something.”
“We’re not.” I grinned. “We hook up every once in a while.”
Shortcake’s jaw hit the ground. “I was right! Then why did you accuse me of being judgmental?”
“I was just pointing it out.” I couldn’t stop teasing her. The array of emotions that crossed her face was fascinating to me. “And for the record, we didn’t hook up Wednesday night. Not for the lack of trying on her part, but I wasn’t feeling it.”
r /> “Whatever. This is a stupid conversation.”
“I like this conversation.”
She reached for the bag, but I was faster, grabbing her bag as I stood. A deep, annoyed sigh radiated from her. “Give it to me.”
Ducking my chin, I said, “I’m trying to.” I laid the strap over her shoulder, brushing the side of her neck with my fingers. It wasn’t on purpose that time and when she jumped, so did my heart. Backing away, I picked up the flashlight. “See? I was just being a gentleman.”
“I don’t think you’re a gentleman, but thank you.”
Her words were an odd mix of sincerity and frustration, and she didn’t say anything else as we started back with only the narrow swath of light from the flashlight.
“This place is kind of creepy at night, don’t you think?”
She nodded as she looked over at the dark, looming shadows of the monuments. “Well, I guess, if there’s going to be any place in the world haunted, it would be a place like this.”
“You believe in ghosts?”
Shortcake shrugged. “I don’t know. Never seen one.”
“Me neither.”
One side of her lips curved up. “That’s a good thing I suppose.”
I stopped at the passenger side of the truck. “Milady.”
“Thank you.”
Since there was a little less frustration in her voice, I decided to test my luck. I leaned against the open door, watching the interior light caress the edges of her face. “So, what about it?”
“What about what?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Go out on a date with me.”
She stiffened. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“That’s not an answer.” She grabbed the seatbelt, whipping it around her.
“What kind of question was that? How am I—hey, it’s just a seat belt. Not that hard.” I leaned over, taking the belt from her. As our hands brushed, she plastered herself against the seat. It was such a strange reaction that the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rose as I lifted my gaze. “Why shouldn’t we go out on a date?”
Her hands balled into fists in her lap. I wanted to let go of the damn seat belt, take her hands in mine, and ease them out of the tight ball. “Because . . . because we don’t know each other.”
I smiled slightly as I moved my gaze up, centering on her mouth. “That’s what a date is all about. Getting to know each other. Go out on a date with me.”
“There’s nothing to know about me,” she whispered.
“I’m sure there is tons to know about you.”
“There’s not.”
I leaned closer, inhaling her sweet scent. “Then we can spend the time with me talking.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Oh, it will be more thrilling than watching Raphael cross a road.”
“Ha.” Amusement flashed in her dark eyes.
“Thought you’d like that.”
Her gaze flickered to where her bag rested against her legs and then back to mine. “Can we go yet?”
“Can we go on a date?”
A sound of frustration came from her. “Good God, you don’t give up.”
“Nope.”
Shortcake laughed, and I couldn’t stop the smile from forming on my lips. I liked the sound of her laugh, when she really laughed. “I’m sure there are plenty of girls who want to go out on a date with you.”
“There are.”
“Wow. Modest aren’t you?”
“Why should I be? And I want to go out on a date with you. Not them.”
She shook her head slightly. “I don’t understand why.”
And I didn’t understand why she didn’t get it. “I can think of a few reasons. You’re not like most girls.” True. “That interests me.” And it really did. “You’re awkward in this really . . . adorable way. You’re smart. Want me to list more?”
“No. Not at all,” she replied. “I don’t want to go out on a date with you.”
I didn’t believe it. Call it intuition, experience, or plain old cockiness, I didn’t believe her at all. “I figured you’d say that.”
“Then why did you ask?”
I leaned back, grabbing the side of the door. “Because I wanted to.”
“Oh. Well. Okay. Glad you got it out of your system.”
What did she think this was? Hell, I didn’t even know what this was. “I haven’t gotten it out of my system.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You haven’t?”
“Nope.” I smiled. “There’s always tomorrow.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“I’ll ask you again.”
She shook her head. “The answer will be the same.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” I tapped the tip of her nose, grinning as she narrowed her eyes at me. “And maybe you’ll say yes. I’m a patient guy, and hey, like you said, I don’t give up easily.”
“Great,” she muttered, but there was a glimmer in her eyes, the same sheen that had been there when she was checking me out.
“Knew you’d see it that way.” I tweaked the tip of her nose, and she smacked my hand away. “Don’t worry. I know the truth.”
“The truth about what?”
I moved back in case she swung again. “You want to say yes, but you’re just not ready.”
Shortcake looked like she actually did see a ghost.
“It’s okay. I’m a lot to handle, but I can assure you, you’ll have fun handling me.” Before she could respond, I tapped her nose and then closed the door, grinning to myself as I loped around the front of the truck.
I watched Avery head into her apartment. She stopped halfway in, tucked the glossy copper strands behind her ear as she peeked over her shoulder at me.
A small, shy smile pulled at her lips as she waved good-bye and then slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her.
Standing there a few more moments, like a creeper, I finally turned toward my door. As I reached for the knob, the door swung open.
Jase appeared, blocking the door. A curious look crossed his expression. “What are you doing standing in the hallway of your apartment building like a loser?”
“What are you doing in my apartment like a freak?”
He shrugged. “I was hanging out with Ollie, but he ran to Sheetz to get some nachos.”
“Ah, a nachos night.” Which meant Ollie would be up all night. I shifted my weight. “Are you going to let me in?”
“Well, since it is your place.” He cocked his head to the side, casting half of his swarthy face into a shadow. “I guess so.”
Jase stepped aside, allowing me to squeeze past him. I went straight to the fridge, grabbed a beer and then dropped onto the couch. “You’re not at the farm?”
He shook his head as he joined me, picking up a bottle from the coffee table. “No. Jack is with the grandparents.”
“Ah . . .” That explained it. Jase was usually at his family farm on the weekends.
Jase glanced at me. “Sooo, you were out with the redhead?”
“Shortcake?”
His dark brows slipped out of the wave of hair and knitted. “Huh?”
“Avery’s the redhead. And no. We were doing an astronomy assignment. We’re partners.”
“Oh.” He took a swig of his beer and made a face. “Sooo,” he said again, and I rolled my eyes. “Why were you staring at her apartment door?”
“How do you know?”
“I watched you through the peephole.”
“Nice.” I laughed, taking a drink. A couple of minutes passed and then I said, “I asked her out.”
Jase didn’t look that interested. “Okay.”
“She turned me down.”
His head swung toward me, his dove-gray eyes sparkling
with interest. “What?”
“Yep.” I fell back into the couch, grinning. “Turned me down flat.”
Leaning onto the arm of the couch, Jase laughed so hard I think he hurt his stomach. “I like this girl.”
“So do I,” I said, sighing. “So do I.”
Seven
Fresh banana-nut bread cooled on the counter, filling the apartment with its savory scent.
I glanced at the clock on the stove. Five till eight.
Shoving my hands through my damp hair, I gave up on the idea of actually sleeping. In the living room, Ollie was passed out on the floor snoring, and the last time I’d checked my bedroom, Jase was sprawled across the foot of my bed. And there was no way in hell any part of my skin or clothes were touching any part of Ollie’s bed.
It wasn’t so much that Jase and Ollie had kept me awake. At any point during the never-ending night, I could’ve locked myself in my bedroom, but my mind wouldn’t shut down. Some of it had to do with the meeting on Friday and how Dr. Bale had laid everything out. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Jase was going to make things work, because after Ollie had passed out and Jase was more drunk than an entire frat, he started talking, and well, I didn’t know how to help him.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about the girl a few doors down.
Shortcake had turned me down.
I grinned, thinking of how I was going to turn that no into a yes.
Pivoting around, I reached for the fridge and came to a stop. Was that it? The challenge? From the moment I met Avery, she was running from me, and females ran toward me.
But what I said to her last night about why I wanted to go out on a date was true. Avery did interest me. She wasn’t like the girls I hung out with—the well put together, coy and flirtatious ones. Not that anything was wrong with them, but Avery was different. She made me laugh. Maybe not on purpose, but I loved watching her flush over the simplest things, and when she smiled?
Shortcake shone brighter than any chick I knew.
Perhaps it was all that, combined with the challenge. I really didn’t know, and at that moment, as I opened the fridge and grabbed some eggs, I really didn’t care.
I liked her.