by Nana Malone
He was slow to answer at first, but with her encouragement, he was firmer in his responses, and he clearly understood what he'd read. She started asking questions about what happened earlier in the book and how some of the prominent symbols tracked. He knew his stuff if he took the time to read. But he wasn't falling behind because of sheer laziness. If he had minimal time and read slowly, then of course he wouldn't finish his assignments. When he knew the concepts, his arguments were clear and concise. She wondered how he was doing in his other classes.
After several minutes of back and forth, he interrupted her to ask, “Have you read this before?”
“Twice, once in high school and once on my own. That's why I could skim it so fast, so don't worry about being a slow reader. Understanding what you read is more important than speed,” she told him. “You are going to have to devote more time to reading so you don't fall behind. If it takes more time, that's what you've got to give it. Get rid of distractions if and where you can. Turn off the television, no headphones, or only low classical or instrumental music to help block outside stimuli. If you use songs or anything with lyrics, it can distract you from the words on the page. Oh, I'll be right back,” she said, as a thought occurred to her.
She leapt from her seat and hurried through the library to the section where the audio books were shelved. The school library didn't have as many as she would have liked, but she did manage to locate a copy of the book Gage needed for his English class.
When she returned to the table, she slid it across to him triumphantly. “Why don't you go check that out? If you're a slow reader on your own, or you tend to get distracted, having someone reading aloud along with you could help speed things up and help you retain what you read.”
He turned the case over in his hand to look at it, a smile of hope blossoming on his face.
“I hadn't thought of using something like this before.”
“You should be able to copy it to whatever MP3 player you use, but if it's scratched I hope you have an old CD player hanging around,” she said with a laugh. “Of course, most of the books on your syllabus can probably be found through an online audiobook subscription service.”
“Yeah. I'll…I'll be right back,” he said, turning towards the checkout desk.
Becker watched him warily as he walked away, and felt an odd sense of vicarious triumph. It was a small step. Too soon to see if it would be effective, but it was a step. Looking back over the reading list from the syllabus, she was pretty sure he could find audio copies of the books he'd already read, but the textbooks and books about formatting were another story. She'd have to think a bit harder on that one.
The final essay could be managed if she oversaw each step of his writing process and helped guide him through the organization. He needed a topic and then to make an outline; she wondered if she would have to show him how to make one of those, too.
He returned to the table and slipped the audio book into his bag.
“I'll copy it to my computer later and start listening to it from the beginning tonight,” he told her.
“Perfect. Have you come up with a topic for your final essay? It's not due for another two weeks, but the earlier you start…” she hinted strongly.
“Do you think we could go grab something to eat for dinner first?” Gage requested. “The whole thing with my roommate earlier didn't give me enough time to grab a snack, so I'm starving.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, fine. Let's go.”
Even though Becker was stiff and uncomfortable, Gage held her hand. Part of him wanted to push her past her comfort zone. Part of him liked how he felt with her.
Since the tutoring session was supposed to double as their first “date,” rather than just stop at the residential cafeteria or one of the other food carts on campus, Gage suggested they head off-campus to eat. Though Becker seemed hesitant at first, she agreed and offered to drive, since he hadn't brought his car.
They ended up at a local place that served anything and everything on the menu from six in the morning until three in the morning.
“I'm pretty sure they only close down in order to clean everything and start again,” Gage joked, as he led her to one of the tables.
“How many times have you been here?”
“The guys from the team come all the time,” he explained, nodding to the waiter. “It's an all-you-can-eat buffet deal. They know their target clientele well.”
Within ten minutes, Becker had a plate consisting of stir fry and chicken, while Gage's plate was piled with pasta, chicken, something that had seafood in it, and a chocolate chip muffin.
“Save room for dessert,” he told her, as he dug in.
She laughed at the spectacle and started in on her chicken.
“Okay,” Gage said, around a bit of food. “So, I'm thinking about Daniel and that party. To pull this off, he's really going to have to believe that we're together.”
“Look,” Becker interrupted him, “I've been thinking about this, and maybe it's not the best idea we ever had. Obviously, I'll still tutor you, and you'll pay me, but this—” She pointed between them. “—us dating, no one would believe it anyway. And I really don't do parties, or dating. It's—”
Gage studied her carefully. “What's wrong with the occasional party? You act like you've never been to one.” And he knew full well she had been. Granted he hadn't been able to find her after the whole Crystal thing.
A flush snaked up her neck. “I—I have, too. I went to the house party on Collins at the beginning of the year.”
He smirked “Oh, yeah? I was there. Where were you hiding out at the party? I feel like seeing you there would have been the most memorable moment of my life.”
Her gaze met his as her eyes flared wide and she coughed. She knew he was fucking with her. He wanted her to acknowledge what had happened in that bedroom. But she didn’t. Instead, she flushed deep and sidestepped the question. “I— left early. Look, it's fine. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess. I'll deal with Daniel on my own.”
He frowned. He’d only been teasing her. Something was up, He'd seen the way she actively avoided Daniel’s touch. He figured she'd want to do anything to get rid of him for good. “Oh yeah? Just how do you propose to do that? If I were you, I'd be a little concerned that that dude isn't taking no for an answer. It offends my sensibilities as a guy.”
She swallowed hard. “It's fine. I know how to handle him.”
She was trying to avoid the party. But why? It was just a simple party. “What? Are you scared of a party?”
“No, I am not scared. I just don't like them. The music is always too loud, and there are too many people, and they're not really actually any fun, everyone making small talk. You'd think there'd be more dancing and less beer pong and…” Her voice trailed off, as she ran out of steam. “I just don't like them.”
Gage sat back and crossed his arms. Holy hell. She was scared of going to a party.
“Okay, Becker Johnson. So you don't like parties. Just how many have you been to, that you’re making this kind of assessment?”
“I— Enough.”
“Give me a number, Becks. One, twelve, a hundred,” he pushed.
“Okay, look, it was just the one, and I only went to see what the fuss was all about. And it was disappointing.”
He frowned and sat forward. “How is it you've only ever been to one party?”
There was that pretty flush again. “Well, Dad is strict. He got worse after my mom died. And he's controlling. Not to mention he has a reputation. Sometimes a nasty one. Then, of course, I didn't help my cause by being—” She hesitated, then used a hand to gesture to herself from head to toe. “—this.”
His irritation flared. “What the fuck are you talking about? You're fucking hot, but you know that. You're smart as shit, you have to know that.”
“No one has ever called me hot. And objectively, I know I'm okay. But it's more about me. I'm stiff, not fun. A buzzkill. I'm sociall
y awkward, and I don't know what to say or do, because I've had little practice. So, nine times out of ten I just stand around like I'm mute. Daniel only wants to be with me because of what it will mean for his father. I'm pretty sure Daniel knows he's not headed for the NBA, so he's making his plans for the future.”
He couldn't believe what she was saying. Sure, she was uptight, but she was hot. She just had no clue how guys thought. If she did, she'd stop with the tight, plain, cotton shirt that hugged her tits, and that cardigan. Mixed with the glasses, and the hair pulled back simply off her face, it make him want to do things to muss her up. Things that would give her crazy bedhead.
Gage wiped his mouth and leaned forward on his forearms. “Okay, I know what we're going to do. I'm also going to help you loosen up a little. A little fun wouldn't kill you.”
She shook her head. “Uh, no. We're not meant to be having fun. You have a class to pass.”
“And I will. With you helping me, I know I will. But this is college. You're supposed to be enjoying it. Not just biding your time to get through.”
“I am enjoying it. My best friend is here, I'm out of the house, and—”
No way Gage was buying that particular brand of bullshit. “Come on, Becks, does that feel like living? You tell me. If you can honestly say you don't want to do any of the fun things in college I'll shut up. But you went to that party. You were looking for something different, right?”
“I—” She cut herself off. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, we're already dating. But we're going to do some actual dating. Obviously, study dates come first, especially if you get other tutoring jobs. And practice, for me, but at least once a week, we're going to take a night and do fun and mindless kinds of things. A party, a ridiculous movie, out to eat, new friends, something. Because I'm making it my personal mission to add some fun to your life.” He rolled his shoulders. “Who knows, it might take away some of the pressure I feel, too.”
She sighed. “This is ridiculous.”
Gage ignored that statement. “I believe you mentioned that you had a list of dating rules. Hit me with them. We'll try them out at the party.”
Becker swallowed as she nodded and set her fork aside, so she could count the items off on her fingers. “Kissing, but no tongue. We'll have to engage in a bit of PDA to make things believable, but that's a fuzzy line. And no obvious groping either, polite touching only,” she said.
He tried to hold her gaze while she spoke, but as she brought up the ways he wasn’t allowed to touch her, she blasted those ideas into his mind. He could practically feel his hands molding to that perfect ass. His hands twitched, imagining the way her nipple might peak as he brushed it with the back of his fingers, and he wondered what she would taste like on his tongue. She smelled like honeysuckle and vanilla. Would she taste that sweet? He shook his head and dragged his attention back to the conversation when he realized she was still talking.
“Two drinks, max. I obviously won't be drinking. Oh, and of course, no ditching me to make out with somebody.” She met his gaze levelly. “You still think it's a good idea to continue this?”
“Got it. Don't drink too much, and don't humiliate and or make you jealous. Done. Besides, that would have Daniel sniffing around you real fast.” He hardly knew the girl, but the prospect made him twitchy. She might not be the easy and accessible kind of girl he usually hooked up with, but he liked her. And oddly, he felt a little protective of her.
Becker opened her mouth to continue, and he jumped in. “I think I should get to lay down a few rules of my own for you to follow,” he suggested. “You need to laugh at least ten times. And no, not a fake laugh. And yes, I can tell the difference. You need to talk to at least five people you’ve never met before.”
Becker interrupted him with a continuation of her own list. “We aren't going to stay more than an hour. We just need to be seen together by Daniel once or twice, and then we can duck out. No staying out all night when you need as much rest as you can get between your basketball practices, and keeping on top of your homework.” She emphasized the last part, but he refused to let go of his own point.
“If you relax a bit, you might wind up having a good time at this thing,” he told her. “Parties are a specialty of mine, remember. Oh, two more things. We're going to dance together. It's going to be hot. You'll have to deal with it. I'll tell you before I put my hands anywhere you might find objectionable. But this party is going to have good music, unlike that lame frat party.”
She scoffed. “Oh, yeah? What do you constitute as good music?”
“Glad you asked, Becks. You really should learn some things about me. Right now, I'm obsessed with Jidenna, and Kendrick Lamar. Frank Ocean, too.” She blinked at him, showing no recognition. “Seriously, you have no idea who they are, do you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I generally listen to classical music. Some John Mayer.”
He couldn't help but stare at her. “Okay. We're going to go to a couple of concerts, too. Because that is just sad.”
She shrugged. “You should see my father's face when he brings someone home and announces who they are. I have no idea, most of the time. Drives him insane.” She licked her lips and he stared transfixed by her tongue. “But I don't dance.”
Who the hell didn't dance? Especially at a party. “Oh, you will. And final rule. We're going to kiss at this thing. Publicly. Or, at least, semi-publicly. I'm not a guy who puts all my business out there, so we'll make it seem like we're looking for privacy, but the idea is to be seen, so we're going to be seen.”
She shook her head. “No. I will not be making out with you.”
He had a feeling she'd say that. “Look, I get it, but it's going to be expected. I'll warn you before it happens. And I won't do anything you don't want. But people are going to expect us to be all over each other. Especially as this is new.”
She frowned, and he wanted to brush away the worry. “I—I'm not sure…” Her voice trailed off.
“You know, I think you're afraid to enjoy yourself at something like this. You're afraid of losing control, even for a little while.”
Becker frowned, but didn’t deny it.
“If your dad is anywhere near as controlling as my Gramps can get, then I totally understand. I don't know how he was with my dad when he was growing up, but I watched him trying to run off just about every single one of my brothers' and sister's significant others.” Gage shook his head. “All it did was make them dig their heels in more, though. You know, the first time my brother Bryce brought Tami home, Gramps went and invited all of Bryce's exes to the house, just to cause trouble. And he nearly got into a brawl with Echo's boyfriend at a family party back before they started dating. Cole was her coach then, and Gramps didn't like the way Cole was coaching her.”
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously? He and my father would get along well.” She cleared her throat. “And what about you? Did he ever try to get you to do something you didn't want to do? Was he the one who pressured you into basketball, or did he threaten to disown you if you didn't do what he said?”
Gage's smile slipped, as he understood the pain that lay behind Becker's question.
“I was lucky to be the youngest, I think. He's either too old or too tired. And I'm pretty much doing what's expected, so I haven't rocked the boat too much. Plus, he's got his hands full at the moment, so I'm flying under the radar.” Gage licked his lips. “With Dad sick, I think he's desperate to control something, and doesn’t know what to do.”
Her frown deepened. “I'm sorry. Is it…cancer?”
Gage shook his head. “Some autoimmune thing. I'm not completely sure how it works, but it took them a while to diagnose it. He and my mom kept it from the rest of us for a long time. He's been doing okay once they figured out what it was that was wrong with him and put him on some medications to treat his symptoms. But the added stress isn't good for him.”
Becker's gaze narrowed, and she asked quietly, “Ad
ded stress?”
Gage frowned at his nearly empty plate of food. “I guess I should mention, my name comes with its own share of problems. I'm mostly insulated. But there might be some…interest in us. Because of the rest of them. And maybe because of your dad. I mean, we'll keep shit as low-key as possible, but you get the idea. So, uh, a new scandal popped up. It seems my dad might have a sister he knows nothing about.”
“Oh, wow. I—I'm sorry,” she said.
Gage shrugged it off, desperate to turn the conversation away from him and his fucked-up family. “Was it…cancer for you? That killed your mom, I mean,” he asked gently.
Becker shifted her gaze to her hands. “Car accident. She didn't suffer. But it made my dad a bit paranoid. He was a problem when she was alive, but now that she's gone. It's worse. He hasn't been the same.”
“Something sudden like that? Yeah, I can imagine.”
“I was just a teenager, and it freaked him out that I didn't have my mom to turn to. And then he started freaking out about what I'd do if anything happened to him, and… He wants to have me properly 'taken care of' in the way he thinks I should be, just in case something happens.” she added. “Never mind the fact that I'm almost nineteen now, and have no interest in living the life he sees for me. Or in the kind of man he thinks I should be with.”
“Do you think he’ll approve of me?” Gage teased. When she looked up at him, he made sure to smile broadly, his lips pressed together and his mouth full. It had the desired effect—she laughed.
“We'll see how this party goes, and then I'll decide.”
“Okay, back to business. We have to stay for a while. It's our first party together as a couple, after all.”
Becker sighed and poked at her food for a moment, before setting her fork down and brushing her hands together. “I'll tell you what… If you finish that book for your English class, I'll come up with a little comprehensive pop quiz for you. For every two or three answers you get right, we'll stay an hour.”