Addy and I deliver on our promise to see each other outside of class as often as possible, and the next several weeks are peppered with a variety of dates that allow us to get to know one another while also taking advantage of the crisp fall weather. I feel like I should remember the sights and scenery, but all I’ll ever be able to recall is Addy and what I’ve learned about her so far.
When we went hiking to Ithaca Falls and Cayuga Lake, I learned she can’t swim—a fact I plan on remedying—but that she loves the outdoors. It was also refreshing to learn she isn’t afraid of bugs like most girls I’ve met.
When we went to a local winery, I learned she can’t hold her alcohol to save her life but that she is very, very friendly when she’s tipsy. I thought she was handsy before, but tipsy Addy sprouts octopus arms, and it was a challenge to keep her hands from traveling too far south.
When we went to pick apples at an orchard, I got up close and personal with her playful side when she made me jump into a pile of leaves with her. I was an itchy mess and ended up finding leaves in my sweater when I got home that night, but hearing her shrieks of uninhibited laughter trumped any discomfort.
We’re currently at Cornell’s McGraw Tower, trekking up the stairs to take a look at the stars while the Cornell Chimes play. The twenty-one bells housed in the tower are the most played set of bells on any college campus, and I thought Addy was going to swoon from how romantic it sounded when I asked if she wanted to come.
A small smile tilts my lips up as I remember our previous dates. Not only that, but the view I have right now can’t be beat. I have an uninhibited view of her butt since she’s walking ahead of me, and the gentle sway of her hips as she takes each step has me hypnotized. Thank God for yoga pants.
“I freakin’ hate cardio,” Addy wheezes miserably, interrupting my reminiscent thoughts and admiring gaze. “Hate. It.”
“You didn’t have a problem with cardio when we went hiking,” I remind her.
“That’s not cardio,” she insists. “I don’t have enough air going to my brain at the moment to tell you how they’re different, but trust me, they are. Also,” she pauses and takes a deep breath, “I’m not your friend right now.”
“What? Why?”
“Because.” She breathes heavily, struggling for breath. “You’re not even winded.”
“I have my swimming obsession to thank for that. I’m happy to teach you sometime.”
“Maybe.” Deep breath. “Why’d I agree to do this again?”
“Because it’s romantic and a Cornell staple.”
“Fuck staples,” she wheezes.
I stifle the laugh I can feel building at her words. “Should we head back?” I can’t keep the teasing note from my voice.
She grunts in answer, and I follow along for a few more steps. Her pace has slowed down considerably, but I don’t mind taking as long as she needs to reach the top. If she wants to head back down, we can, but I’ll miss my view. I’m stuck staring at her butt again and almost run into her when she stops abruptly. I halt in my tracks so I don’t topple us over.
She turns around and faces me with an expression filled with dread. “How many steps have we gone? I know you’ve been counting. We’ve got to be close, right? I really want to hear the chimes play.”
We both look down and check the time; we have another fifteen minutes until the concert starts.
She won’t like my answer because I’m about to dash any lingering hope she has. I feel terrible, but I already have a plan forming to assuage my guilt. “We’re seventy-three steps in.”
“And how many steps are there?”
“From where you’re standing? One hundred and sixty-one,” I say without skipping a beat. “Eighty-eight more to go.”
“Stop!” she gasps. “You’re standing on a pile of lies, Theo. That’s not even halfway! That’ll take me forever.”
Her playful words and very real outrage at how many steps we have left makes me chuckle. “I’m not lying.”
With a frustrated huff, she leans her back against the wall and rests her hip against the handrail. “I don’t mean to be a whiny cow, but I didn’t think stargazing would be such a pain in the butt to execute.”
I wordlessly walk up a few of the steps separating us but make sure to leave some space between us. I turn around and speak over my shoulder.
“You’re not a whiny cow. Now, hop on,” I say, holding out my arms to my sides so she knows I intend to give her a piggyback ride.
Silence greets me, and I can practically feel her thoughts.
“You are not going to carry me eighty-eight steps up this tower, Theo. You’ll get tired. I’m too heavy.”
I scoff at her words as politely as possible. “I won’t get tired, and you’re not too heavy. You’re tiny. Trust me, my stamina is better than you think.”
She makes a sound between a garbled sigh and slight intake of breath, which shouldn’t even be possible. I don’t have time to think about what it could mean because I feel the heat of her at my back. She touches my shoulders and presses herself close, and I can’t help but wonder if this is a mistake. As long as she keeps her hands to herself, we should be fine and won’t tumble to our deaths.
“I trust you. Just don’t drop me.”
Her hands run over my shoulders before they loop around my neck and clasp across my chest. I squat, reach down, and grab her thighs. As I straighten, I hoist her farther up my back until we’re both comfortable.
“N-never,” I promise. “Now, since I’m doing the cardio for the two of us, all the talking is up to you.”
She laughs at me because as it stands, she does most of the talking anyways. “That won’t be a problem. What do you want me to talk about?”
I start taking the steps and make sure to stick to the handrail as a guide. “Tell me about yourself.”
“I’m not interesting,” she says softly into my ear, and I can hear a tinge of insecurity in her voice.
“I disagree. I think you’re p-plenty interesting.” My words reek of honesty, and I think she knows this because she doesn’t naysay me. “What don’t I know about you so far?” I pause and think. After a few steps, I add, “What’s your family like? What were you like in high school? How do you like college so far? Anything, really. I just want to k-know y-you.”
“You’re so sweet. Thank you.” She tops her sweet whisper off with a quick kiss to the side of my neck, and I feel my skin burn hotly at the contact. “Let’s see...I’m an only child with a bunch of big, burly male cousins. I didn’t have the chance to wonder what having a sibling might be like because we spent a lot of time together growing up. My family is huge and loud and crazy. It’s probably why I’m so forthright; you kind of have to be around my family if you want to be heard.”
“Well, that explains a lot.”
“Hey!” She playfully smacks my chest.
“I didn’t say it was a b-bad thing. I like how you go for what you w-want.”
“Like you?”
My face colors at her words, and I’m glad she can’t see my goofy expression. “Exactly. What else?”
“I was super involved in high school. I got good grades, but I really enjoyed a lot of the extracurricular activities. I was a cheerleader and played volleyball all four years, and I was on our student council as well. My specialty was event planning, and I was in charge of tying up all the loose ends for school functions and what not. I realized that’s what I love to do, which is why I’m studying communications and public relations.”
I think about her outgoing, take-charge personality. “I can definitely see that. I bet you were homecoming and prom queen.”
Her uncharacteristic silence confirms my suspicions before she speaks. “Maybe.”
“I knew it,” I say on a laugh. “It sounds like you were popular.”
She doesn’t disagree with me. “What were you like in high school?”
I take a moment to respond because I’m not sure how much I want to reveal.
I don’t want her to pity me if I tell her I was picked on, so I keep it vague.
“I was the opposite. With the exception of the swim team and a super secret comic book club, I wasn’t really involved in school activities. I love learning, so class was always fun. I definitely wasn’t homecoming or prom king,” I joke. “I love college a lot more. I like the independence and freedom we get.”
She hugs me tightly as I continue to carry her upstairs.
“College is great,” she agrees. “I learned early on I need to stay focused. When I first started, I was all over the place; I took classes that didn’t meet my degree requirements, which is why I’m in Wilder’s intro class now. I also dated some duds who were more focused on having a good time with their bros than having a good time with me. I figured early on I’m more of a long-term thinker, so I’ve been trying to balance a social life with my girlfriends and closing out this semester before graduation on a good note.”
“Makes sense. Those duds you dated were crazy for not wanting to spend time with you.”
She nuzzles into the back of my neck, and I can feel her smile. “Thank you. It all worked out because I met you.”
I give her an answering smile she can’t see, and we trek up the rest of the way in companionable silence. If I’m being honest, I take advantage of our closeness and go slower than I normally would. Once we reach the top, I set her down and feel warmth spread across my chest at her look of awe.
“They weren’t kidding. This has got to be the best view on campus.”
She looks all around us at the school and grounds, which look tiny from up here amidst the fall foliage, before tilting her head back to look up at the sky. She’s gorgeous, and I know I have the best view on campus. However, I don’t vocalize this thought because I’ve seen too many chick flicks with Demi where the guy says something similar, and I’m not about to be the guy that uses recycled lines from movies on this unique, wonderful girl.
She turns to look at me, and she holds out her hand with the softest smile. I lace my fingers with hers and move toward her until we’re pressed against each other, enjoying each other’s touch. There are people around us—other couples and people by themselves with cameras—and I avert my eyes when I see more than a few pairings making out heavily in the shadows of the tower.
Addy must see the same thing because she turns in my arms and looks up at me with a playful twinkle in her eye.
“I think,” she starts, “to get the full experience of this particular campus staple, we should do as our fellow locals do.” She gestures with her head toward the kissing couples and raises her eyebrows meaningfully.
I can’t help but poke fun at her. “I thought you said to f-fuck staples?”
Her hands glide up my chest and loop around my neck, pulling my head down.
“I changed my mind,” she breathes against my lips.
I close the distance between us just as the chimes being to play, and she sighs dreamily as our lips make contact. I couldn’t begin to tell you what songs are played because between my pounding heart and the rustling of the wind around us, we’re making our own melody, and it’s the sweetest I’ve ever heard.
Eight
Theo
Addy’s taken up residence in my thoughts, and I don’t want her to leave. I should be grading assignments, but the stack in front of me isn’t as appealing as thinking about how I feel when I lay my lips on hers—
“Get that dopey look off your face, Theo. If that’s how you look in class, I can pretty much guarantee no students are taking you seriously.”
“Hello to you too, Demi.” I fight the urge to wipe a hand over my face as I watch her sit across from me at my favorite study table in the library. “For the record, the students in Wilder’s class take me very seriously.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” she says as she makes herself comfortable and arranges her books and laptop to her liking. “Your face says it all. You’ve got it bad, my friend.”
I can’t even deny it. “Yeah, I do.”
A pleased look crosses Demi’s face at my words. “Aww. I know I give you a hard time and mess with you, but it’s so freakin’ cute to see how much you like each other. How was your last date? You took her to the clock tower, right?” She leans in and props her chin in her hands, eager for the details.
“Yeah, we went to the clock tower. Besides all the stairs and the couples wanting to make out under the stars, it was a success.”
“Oh, stop. I’m sure you were one of those couples making out, so don’t knock the others. Besides, you can cross this off your list of things to do at Cornell.”
I feel the warmth seep into my face at her words. “Maybe,” I mumble, embarrassed to admit she’s right but also pleased because she’s right.
“I’m happy for you, Theo.” Her smile and words are genuine, but they quickly turn teasing. “I’m also proud of you. I mean, just a few weeks ago you weren’t sure what you’d do if she kissed you. Now, look at you two, sucking face in public places.”
“I can’t take you anywhere,” I groan. Thankfully, her voice is low enough that it doesn’t carry over to nearby tables.
“I won’t deny that, but you love me anyway. Tell me, what do you have planned next?”
Eager to move off the topic of kissing, I fill her in on tomorrow’s plans. “Well, our dates have been pretty active and public, so Addy suggested we stay in. She mentioned wanting to Netflix and chill, which is fine by me. I’m looking forward to some downtime with her.”
“Netflix and chill?” Demi’s eyebrows rise at my words. “Are you ready for that?”
Her asking me if seeing a movie and hanging out is something I’d need to be ready for is odd, but she must be wondering if I can handle being near Addy in a more intimate setting.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? You and I Netflix and chill all the time.” My own brows rise when Demi coughs and covers the sound with an awkward laugh. “I know it’ll be different with her, but it’s the same concept.”
“It’ll definitely be different with her.” She laughs. “And I don’t know. We both don’t have a lot of experience, and I wasn’t sure if there was a right time to do that. I’m sure you’ll have fun, though.”
I chuckle at her words; she must be rustier at dating than I thought. “I know we aren’t very experienced, but I think I can handle Netflix and chill, Demi. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Okay, if you say so. I can’t wait to hear about this when it’s over. I’m assuming the Netflix and chilling will take place at her apartment?”
“Your assumption is correct. Her roommates have something else going on, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. It’ll be nice to have a relaxing night in. I’m curious to see what movie she’ll want to watch, but I’m hoping I can convince her to watch Justice League with me.”
“Mmhmm, I’m sure she’ll be all over that.” She winks at me, but before I can ask her what it was for, she continues. “As much as I love living vicariously through you now when it comes to dating, it looks like you have to get through that stack of papers.” She indicates said pile with a nod. “Let me help you, and then we can go home after you drop off those papers, order pizza, and watch Agents of Shield.”
“That would be awesome. Thanks, Demi. You’re the best.”
She gives me her typical response. “I know.”
We both turn our focus to the task at hand, and the easy banter we have while we work helps keep me from counting down to my date tomorrow.
Addy may want to Netflix and chill, but there’s nothing ‘chill’ about the way I feel for her.
With Demi’s help, we make quick work of getting through everything that needs grading. We took separate cars to school today, so she’s on her way home to put in the pizza order while I drop the assignments off at Cohen’s office.
My shoes echo down the deserted hallway, and I rap my knuckles in a quick staccato against his open door. He looks up, fatigue clear on his face, but his
lips quirk up at the corners when he sees me.
“Theo, do you have a few moments?”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just want to catch up and shoot the shit before we both head home.”
I’ve gotten used to his blunt manner of speaking, and I like how he treats me more like a peer than an assistant. I check the time on my cell and see Demi texted saying she had to make a pitstop at her dad’s before heading home. It shouldn’t take long, but I’m happy for the slight delay because I’ve come to really enjoy my talks with Cohen.
“Sure, I can hang out for a few.”
“Great, come on in. Have a seat.”
I shut the door behind me as I step into his office, taking in the now familiar surroundings as I make my way past the desk I usually sit at. The oak shelves lined with countless books on mythology make me itch to stop and peruse them, and I make a mental note to ask him if I can check out his collection one day. I step around a tall table holding a globe of Ancient Greece and give it a spin before settling into one of the wingback chairs in front of his desk.
“Before I forget, here is the latest round of assignments, graded and ready to disperse. I already entered the grades into the system.”
“Thank you, Theo. You’re doing a great job.”
“Thanks. Is it still a futile attempt to convince you to do online quizzes instead?” I ask hopefully.
Cohen lets out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Not everyone has a computer, and I don’t want anyone cheating. Paper is more honest.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, even though I’m just giving him a hard time.
“How’s the semester going?”
“It’s going well. I really like my classes, and with the exception of this really demanding, archaic professor I TA for, it’d be great.” I don’t mean it at all, and I’m always slightly surprised by how easy it is to converse with Cohen.
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