Then Adrianna had to come in and scare her off. Why would she lie and say I was her boyfriend? I knew Keira didn’t believe me when I denied it. I had to spend time convincing her I wasn’t pulling shit out of my ass. I haven’t spoken to Adrianna since. And I don’t want to.
My finance class was in the math department because there wasn’t enough room in the business building, and I hoped I’d see Keira somewhere in the halls. I didn’t know what her school schedule was, and it seemed doubtful I would run into her, but one could hope. I knew I couldn’t just ask her to do something one-on-one. I wasn’t sure if she even liked me—as a person. We were having a nice conversation last week then she took off in the middle of it. She stayed in her room until everyone left.
Did I say the wrong thing?
She was more complicated than normal girls. That was usually a huge turnoff for me, but Keira kept me interested. I wanted to know why she acted that way. And what was the scar on her collarbone from? It almost looked like an incision.
I shook the thoughts away and tried to forget her. She wasn’t my type anyway. I could tell she wasn’t into one-night stands. I liked to have my way with women then be on my way. I’d never be boyfriend material to any girl. I was bad news for her.
When my class was over, I left the room and merged into the hallway. When I looked at the end, I saw her.
What are the odds?
Her bag was over her shoulder, and she clutched it tightly like someone might try to steal it. Her eyes were glued to the floor, trying to escape everyone’s notice. I knew she wanted to disappear.
I wondered if it was because of her appearance. Even without makeup, she was gorgeous. She had a perfect body, flawless skin, beautiful lips, and a wonderful personality—when she showed it. She probably got offers every day. Maybe she wanted to be left alone.
But I didn’t want to leave her alone.
I moved to the other side of the hallway so she would be forced to look at me. When she reached me, she looked up. Her eyes flashed in recognition. Her lips opened slightly to speak, but she shut them again.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hi…” She tightened her bag on her shoulder.
The silence stretched on. The awkwardness set in. Other students passed us in the hallway, making us an island.
“Did you just get out of class?” I asked.
“Yeah. Finite algebra.”
I snorted. “Sounds interesting.”
She smiled. She actually smiled. “It’s not so bad.”
“I just got out of my finance class.”
Within a second, she was back to distrusting me. “Then why are you in here?” The accusation was in her eyes.
“My class is in this building…”
“Oh.” She looked down, embarrassed.
“Let’s get some coffee.” I had no idea why I asked her that. It came out of my throat at its own will.
“Well, I have to…”
“Great, let’s go.” I turned toward the door. I wouldn’t give her the opportunity to reject me.
“Um…” She came beside me, trying to scramble for words.
“Did you see the game last night?” I changed the subject on purpose.
“Yeah. The Clippers did great.”
It worked. “I just got the season pass to the NBA so I can see every game. I’m a bit obsessed.”
She smiled.
Yes.
“Scotty and I split the NBA, MLB, and NFL packages. Otherwise, we couldn’t afford it.”
Damn, she was cool.
“I might have to crash at your place to watch all the games.” I was loaded and could afford all the sports packages, but I needed an excuse to see her.
“Oh…”
We arrived at the coffee shop on campus, and I opened the door for her.
She eyed it like it was a spaceship. Then she looked at me for a long moment before she walked inside.
Had no one ever opened the door for her? I walked in behind her. “What would you like?”
She shrugged. “Cappuccino?”
“Are you asking or telling me?” I asked with a smile.
“Oh.” She fidgeted in place. “Telling, I guess.”
“Coming right up. Take a seat.”
“I can get my own,” she said immediately.
“No, I offered. Please sit down.”
Her eyes widened like I slapped her.
What the hell was going through that beautiful head of hers?
“Okay…” She walked to a table by the window then sat down.
After I ordered our drinks, I sat down across from her.
She looked like she was going to pass out. She was breathing deeply, and her face was reddening.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m not dating right now. I just…don’t want to. I’m sorry.”
Wow. That was the worst rejection I’ve ever gotten. She looked physically sick. I didn’t realize I repulsed her so much. I decided to calm her down. “I thought we were friends. And I just wanted to hang out with you—as a friend.”
“Oh.” She touched her hair then took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
Damn, what was her deal? I’d give anything to know what she was thinking.
I let my tea bag rest in the water before I pulled it out. I liked it strong.
The silence stretched for a long time. She drank her cappuccino and didn’t look at me. But I looked at her.
Keira eyed my cup. “You like tea?”
“I get sick of coffee sometimes.”
“Which kind is that?” she asked.
“Earl Grey.”
“Cool.” She seemed more relaxed.
“What do you want to do when you graduate?”
“I’d like to be a teacher.”
“At what level?” I asked.
“High school.”
That surprised me. If a kid raised his voice, she’d probably bolt out the door. “Very admirable career.”
“Kids are doing horribly in math right now. I just think I could teach it in a way they would understand.” She sipped her cappuccino.
“And how would you approach it?”
“Games and activities. I would just lecture on the board. And no group work.” She rolled her eyes. “Teachers are obsessed with group work. Kids need to learn how to be independent, not rely on their peers to figure out a problem.”
I nodded. “That’s a good approach. So, are you from San Diego?”
“No. I’m from Anaheim.”
“I’m from Burbank. So we were about forty-five minutes away from each other.”
“Small world,” she said with a small smile.
“Is Scotty from the same area?”
“Yep.”
“How are you related?”
She played with the sleeve of her coffee. “Our dads were brothers.”
Were? Did that mean they were both dead? I decided not to ask. “You guys seem close.”
“We are. He’s the best guy I’ve ever known.” She spoke of him with high affection. I had a feeling their bond ran deep. “Do you have any siblings?”
I hated this topic. It killed me every time. I felt the lump in my throat. “No.”
She caught the emotion but didn’t press me on it.
“Do you have any siblings?”
“No. I’m an only child.”
“Your parents must spoil you rotten,” I said with a smile.
She didn’t smile back. “They did.”
She spoke in past tense—again. “What do you do for fun?”
“I tutor.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You do that for fun?”
“Well, I like it. I like teaching others. And I like getting paid.”
“Are you a private tutor?”
She nodded. “I work with kids in college and high school.”
“Does it pay decent?”
“Yeah. I charge twenty-five dollars an hour.”
“Damn. You must be
good.”
She shrugged, staying humble. “One of my students was failing his algebra class. I pulled him to an A. And another student I had, I helped him get a really high score on his SAT even though his math grades were horrendous. But now he’s in college.” She had a smile on her face, remembering her students with affection.
“That’s very cool.” I meant it. She was clearly passionate about what she did.
“I like my job.” She finished half her coffee.
“Do you like the coffee?” I asked.
“I do. Thank you for getting it for me.”
I nodded. “You’re very welcome.”
Keira finally looked at me. The fear and awkwardness were gone this time. She held my gaze longer than she normally did before she looked away.
We’re making progress.
“Have you talked to Adrianna?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. But I’m pissed at her.”
Keira didn’t have a response to that.
“She’s just jealous of you.”
“Me?” she asked incredulously. “Why?”
“Because you’re prettier than she is.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Shit. Did I offend her? “I just meant she’s threatened by you, that’s all.”
“You think I’m pretty…?”
“Um…you don’t?”
Now we were back to being awkward. Great.
I needed to change the subject quickly. “You have a nice house. How did you afford it?”
She played with the sleeve of her coffee again. “I inherited it.”
Oh. I should have assumed. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded but didn’t speak.
So her parents were dead. That’s too bad. I wondered what happened.
Scotty walked into the coffee shop then ordered a coffee at the counter. My initial reaction was to greet him and invite him over, but I knew Keira would cling to him then take off. Since he was behind her, she couldn’t see him. I decided to act like I didn’t notice him. I didn’t want Keira to leave.
But Scotty spotted me.
Damn.
He came to our table, his eyes wide. “Keira?”
She looked at him, a smile spreading on her face. “Hey.”
He looked at me then glanced back at her. “Just hanging out?”
“Liam asked me to get coffee—as friends,” she added quickly.
“Excellent.” He seemed over-the-top happy about our coffee date. He nodded. “That’s great. Really great.”
Okay…
He touched her shoulder. “Awesome.”
Maybe he wanted me to date her?
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone.” He left the coffee shop, Keira staring at him the entire time he left.
“He’s excited about us hanging out,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah.”
“Any particular reason why?”
“Um…he’s just in a good mood.”
I knew I was being lied to.
“I should go,” she said. “I have tutoring.”
That bummed me out. “Okay.” I stood up from the table and walked with her outside.
She started to get awkward again. “Well…I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll walk you.” I threw my tea in the garbage then walked with her to the library.
“No, it’s okay,” she said immediately.
“I don’t mind.” I kept going.
“Um…okay.” She walked beside me, leaving a large gap between us. It was bigger than necessary. It almost looked like we didn’t know each other. She had two personalities sometimes. She would be friendly and comfortable with me, and then she would push me away like she hardly knew me. I wasn’t sure why I put up with it or invested so much effort. All I knew was that I wanted to spend time with her. But I didn’t know why.
When I walked her to the second floor, she stopped. “Thanks for walking me.”
“Sure.”
“Okay…bye.”
“Bye.” I hoped she would hug me or something, but she didn’t. The girls I knew always hugged me anytime they saw me. They tended to be more affectionate. Keira wasn’t affectionate with anyone, but that made it more special—exclusive.
She walked away and disappeared into the sea of bookshelves. I waited in the same spot, hoping to get another glimpse of her. When I knew I wouldn’t see her again, I finally left the library.
When I walked to my truck, Adrianna was leaning against the door of my truck.
Great.
“What?” I snapped.
She had her arms crossed over her chest. “What kind of greeting is that?”
“A greeting to an enemy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why the hell did you tell Keira we were together?”
“Why does it matter? Are you fucking her?” It was a venomous side to her I’d never seen.
“It’s none of your business if I am,” I snapped. “I’ll fuck whoever I want. Adrianna, nothing will ever happen between us. If I wanted you, I would have asked you out a long time ago.”
“I can give you exactly what you want.”
That wasn’t a turn-on at all. I liked easy girls, but I didn’t find it attractive. I naturally lost respect for them. “It’s not gonna happen.” I walked to the driver’s side and threw my backpack in the back.
Adrianna followed me. “What do you see in her anyway? She’s like a child. And she clearly has issues. I bet she’s on suicide watch.”
“Shut the fuck up!”
Everyone in the parking lot looked at us. But I didn’t give a shit.
“Don’t talk about her like that. You don’t even know her.”
“Looks like I hit a nerve,” she said smugly.
“Leave me alone, Adrianna. I mean it. And you better not bother Keira.”
“Why do you care?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “She’s my friend—that’s why.”
“She’s not even your type. Why would you want to date her?”
“You aren’t my type either,” I snapped. “And it’s none of your business why I want to date her.” I got into the truck then slammed the door. After I started the engine, I peeled out of the parking lot, not looking at Adrianna once.
* * *
I kept thinking about Keira, even a week later. I wandered into the math building, hoping I’d accidently run into her. After my finance class, I went down the same hallway as last time, but she wasn’t there. I wondered if she purposely left the building to avoid me. It seemed like something she would do.
I knew the only way I’d see her was if we hung out with a group. I decided to call Scotty.
“Hey,” Scotty said in the phone.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“You tell me,” he said. “You called me.”
“Are you always a smartass?” I asked.
“Yep.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wanna play ball today?”
“I got to work,” he said. “But have fun without me.”
I made my move. “How about Keira? Is she down?”
He was quiet for a while. “I doubt it. I would forget about her.”
“How about you give me her number, and I’ll give her a call?”
Come on. Give me her number.
Scotty was quiet again. “I’ll let her know and give her your number. She’ll call if she wants to talk to you.”
Damn. Why was she so restricted? She was the unreachable princess, and I was the stable boy. I could just give up, but I didn’t want to. I wasn’t sure why. “Okay. Sounds good.” Not really.
“A’ight. Bye.”
We hung up.
I stayed at home and waited for her to call me. After an hour passed, I knew she wouldn’t. She was so confusing. I thought she liked me. We had coffee together, and everything was great. We talked and had a few laughs. What went wrong? I just wanted to play basketball with her. It was totally harmless.
I knew
where she lived, so I decided to stop by her place. She was probably home. I grabbed my basketball and headed out the door. I recalled the direction by memory then pulled in front of her house. There were no cars in the driveway, but there was a basketball hoop in front of the garage. I noticed it the last time I was there.
I watched the house for a moment but didn’t detect any life inside. I decided to go to the door anyway.
After I knocked, I held the basketball against my hip and waited. She wouldn’t be threatened by me when she saw my clothes and the ball. It was just a friendly request, two friends playing basketball.
I heard the sound of footsteps inside the house. I knew she was looking through the peephole.
“Shit,” I heard her whisper.
I tried not to smile. She probably thought I hadn’t heard her. “Keira, I just wanted to see if you wanted to play ball.” I held the basketball up to the peephole, showing her my sincerity.
“Fuck,” I heard her whisper again.
What was the big deal?
“Please open the door. I’m tired of having a conversation with a piece of wood.” I kept my voice light so I wouldn’t seem threatening.
She didn’t open the door. I knew she was fidgeting in place, touching her hair and looking flustered.
“Keira, I thought we were friends.”
That seemed to change her mind. She cracked the door, revealing just a sliver of her face. “Hi…”
“Hey.” I spun the ball on my fingers. “Let’s play in your driveway. Bran and Tony both have plans. But you’re better to play with anyway.”
“Um…”
“Come on,” I encouraged her. She acted like I just asked her to go skydiving.
She still stayed behind the door.
“Well, I’ll be outside if you decide to join me.” Hopefully, backing off would lure her out.
She stayed by the door and watched me before she finally came outside.
I dribbled the ball and made a few shots. “How was your day?”
“Why are you here?” Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was completely closed off from me.
“I just wanted to play basketball with you.”
“If I wanted to, I would have called.” Her voice was as cold as ice.
I think I made a dire mistake coming here. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She had a buildup of moisture in her eyes. “Don’t ever come here again.” She turned around and headed back to the door.
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