Victoria laughed. "If you turn any redder..."
I picked up the menu and hid behind it.
Alex joined her laughter.
The arrival of our pizza interrupted them, and I reluctantly lowered the menu. The pizza was huge, and it smelled amazing.
Alex glanced at his phone and frowned. "Well, that explains why they're late. They canceled on me. Something came up at home." He sighed.
"We've got plenty. Have some pizza with us," Victoria offered.
I nodded, resigned, when Alex looked at me for permission. "There's plenty, and I'm about as embarrassed as I can be already, so you may as well stay."
Alex's smile lit up his face, and I melted a little, my insides fluttering. Forcing my attention away from my rather handsome new friend, I pulled a piece of pizza off the serving tray and took a bite.
"Wow, you might want to let that cool off," Victoria cautioned.
I frowned. "It's fine. Try it." It was more than fine, the buttery crust melded perfectly with sauce and cheese, and I groaned in pleasure.
Alex had paused with a piece halfway to his plate and stared at me, sapphire eyes glinting in the low light. He looked shocked.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
"Huh, you're right, the pizza is perfect. I nearly burned my mouth last time." Victoria shrugged, and we fell to stuffing our faces.
I caught Alex studying me a few times during the evening, but I ignored it, still embarrassed. The pizza was everything I had ever wanted in a pizza, and I was exhausted after a long day.
Between the three of us, we finished off the pizza. Alex surprised us by paying. "I intruded, it's only fair that I buy you both dinner. Though I must say, I enjoyed your company immensely. Perhaps we can do it again sometime."
Victoria agreed immediately, and I nodded sleepily.
"Can I give you my phone number?"
"Sure." I pulled out my phone and entered the digits along with his name. Then I grabbed Victoria's number while I was at it. I sent both a quick text, and then we were connected. My first friends at college–an adorably hot guy and a really nice roommate. I hoped this was a good sign as to how the year would go.
Chapter 2
Sofia
"Are you going to dress up?" Victoria knocked on the half-wall that divided our small dorm room. It was the next evening, and we were getting ready to head out to the student-faculty mixer. We had spent the day going over our schedules, walking to our classrooms and getting to know each other.
"Should I? I don't have a ton of experience with school parties outside of dances," I admitted.
Victoria shrugged. "I don't either, and this is Colorado, so it's probably pretty casual. I just didn't know what you normally wore. I saw one dress when I was helping you unpack."
I laughed. "Hopefully that will be all I need, or I'll have to go shopping."
"I think the college does mixers and parties a couple of times a semester for students and faculty. The flier didn't say anything about dressing up, though."
"Okay, great. So, jeans and a button-down shirt should be okay?"
My roommate laughed. "You're getting the hang of Colorado already. Have you texted Alex to see if he'll be there?"
I blushed. I couldn't help it. "Um, no. Should I?"
"Girl, haven't you ever had a boyfriend?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Uh, yeah, a few. You?"
She threw her hands up in the air. "You're hopeless. Yes. I'm already taken, though. My guy is going to UD." She frowned. "We'll only see each other a couple of times a semester."
"Oh. I was going to suggest you text Alex, but I guess I won't."
"What, he not cute enough for you?"
"I dumped coffee all over him." I flopped backward onto my bed.
"He's clearly over it, unlike my crazy roommate. He seems nice. Give him a chance."
I sighed. Victoria was right, I needed to get over it. He was cute.
"Fine, I'll text him. I really don't think anyone else will even remember the coffee incident in a few more days." Victoria stared at her phone for a moment and then smiled. "Oh, he's quick. Yes, he's coming. He'll see us there."
My phone vibrated, and I fished it out of my pocket.
Alex: See you tonight.
Well, I couldn't not reply.
Sofia: Yeah, looking forward to it.
He replied with a smiley face.
"Oh, you probably want to bring a light jacket, too."
"Really? It was pretty warm last time I was outside."
"It will cool off as soon as the sun drops behind the mountains. You'll want it."
I studied my roommate. She was tying a windbreaker around her waist. Deciding to trust her, I dug in my closet until I found a light sweater I could tie by the arms around my waist. Grabbing my backpack purse, I slung it over my shoulders and followed her out the door.
It was cooler, and a light breeze had kicked up. Though still comfortable without the jacket, she was right, I would want one in another hour or so. We headed for the Square, a section of the college near the library that had been set aside for outdoor gatherings. Earlier in the day when I had walked by, the school had set up a large white tent and put tables underneath.
When we arrived, it was already crowded with students and faculty. Most of the students looked older, and I thought that maybe they had come early to help welcome the freshman. If so, that was pretty cool.
"Sofia!" The voice was familiar, but it wasn't Alex's.
"Oh, it's the guys who helped us move in." Victoria grinned.
"Ed and Allan, right?"
"I think so. A couple more hotties if you are into muscles. You should get their numbers, too."
I covered my mouth and laughed. "What?"
"Options, girl. You just got here."
"Oh my god." I buried my face in my hand for a moment, before peeking between my fingers.
Ed wore jeans and a plain blue t-shirt that was tight
