Hannah sighed again. “Okay, fine. One hour.” She reached for her book as Elena pulled out her phone and started texting, her brown eyes dancing with excitement, her French-tipped nails flashing as her thumbs flew over the glass of the phone’s screen.
After a few minutes Elena looked up, a triumphant smile on her face. “Done. We’re on for tomorrow at eleven at the Literary Bean.”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “That was fast. Do you have a whole lineup of these guys just waiting to be set up with me or something?”
Now Elena shrugged. “No. But my friends all think they need to meet you. Everyone knows everyone in the poli-sci department and on the debate team, and you’re this mysterious person to them because they only hear stories about you from me and the couple of people who’ve met you. So it’s like a status thing for them to meet you.”
Hannah’s mouth turned up in a sardonic grin. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Elena shook her head, her dark hair brushing her shoulders with the movement. “No joke. Crazy, huh?”
Laughing, Hannah leaned back against the couch, letting her book close again with her finger holding her place. “So what’s the deal with this guy? Is he a debater or a poli-sci major?”
“He’s on the debate team with me. His name is Josh, and he’s my debate partner’s roommate.”
Hannah’s mouth twisted at that. “Isn’t your debate partner a freshman? You’re setting me up with a freshman?”
Waving a hand in dismissal, Elena went on. “He’s a theatre major and a real sweetie. He’s cute too. I think you’ll like him.”
“You’re coming too, though, right? I’m not just supposed to meet him and hold a rose or something so he knows who I am?”
Elena rolled her eyes again. “No. I wouldn’t do that to you. Adam and I will be there too. It’s just a friendly get-together over coffee. You can meet him and see what you think. No pressure or anything.”
“I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this.” Hannah shook her head and took a drink of her soda before opening her book again.
Elena got up from the couch and started for her bedroom opposite the couch. She stopped and turned with her hand on the doorknob. “Just see how it goes. If you don’t like him that much you won’t have to see him again. And you’ll make his day regardless because he’ll get into the in-crowd of people who’ve met my roommate.” Elena threw a smirk over her shoulder before going into her room and closing the door.
Chuckling to herself, Hannah returned her attention to her textbook. If she was letting Elena set her up on dates now, this would be an interesting semester on all counts. The guy she gave her virginity to at work, and a whole string of guys to check out through her roommate. All she really wanted was to lay low and get through it with minimal damage. From the looks of it, that didn’t seem likely to happen.
Climbing into her car to head to her internship, Hannah shook her head as she relived the last hour. She’d just finished coffee with Elena, her debate partner Adam, and Adam’s roommate Josh. Josh lived up to Elena’s description—sweet and cute—but in more of a baby-faced way than Hannah preferred. And while he was tall, which she appreciated, it seemed like he hadn’t grown into himself yet, all gangly long limbs and a little clumsy, like a puppy who thought he was still tiny and hadn’t gotten used to his own size. Which made sense, as he was only eighteen, his nineteenth birthday still a month away.
Elena had been right that he’d been eager to meet her, calling her “the fabled roommate,” like she were some mythical creature. Maybe that was what had put her off. Or maybe it was the sum of all the parts. While they’d had a pleasant conversation, and she spent the hour with them like she’d promised, she didn’t feel the connection that Elena had hoped for.
Her phone buzzed in her cupholder, and she glanced down at the next stoplight to see a text from Elena. Twisting her mouth in a rueful grin, she called her back and put the phone on speaker.
“So, what’d you think?” Elena asked as soon as she picked up.
Hannah chuckled. “He’s a little young.”
“He’ll be nineteen next month. That’s only two years younger than you. That’s not that bad.”
“It’s not just that. He looks like he’s fifteen. People would think he’s one of my younger brother’s friends if we ever went out.”
“So you’re thinking about going out with him?”
That provoked a full-on laugh. “Not even close.”
“Why not?” Elena protested. “He’s sweet. I thought you were enjoying yourself.”
“He is sweet,” Hannah agreed. “But I’m not attracted to him.” No sense beating around the bush. Elena was a champion debater. If she tried to give more reasons, Elena would see it as an opening and start debating with her. Hannah had learned a long time ago that she couldn’t possibly beat Elena in a debate so it was best to just stick to clear statements of fact and repeat them until Elena gave up.
“You promised to give him a chance.” Elena almost sounded like she was pouting.
“No. I promised to meet him for coffee. I promised an hour. I never promised to go on a real date with him. If you want to set me up on a date, find someone who looks like he’s old enough to vote.”
Elena snorted. “Fine. We’re going out this weekend. We’ll find some hot guys to take us home and make us feel like the beautiful women we are.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “You want to go out trolling for men?”
“You don’t like any of the guys I’m friends with enough to date them, so that doesn’t leave many options. And I still remember how wrecked you were after you spent
