“Gabrielle,” I said, grinning.
“I haven’t heard from Autumn since yesterday,” she deadpanned. Her eyes narrowed.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m about to go get her.”
“Were you nice?”
“Yes, I was fucking nice. I messed up one time. Will I ever live that down?”
“We’ll see. By the way, I was rooting for you.” She shrugged her shoulders and walked back into Tyler’s room.
“What is she like when she doesn’t like someone?” I asked Tyler.
“I wouldn’t want to know.”
“Yeah, then don’t screw that up,” I said, laughing. He had a habit of getting too serious for the wrong girl, and it fell apart faster than it began.
“No offense, dude, but the last person I want to take relationship advice from is you.”
“Relationship?” My brows shot up. He had only known the girl for a few weeks.
He shrugged, looking around nervously. “Whatever it is, I don’t need advice from you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Do not screw this up…she’s Autumn’s friend.”
His face twisted with humor, mocking me. “You really like her? Like, really? Not just a ‘get her into the bed and drop her’ kind of thing?”
“No offense, dude,” I said, quoting him. “I’m not talking about my feelings with you.”
“You just answered my question,” he said as I walked off. I lifted my middle finger before I went into my room.
I tossed my athletic clothes into my bathroom and walked into my closet. Pulling out a grey Henley from my dresser and jeans from a hanger, I dressed quickly. I wasn’t sure why the hell I invited Autumn over tonight. I was trying to prove to her that I was more than my behavior last time, but was I? I tended to try to fix things without thinking it through. I would never admit that out loud, so I put my shoes on one by one and was out the door as fast as I’d arrived.
When I got to her dorm, she was waiting for me. Her long, auburn hair was curly and hanging to her waist. Her shorts were short, and her shirt was snug and low-cut. I tried to look everywhere but at her tits. Something about her screamed innocent. I’d spent enough time with her to know she was no Mother Teresa, but something about her in this moment made me want to look away. She looked up at me with big doe eyes, studying me. I was being fucking weird. She could tell.
“Ready to go?” she asked, and I realized I’d been standing here like some creep without saying a word. Just staring.
“Uh, yeah. After you.”
“You’re being weird,” she said as we got into my waiting car. She tugged her seatbelt on and flipped her hair to the side, pushing it out of the way. When she did this, her tits stood out more. I started the car, looking straight ahead. I didn’t know how I never realized she looked like this.
“I’m just being me.”
She made a low, humming sound. “You’re right. You’re just weird.”
A soft chuckle escaped my lips. She didn’t know how nervous I was all of a sudden, and I sure as hell couldn’t understand it. I’d never been this far with a girl, and now I could feel her stare as I awkwardly navigated back to the house. This was a bad idea.
A honk. I looked behind me at the truck, and then back at the light. Seeing that I was holding up traffic, I pushed the pedal harder than intended. Autumn shot forward.
“You can take me back,” she said, composing herself. I glanced at her, finding her face flushed red, and then back at the road. I was turning on to my street.
“Is that what you want?” I was panicking.
“You haven’t looked at me or talked to me the entire drive. You’re acting weird. Even for you. I can see you don’t want me here.”
She was staring at me curiously. She wanted me to talk to her. I ran my hand down my face, scanning our surroundings. The cool air had forced everyone inside tonight. Not even a single straggler was on the lawn.
“What’s your favorite color?” I asked. Her brows knit together as her eyes focused on me.
“Why do you ask?” I smirked. She was always so suspicious. As if telling someone her favorite color would lead to identity theft.
“You wanted to talk,” I deadpanned. The side of her mouth lifted in a small smile. She looked embarrassed, and I wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be.
“Blue. Like the kind of blue, I’ll spend hours arguing with someone for calling it green,” she said, smiling. I believed that Autumn could argue with a wall and win. “What’s yours?”
“Just blue,” I joked.
“What’s your favorite class?” she asked, taking her bottom lip between her teeth.
“English,” I said. That earned me an eye-roll. “Yours?”
“History.”
“Ouch. See if I add a class to be near you again,” I said, pretending to be offended. Her eyes narrowed into slits.
“I knew it!”
I shrugged, laughing at her expression. It was a mix between surprised and annoyed. “It is helping my GPA, though.”
Her stare was intrusive as she picked me apart, wondering if I was telling the truth. While she was fixated on one tiny detail, I was aware that no one was in sight. Her tiny outfit, her laughter, her smell, being this close—it was all becoming too much.
“Where are you?” she asked. I looked over at her. Her leg was propped under the other one, and she was leaning against the door.
“Right here.”
She pressed her lips together, giving me a pointed look. “Where do you go when you get quiet like that? Sometimes you just stare off at nothing.”
“I was thinking I like talking to you.”
Smiling she looked down. Her loose red curls fell in front of her face, creating a wall between us. Leaning over, I pushed the strands from her face. She looked at me, and I was hooked. Without permission I closed
