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She gasped and pulled back. “Oh, I don’t think...I mean, I’m not sure it’s a good idea.” Grace shook her head and exhaled—loudly like I had.
I nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right. Sorry about that. It must’ve been the lightning.” I laughed and gently knocked myself on the skull a couple times. “Hope it didn’t make me forget all that trig you just taught me.” I smiled and even though I didn’t want this night to end, I asked, “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. It’s late,” she answered, sounding nervous. “Sorry about this,” she said, packing her things in her book bag.
“Sorry? For what?” I handed her a couple of books. “Are you secretly Mother Nature, too? Did you cause the storm?” I laughed. “Not that it would surprise me. You’re definitely a force of nature.”
Grace stopped. “Takes one to know one.” She let out a big breath. “I just meant...um...I’m sorry about falling on you like that.”
Her stuttering was cute, like she wasn’t used to people taking care of her—even if it was just catching her when she fell. “You’re too pretty to be sorry, Grace.” I leaned over and pushed her bangs out of her face the way she’d done to mine earlier.
“I’m what?” she asked, like she either didn’t hear me or didn’t believe me.
Speaking slowly to be sure she understood and to—hopefully—make her blush, I said, “You. Are. Pretty.”
“Oh,” she turned away. “I guess that’s weird I asked you to repeat that.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Not weirder than hanging out in a dark, wet basement.”
We both laughed.
Grace’s phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it—scrunching her eyebrows together as she read the text message that came through.
“I have to go, Henry, sorry. You’ll do great if we get a pop quiz tomorrow so don’t worry.”
“Wait,” I said, gently taking her arm. “At least let me walk you back to the dorms. It’s late.”
“No, it’s fine, honestly. We’re going in opposite directions, anyway. I just have to call my mom back before she worries.”
I opened the basement door for her. “Okay but be sure to tell her about the guy who saved you from a deadly storm.” I grinned.
“Deadly?” Grace shook her head. “Next time, I need to tutor you about the use of hyperbole.” She laughed.
“Hyper what?” I asked, but Grace was already steps ahead of me. “See you in the morning!” She called out, without turning around.
I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about the kiss that almost happened.
After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I got up and went to the kitchen where my trig textbook was and opened it to the page we left off on. While I scarfed down cold leftovers, I worked through the next few problems. It was 4:06 am, and I was studying to impress a girl.
Who was Grace O’Connell turning Henry Walton into?
I fell asleep at the table and woke up to my phone ringing. Figuring it was one of my parents calling to make sure I hadn’t been expelled yet, I let it ring without flipping it over to see who it was. Then I realized they’d just keep calling if I didn’t answer. “Hello?”
“Morning! Did I wake you up?” Grace asked excitedly, sounding like she’d been up for hours, too.
“Oh, hey. Who’s this?” I replied, trying to play it cool and not let her know how recognizable her voice already was to me because I’d been replaying every conversation we’d had in the past twenty-four hours since we met.
"Do you have my trig book? I figured you grabbed it not realizing it was mine.”
I looked at the books on my counter and saw that I had two math textbooks. “Oh, damn. Sorry about that.”
“No big deal. Just bring it to class if you don’t mind—”
“Oh, I see how it is. You only like me when you need me for something.” I replied, making sure she heard the sarcasm in my voice.
“I’m the one you need for something, remember? Like good grades!” she laughed. “Anyway, you up for a last-minute cram session before class? I can meet you in the basement in twenty.”
Already rushing around my apartment as soon as I heard her say “meet,” I turned on the shower and was still talking when I got in—holding my phone just beyond the water. “Yeah! I’ll be there!”
