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He finally breaks the silence and says, “You done?” I nod and he pays the bill. I make him promise to let me pay next time. He mumbles something incoherent under his breath.
As we leave the diner and walk to his truck, he is careful not to touch me but stays close behind after opening the door for me. His truck looks older, but I can tell he takes good care of it. It is black and clean. He opens the passenger door for me and helps me in since it is a little high up.
As he drives us to campus, I play with the radio until I finally land on a station. “Oh I love this song!” I hum along as I stare out the window as Jason Isbell’s song “Cover Me Up” fills the car.
The song continues and after a few words in the second verse, he reaches across the seat and grabs my hand, all while keeping his eyes on the road. I stare at him as I listen to the song. When he realizes I am staring at him, he looks self-conscious, “What?” He asks gently.
“Nothing...I just…like this song…and…I really like you. And you’re pretty beautiful,” I say giddily.
He smiles a big, perfect white toothy smile. My heart melts.
I felt like I have never truly lived until now, until this moment. With him.
The tutor center is pretty busy most of the afternoon. Some of the upperclassmen were hesitant to accept my help in my first few weeks here due to me being a freshman—plus their pride and chauvinism—but I proved myself. I am helping a sophomore from my English Lit class with the assignment we have due next week when I realize I went over my time.
I finish helping him and then clock out for the week. When Elliot dropped me off earlier, he left me with a smile and said, ‘see you later’. I was too giddy at the time to ask when that ‘later’ was going to be. Later after class? After dinner? Tomorrow? Never? I like to plan, and I am getting a little uneasy not knowing what to expect or even how to contact him since we have still yet to exchange numbers. I don’t even know where he lives! As I am getting lost inside the black hole of chaotic energy that is my mind, I walk towards the doors of the library. I stop when I see Elliot leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking out the window. My mind instantly settles, and my heart starts to race a little. I smile without even thinking about it and I start towards him again. When he turns and sees me, he smiles and pushes off of the wall. I reach him, standing pretty close, and look up at him.
“Hi.” I grin.
“Hi,” He says back with a smirk. He reaches for my hand which melts my heart, and I grasp his hand with mine. He leads me out of the library towards the parking lot.
“How long were you waiting?” I ask.
“Only about 45 minutes,” He answers and I look at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“You didn’t have to wait that long!” I say quietly, feeling bad.
“I have to admit…I watched you work a little bit,” He says with a side glance.
My cheeks heat. “Hm, I think that might be stalker behavior, but in this case I feel like it’s more romantic.”
He laughs, “No, it's definitely creepy. I apologize. My class ended and I wanted to come see how you were doing…but I didn’t want to interrupt or distract you. You looked like you were…completely in your element.”
I smile. “I was. I love tutoring.”
“I know,” He says with a grin. I lightly hip-check him as we get to his truck.
On the short drive to my apartment, I attack him with questions. Favorite color? Black. Not surprising. Favorite season? Fall. Me too! Favorite movie? Rocky III. Why the third movie? Because that’s when he gets the ‘eye of the tiger back’. Agreed. Favorite ice cream flavor? Cookies and cream. Favorite subject? Psychology.
I keep up the stream of questions until he walks me to my door, and I take my keys out to unlock it.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask hopefully.
“I actually have to go.” I try to hide my disappointment. “I go back to Penbrooke on the weekends to check on my grandmother. But I’ll be back on Sunday evening. I’m sorry.” He looks worried, sad.
“It’s okay! I’m glad you’re able to go see her. Please tell her I said hello and if she asks who I am, tell her that she’ll know soon enough,” I tease. He smiles and reaches his hand out to brush his fingers across my cheek and jaw. I turn my face into his hand and he cups it sweetly.
“Can I have your phone number?” He asks softly.
“Ugh, yes. I thought you would never ask.” He drops his hand to pull his phone out. He hands me his phone and I put my number in, then call myself so that I will have his. I save my name as ‘Mads’ in his phone. I wasn’t exactly sure why. No one really calls me ‘Mads’. Maybe Ana does occasionally, but not often. Maybe it is because everyone calls him ‘Decker’ but I call him Elliot. Everyone calls me Madeline or Maddie, but I want him to call me something special, something only he calls me.
“Mads?” He comments once I give his phone back to him. He smiles. “I like that.”
“I like you,” I say quietly, without even thinking. He smiles before his face turns softer, filled with eagerness and longing.
“Can I…kiss you?” He whispers.
“Yes, please,” I respond quickly.
