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I don’t have one thought to spare for Nate.
“I brought you a present. ”
West looks up from the floor scale, where he’s dumping big scoops of flour into the largest mixing bowl. “Yeah?”
I shake the white plastic bag I’m holding. “Corn nuts, Mounds bar, two Monsters. ”
“You know the way to my heart. ”
“I know the way to keep you from turning into a little bitch on Wednesday nights. ”
West smiles and takes the bag. He cracks an energy drink right away, closing his eyes as he takes a swig from the can.
He looks tired. Wednesdays are his worst, because he’s got lab in the afternoon. Most days he naps after class, but on Wednesdays he has to get through all his classes on four hours of sleep, then go to lab, work his library shift, and head straight to the bakery again.
“What are you mixing, the French?”
“Yeah. You want to start the dill?”
“Sure. ”
I check the clipboard hanging by the sink to see how many loaves Bob needs. West comes right up behind me, flattens one hand against the cabinet where the clipboard is hanging, and rests his cold drink against my neck.
“Aaagh! Don’t!”
He exhales a laugh and moves it away, but he doesn’t stop caging me in.
If I shifted over a few inches. If I pressed into him. His whole body, solid against mine.
“You have a good day?” he murmurs.
Gah. What is he doing to me? I don’t even think West needs to check the clipboard. It’s all in his head already.
He’s wearing this red plaid flannel shirt, unbuttoned. The sleeves are turned up, cuffs loose, and they flap when he uses his hands. I think about running my palm up his forearm. Feeling the soft fuzz of hair, the satiny skin underneath.
I think about turning around to face him.
But I just breathe in. Breathe out. Keep my voice normal when I answer, “Yeah, not bad. I ran into Quinn at lunch, and me and Bridget ended up sitting with her and Krish. ”
“Second time this week you had company at lunch. ”
I get up the nerve to turn around and smile as though I don’t want anything from him, expect anything from him, need anything from him. “I know. I’m practically a social butterfly, right?”
West is sort of almost smiling. I feel like I’m an experiment he’s running. What will she do if I do this? “You get any sleep before you came here?”
“A few hours. And I took a loooooong nap after class, too. See, look. ” I turn my cheek to show him the imprint from the throw pillow. “I was trying to read for English, but I fell asleep on the couch and permanently branded corduroy into my face. ”
He steps even closer to see the faint lines that remain all these hours later. He lays his fingers lightly along my jaw, using them to tip my face up toward him.
This is how he’d kiss me. Just like this, with a drink in one hand and a casual half smile, competent fingers putting my lips where he wanted them.
I inhale. Don’t get too excited, Caroline. He’s just looking because you told him to.
“Nice,” he says. “I’m jealous. ”
“Of my nap?”
“Of your pillow. ”
