“Oh, I know.” She leans closer and makes a point to check out my name tag. “And when do you usually work, Alex?”
“Tuesdays and Thursdays and the first Saturday of the month,” I say automatically. She holds eye contact, then taps her license on the counter again and takes a step back.
“Good to know.” She snags her duffel, flashes me a smirk, and heads toward the locker room. I stand dumbfounded, wondering why the hell someone that hot would flirt withme.
Once she disappears from view, I crawl under the counter to grab my book. Except there’s no way I’m studying now. Not with Trinity Young working out in tight pants and a hot pink sports bra. She may not have given me her number, but she’s clearly interested. AndthatI can work with.
Jules sends me a series of texts at one in the morning, two days before spring semester ends. The first buzz wakes me up. The second makes me reach for my phone. By the third, I’ve managed to open my eyes wide enough to read the thread.
I miss you!
Can’t wait to see you in a couple of days!
Your mom’s wedding is going to be so much fun!
Save a dance for me?
https://open.spotify.com/track…
“That’s a lot of exclamation points,” I mumble sleepily.
With my roommate fast asleep, I tap on the link. The Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited” starts to play. It makes me smile.
You drunk?
Just missing you extra. Can’t wait for you to see the dress I bought for the wedding.
Can’t wait, I type back.I bet you’ll look beautiful.
She sends me an emoji. The one of the face smiling with teary eyes. I send her the one that’s winking and let the phone drop to my chest while the song quietly plays.
When I close my eyes and drift back to sleep, I envision Jules in a simple blue sundress. The same one she wore the night we went to get ice cream the summer before I left for Greece.
The one she wore the first time I realized how badly I wanted to kiss her.
Chapter Nine
Julia
With my last final taken, I celebrate by attending one more party with friends before we head home for the summer. I could’ve gone home this afternoon, but there’s something to be said about hanging around campus with no pressure of classes or exams or any sort of obligation. That and Alex has to work tomorrow, which means she isn’t coming home until Sunday, so there really isn’t a rush to get back.
“Congratulations on completing your first year of college,” Emily says, handing me a drink.
“And congrats on completing your third.” We tap our cups together and drink. I’ve never been a huge fan of beer, but Emily and her roommates say we have to kick the keg before the party ends since they have to return it before noon tomorrow. So beer it is, I guess.
She sits on her swivel chair and twists so she’s facing me. “Are you all packed?”
“Mostly.” I glance around her bedroom. It’s exactly how it was the last time I was here. She hasn’t packed a single thing. “It doesn’t look like you even started.”
Her laugh makes my stomach swish pleasantly. “That’s because I haven’t.”
She takes a moment to examine her room, and I use the distraction to take her in. Ever since my breakup with Tyler, I’ve been noticing things. Not things, really, but people. Girls. Attractive girls. Like the barista with the undercut who always winks when handing over mydrink. Or the hot Australian bartender when Chloe and I went to Bird Neck for a few days over spring break. And Emily. Especially Emily. The way she stares at me and smiles whenever our eyes meet. The way my palms start to sweat when she sits close or the way I find myself thinking of ways to touch her. Lately, I can’t stop staring at her lips, wondering what they’d feel like pressed against mine.
“I really want to kiss you.” And oh my God, did I just say that out loud?
The cup she’s holding freezes halfway to her mouth. She stares at me, her eyes darkening, and my instinct is to take it back. To tell her maybe three beers is past my limit, but the truth is, I do want to kiss her. I’ve wanted to ever since that windy day in March when she pushed the hair from my face and brought me a caramel latte after class. I square my shoulders and stare back.
“Then maybe you should do something about that,” she says in the most seductive voice I have ever heard.
