The girls got up and left one at a time until the study room was down to just me and Gavin alone. Realizing how late it had gotten, I blurted, “Shit, it’s almost ten already.”
But as I stood from my chair, I felt so lightheaded that I had to sit right back down.
“You okay?” Gavin asked.
I rubbed my temples. “Yeah, just dizzy. I guess I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Well that’s no good. You gotta keep fuel in the tank if you want the engine to run,” he said. “Let me take you to grab a quick bite.”
I’d been more or less avoiding Gavin ever since Stefan had made it clear that he didn’t trust him. I still wasn’t entirely sure how I felt, but at that moment, I had a hard time imagining Gavin being anything but completely trustworthy. He had been a good friend to me, and I was going to be leaning hard on him and the others to get through the upcoming tests that our instructors had promised would be a challenge to even the most dedicated students.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “I’ll just grab a protein bar from the food court.”
“Sorry, but I can’t walk out of here with a clear conscience knowing I let you starve yourself in the name of your education.” Gavin gave me a look, and I held up my hands.
“It wasn’t on purpose,” I insisted. “I was running late this morning so I didn’t have time for breakfast, and then I spent my lunch break studying in Harper. After class I came straight here, and once we started working, I got caught up.”
“I believe you,” Gavin said, shaking his head. “I’ve never met anyone else who’s as obsessed with language as you are. You’re the kind of girl who’d forget to eat dinner one second but then tell me where the word ‘famished’ comes from the next.”
“From the Middle Englishfamen, which means ‘to starve,’” I said without thinking.
Gavin laughed. “I rest my case.”
He helped me back to my feet. “Come on,” he told me. “There’s a great pizza place right down the street, and I don’t wanna be the sad guy sitting in the corner, eating a whole deep dish by himself. We’ll be in and out of there in thirty minutes, tops.”
“Okay,” I said. “As long as we’re quick.”
Beyond the fact that I was starving, I figured it would have been rude to say no after all the help Gavin had given me. Besides, I liked his company, and there was no guarantee that Stefan would be home for dinner considering the fact that I’d already told him I’d be out late.
I let Gavin lead the way out of the library, allowing him to carry my bookbag as we made our way through the stacks and out the door.
The pizza place Gavin brought me to was called McGee’s, but since it was ten o’clock at night and adjacent to a college campus, the restaurant was completely packed and more than a little rowdy. We had to elbow our way through a crowd of people just to get to the counter to order and then we had to sit elbow to elbow at the counter because all the tables were taken.
“Sorry about the crowd,” Gavin said, flashing an apologetic smile. “I’ve never seen it like this in here before. I guess I’m usually here during lunch, when everyone’s still in class.”
“It’s okay,” I told him, my voice straining to be heard over the commotion. “I’m sure the pizza will be worth it! Must be good if it’s this busy, right?”
“The best,” Gavin agreed.
Our pizza arrived and we dug into it, elbowing each other in the process. I couldn’t help giggling a little. My thigh was pressed up against Gavin’s, his arm jostling mine as he reached for his soda. When the waitress squeezed by behind me, I leaned forward with my hot, melty slice, realizing too late that I’d spilled half the toppings all over his jacket.
“God, I’m so sorry,” I apologized. I tried to dab up the oil and cheese with my napkin, but I ended up nearly elbowing him in the face in the process.
“No worries,” he said, gesturing at a blob of melted cheese and black olive. “This just means I’ll have a snack for later.”
We both laughed.
It was nice just sitting here with Gavin, laughing and joking and having a good time. Even the proximity of our bodies felt comfortable, despite the fact that I could feel the heat radiating from his leg into mine.
As I reached for a second slice, he twisted a little on his stool to face me.
“You have…” He gestured toward my face, but I had my pizza in one hand and a beverage in the other.
Before I could free my hands, Gavin reached out and tucked a wisp of loose hair behind my ear. His touch was soft, gentle, and as his fingers brushed my cheek, his gaze caught mine. He wore a look I knew well.
It was the same way Stefan looked at me when his guard was down.
At the same moment I realized it, Gavin leaned in to kiss me.
