He thinks for a moment. “I wasn’t able to do that for you.”
“You did. I just don’t like that you did,” I say reflexively.
“Why?”
“Because those things are temporary for me.” I rub my eyes, aware now of how utterly exhausted I am, and more so, of how frightened I am to leave this room. To leave Esben. Suddenly, I want Steffi. She will make everything better. “I need to go home.”
He nods. “Okay. I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”
“What? God, no. What if someone sees us together? Everyone’ll go all hashtag crazy. I’m fine.”
Esben rises to a stand and shakes his head. “It’s late, and there is no way I’m letting you walk across campus alone.”
“Okay,” I agree as I step tipsily into the hallway and send Steffi a quick text. “But walk twenty feet behind me.”
“So it looks like I’m stalking you?”
“Yes.” I giggle. “I mean, no. Just be casual, and don’t look crazy. Don’t pull out a knife. Or a bow and arrow or whatever.” I start toward the stairwell.
“A bow and arrow?” he asks with a laugh.
“I dunno. Like Robin Hood.” My footsteps echo as I go down the stairs, and then I hear Esben begin the descent.
“Because I steal from the rich and give to the poor?” Esben asks from behind me.
“Because, knowing you, you’d still look good in tights.” I shove open the dorm door. The evening air is chilly, and I cross my arms for warmth.
The sound of his chuckle dances in the night. “Thank you, I guess?”
I walk a bit more and then glance back at him. “You do give to the poor, too, in a way.”
The short walk is silent, and I can feel his eyes on me as I fuss for my key. My movements are clumsy, and it takes a stupidly long time for me to retrieve the key.
“Found it!” I yell in celebration. I undo the lock, pull open the door, and halt. I’m not sure how to say good night. My fatigue and emotional confusion and the leftover effects of alcohol are weighing me down and making it hard to be socially smart. So, I just stand there, with my back to him, and debate what to say.
“Allison?”
Slowly, I turn and lean my weight against the open door. “Yeah?”
Esben is standing with a good distance between us. He really did stay twenty feet away from me as he walked me home. “I’m glad you came by.”
“Okay.”
“I am.” He tucks his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Light from one of the lampposts casts a glow over him. “I’ll see you Monday?”
“Okay.” I start to turn inside, but then I stop myself. “Esben? I’m glad I came by, too.”
I go downstairs to my room. Steffi is wearing my robe and emerging from the second bedroom, her hair messed up.
“Well, there you are! Did you let him have it?” she asks.
I squint at her. “What are you doing?” Then I look past her and see a blanket tossed on the bed. “Oh my God. Did you have sex next to care-package Jenga?”
She makes a mock shocked face. “How dare you suggest anything of the sort.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“Okay, fine, yes!” she squeals and begins jumping up and down. “And it was superfun!”
