“This way, actually,” I said, and his eyebrows shot up. “We’re staying on campus.”
It was a quiet walk, filled with small talk asking about each other’s days—which I didn’t have much to contribute to because Teresa and I’d binge-watched crime shows all day.
The music building was unlocked when we arrived, and an onslaught of air conditioning welcomed us.
I readjusted the box in my arms before starting up the steps. “Follow me.”
Noah followed dutifully, and I led him toward the music room where I’d met a certain Oliver Bishop.
I shook my head to rid myself of that baffling memory.
Balancing the box on one hip and only briefly risking its contents, I swiped us into the room and flicked on some lights as we moseyed in. There was a small stagelike platform just one step up from the floor, and I decided to make that our home base as I plopped down the box and slid off my backpack.
“Get comfortable?” I suggested while pulling a blanket off the top of the box and laying it out. He eyed it uneasily.
I stifled a smile and turned back to rummage through my bookbag.
“Listen, last night was nice,” I said as I pulled out a board game and set it beside our blanket. “The restaurant was absolutelybeautiful, and fancy, and you seriously know how to treat a girl. So, I’m not trying to take anything away from it. I just wanted to take some of the pressure off. Give us a chance to get to know each other without dead fish staring up at us, you know?”
Noah settled onto the blanket and glanced over the items I pulled out. A bottle of sparkling grape juice came next, followed by two red Solo cups, a bag of chips, and some portable Bluetooth speakers. “By sneaking into the music room?”
“It’s not sneaking if we have swipe access.” I grinned. I decided to overlook the fact that it was generally frowned upon to use the class buildings after five o’clock on weekends. “I thought we could eat this Chinese I ordered and hang out. I brought some games but left Monopoly in my dorm because I didn’t think we were ready to show our true colors and hate each other just yet.”
Noah chuckled. “Good call, and Chinese sounds great.”
After connecting my phone to the speakers, I started up a classical station.
The light melody that could only beWaltz of the Flowersfilled the room, and I went back to unpacking.
“I ordered almost all of their recommended meals, but don’t worry—most of this will be leftovers. I don’t expect you to eat all of it.” I pulled out four cartons of takeout and a few containers of rice before stacking them between us. Garlic and all sorts of spices filled the room, and I took a deep inhale. I might’ve splurged money I didn’t really have to spare, but I wanted this to go well. “You mentioned you like dumplings, right?”
“I do. I’m not a picky eater, though.”
“Well, I got those.” I pulled out the last container in the box and scooted it toward him. “And I brought forks, just in case you’re not a chopsticks person.”
“I don’t mind chopsticks,” Noah said as he accepted the offered container.
I grinned. “See? We’ve practically doubled the number of things I know about you.”
Noah laughed dryly and flipped open the cartons before claiming one of the rice containers as his own. “You know a little more than that about me by now.”
“One would hope.” I claimed my own take-out container of rice and picked out some beef and broccoli to lay over it.
“Which game would you like to start with?” Noah asked as he swiped up a dumpling.
“How about Twenty Questions? Taking turns asking questions to get to know each other. We can skip over any if they’re uncomfortable, and it’s easier to play while eating.”
Noah picked through his rice for a beat before nodding. “All right, that sounds fair.”
I beamed before nibbling on my lip as I debated a safe-yet-telling question. Caution was key at the start of this game. “What’s the last show you binge-watched?”
“Binge-watched?” Noah echoed with a hint of confusion. “I don’t watch anything in excess.”
I blinked, but his words didn’t compute inside my brain.
“Seriously? Nothing? Not even…” I trailed off and racked my brain for a show he would enjoy. “… C-SPAN?”
“Not even C-SPAN,” Noah said with amusement. He twisted open the sparkling grape juice and poured each of us a cup. “Why the love for coffee?”
