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The buzzer rang out through the building. It was game time. Beau started jumping up and down next to me, and I noticed all of the students looked like bouncing popcorn.
“Come on, jump, London. Jump around.” He laughed and started bouncing out of control.
It was contagious. I became a jumping bean, mimicking the frenetic energy of the students in our section. I smiled at Beau. This was fun.
“What did you think of your first Carolina basketball game?” Beau and I walked into the crisp February night. I was actually hot after all the jumping and dancing. The air felt good.
“We won. It was awesome.”
“And why was that your first game?”
“I was asking myself the same thing. I feel like I probably missed out on something for four years. That was so much fun. Thanks for taking me.”
“At least you’re not a basketball virgin anymore.”
Good thing my cheeks were already flushed from the cheering frenzy, or hearing Beau mention virginity, even in a sports context, would certainly make me blush. Why was my mind even going there?
“What do you want to do now?” he asked over the roaring hum of the buses parked in front of the sidewalk. We had made our way to the bottom of the stairs and there was a long line of fans waiting to board the buses.
“Oh, I didn’t know you wanted to do anything else.” He caught me off guard. Was this a continuation of the fake date? I was having a hard time distinguishing between the project and us just being ourselves.
“Right. No. Never mind. You probably have plans. I’ll catch you in class next week.” He was backpedaling in front of my eyes.
“Wait. I don’t have plans. Let’s do something.”
“Yeah?” He was smiling.
“Yes. But can we go somewhere a little warmer? I’m starting to freeze again.”
He laughed. “All right, movie star. Let’s get you warmed up.”
I liked how he said that. I felt warmer already.
I stood behind Beau at the Caffe Driade counter. I insisted on buying my tea. These were supposed to be fake dates, but so far Beau had bought wine, margaritas, and snagged an extra game ticket for me. I had to pull my weight in this nonexistent relationship.
“I’ll grab us a table.” He was holding an oversized mug. I giggled when I saw the heart-shaped foam swirled on top of his coffee. The redhead behind the counter watched him walk away.
I ordered my decaf triple berry tea, paid, and slid into the seat across from Beau.
“Don’t you drink coffee?” Beau’s upper lip was coated with part of the foam heart.
“Hold on. You have a little something.” I reached over and let the top of my thumb graze his full lips. Under my touch they felt firm and suddenly, very kissable. I realized my cheeks were burning. No doubt, the barista was taking this all in. She hadn’t stopped staring at Beau.
“Thanks.” He reached for a napkin. “How’s your tea?”
Embarrassed I had moved into his personal space, I tried to talk my way into distraction. “Good. I love berry tea.” Ugh. Not the most riveting comments. I took a cautious sip.
“Tell me something about London James, actress and basketball novice.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Where are you from? Do you have parents?”
I laughed. Beau was good at breaking the ice. “Yes, I have parents. They live in Asheville, in the same house I grew up in.”
“That’s a cool place to grow up.”
“I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it like that. I’m not a fan of the snow or winter in general, so I’ve made plans for as long as I can remember to head somewhere warmer.”
