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“Sounds good but I got a lot of unpacking to do. Just got here today and I have to be up early tomorrow for soccer practice.”
“Ooh, a soccer player. School team?”
“Yeah, and first week of practice is usually hell week so I’ll need my sleep.”
“This weekend then.” She pulled her phone out. “Let me get your number.”
Pushy
“Maybe I should’ve mentioned it, in the gym.” He pushed the door all the way open. “I got a girl back home who probably wouldn’t take too kindly to me giving out my number to other girls first day you know?”
Not atotallie. He did promise his mom before he left and when he spoke with her earlier that he’d stay focused on school and not party too hard or give into distractions too soon.
Annette’s shoulders slumped and she pouted. “I should’ve known when you flashed those dimples earlier that you’d be totally taken.” Despite the obvious disappointment, clearly, a guy having a girlfriend, especially back home, wasn’t an end all for her. Lex chided himself now for smirking playfully when he added the,this soon, flirtatious part of his, girl-back-home comment. Fucking habit. The fluttering lashes were going at it now, along with the overly done coy smile. “Well, if you think your girl would be okay with us just doing coffee or lunch sometime, or even just cramming . . .” She flipped her hair over her shoulder with a suggestive smirk. “You know for tests and whatnot. I’d be all for it. I’m a statistics major. Numbers are my thing. So, if you ever need any help with math stuff,I’myour girl.”
“Good to know.” Lex smiled, saluting her because he was eager to be done with her already. “’Cause I’m a business major, and math isn’t my strongest suit.”
“I’m in Ten B around the corner in case you ever wanna stop by. I’m in a studio, so no roommate for me.” She winked at him tilting her head with a wicked smile. “I’m always alone.”
“Good to know.” He smiled big, regretting his response immediately.
Just as quick, his stupid smile went flat as he turned back to his dorm door. What the fuck was wrong with him? This wasexactlywhat his sisters were talking about and the image of him he was determined to rid Xochitl of. She’d already been witness to the fact that the first day here he was getting acquainted with his female neighbors. One he knew now she wasn’t fond of. Last thing he should be doing is encouraging this pushyneighborchick to do or say anything Xochitl might be around to see or hear.
He went straight to his room to get a change of clothes so he could get in the shower. After his two-hour drive, the tension his entire body had endured when he first arrived, followed by the nerve-wracking conversation he’d been forced to have with Xochitl, and then his workout, the long shower was more than welcome. By the time he got out, Xochitl was back in their dorm but in her room. Her door was half open so he could hear her muffled talking and he assumed she was on her phone. He got into one of his many old soccer shorts he’d brought for practices and a T-shirt and did a little unpacking. Several minutes later, Lex’s nervous insides knotted up a little when he heard her walk out into the front room. Glancing back at what was in the last of the totes he still needed to unpack, he decided he could do that later. He was anxious to talk to Xochitl again. He walked out into the front room where she was now sitting at the table in front of her laptop. When she didn’t even turn to Lex as he approached, he had a flashback of the utter indifference he’d gotten from her the first day he met her way back. “Homework already?” he asked.
She shook her head as she glanced up at him but pointed at her earpiece. “It says something about a plug in,” she said to whoever she was still talking to. “That’s today anyway the other day it was something about a java script error. Can’t you set it so that nothing can get updated unless you or I okay it? I hate how all this stuff gets updated all willy-nilly and then I’m scrambling to figure it out if I can’t get a hold of you.” She was quiet for a moment and Lex walked over to the sofa and picked up the remote to the TV. “I know, I know, you’re always so good about getting back to me so quickly and you have no idea how grateful I am for that. But you know me, I still panic.” He glanced back at Xochitl who actually looked at him now and he motioned that he was turning on the television. She nodded before going back to her laptop and whatever issues she was having. “No, I don’t see it,” she said hitting a few keys on her keyboard. “Oh, on the drop down?”
Tuning her out since this clearly wasn’t a personal call that interested him in the least, Lex watched the end of the Dodger game on TV. He sat down on the sofa, and watched as the Dodgers hit one out of the park and the crowd went wild, when something Xochitl said pulled him out of the game.
“I gotta take this call from my boyfriend but I think I got it now. Once again, thank you so much. I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again, you really are a life saver.” Doing his best to not jerk his head around to face her, Lex lowered the volume on the TV as inconspicuously as he could. He glanced back casually to see her stand from the table as she smiled beautifully and headed to her room. “Are you kidding me? I owe you at least that much forallthe times you’ve helped out of a jam for free. Yes, yes, for sure. Goodbye.” She hit something on her phone screen just as she reached her room. “Hey, Cade. No, I was just doing some trouble shooting on my website . . .”
Lowering the volume until it was practically muted, Lex listened like a nosy bastard to see he if could hear anything. When she was in there for a while, and he couldn’t hear a damn thing anyway, he upped the volume on the television again and watched as the Dodgers game went into extra innings. He sat there feeling like a sourpuss wondering how long she’d be on the phone with her fuckingsoulmate. This sucked so much ass. Already he couldn’t wait to talk to Vannah again and get a little more insight on Xochitl’s hopefully ill-fated long-distance romance. He got up and walked to the kitchen doing a double take at Xochitl’s laptop when he saw the curser moving around and windows opening and closing. The knock at the door distracted him and Lex turned to see if by chance Xochitl had heard. He wondered now if she was expecting anyone or if unexpected guests were the norm for her. When she didn’t walk out into the front room, Lex got up to get the door.
Annette stood at the door all done up holding a pillow next to her face and smiling big. “Hey, you.”
“Hey,” Lex responded cautiously.
“Not sure if you brought your own pillows from home.” She brought the pillow down in front of her now. “I totally forgot mine when I first moved into my dorm and had some crap ass first few nights until I was able to make time to go out and buy some. I have a whole bunch now and even a few brand-new ones I’ve never even used that I keep on standby. You said you were going to need your sleep tonight, so I thought I’d drop off a dorm warming gift.”
She held out the pillow to him and if it weren’t for the fact that he hadn’t thought to pack a pillow he might not have taken it. “You know what? Ididn’tbring one actually.”
Annette’s laugh was a bit overdone as she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “You’d be surprised how many of us make the same mistake. I guess pillows are the last thing we’re thinking of when we’re packing our life up to go away to school. It was brand new still in the plastic. I just took the plastic off to get it in the pillowcase.”
Lex touched the embroidered ESU Quakes emblem on the pillowcase wondering if he should invite her in, but he held off for the moment. Instead, he addressed the embroidery. “This is cool. Did you make this?”
“Are you kidding me?” She laughed again a bit overdone. “No, I got it down at the school gift shop. Brand new too. I have more. So, you can have this one. My way of officially welcoming you to the home of the Quakes.”
Lex turned when he heard Xochitl walk out of her bedroom. She glanced at them with that look of indifference she was so good at working, though the slight arch of her brow wasn’t missed. “Smell it,” Annette said when Xochitl didn’t address either of them, and walked toward the kitchen sink. “I spritzed it with my perfume, so you’ll have sweet dreams.” Closing his eyes for a second, because he was certain Xochitl had heard that, Lex took a moment before turning back to Annette and sniffed the pillow. “Nice.”
“It’s called Guilty Pleasures.” She smiled wickedly. Of course. “Well, I gotta go. Fish tacos are waiting.” She tilted her head. “Sure I can’t change your mind about coming with?”
Once again, he passed, explaining about still having to finish unpacking, thanked her again, and sent her on her way. He closed the door bracing himself for what Xochitl might or might not have to say about his new friend who was already bearing gifts and inviting him out to dinner.
