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I glance at him, seeing the adoration in his gaze as he looks at me.
“It’s been so long since we’ve done anything fun together,” he continues, looking away from me, his face flushing for a completely different reason, all the way to the tips of his ears. “The boys are having a house party. Maybe we can go together? We can even get dinner before.”
“Why, Alex Goode,” I say teasingly, “are you asking me out on a date?”
Alex nods, his gaze still focused on his plate. “Yeah, I am.”
I nuzzle my nose against his cheek, hearing his breath hitch. He turns toward me, his lips so close, his eyes glazed over with desire. “Is that alright?” he whispers. “You don’t think the others will mind?”
“Maybe Seth will have something to say.” I chuckle at Alex’s eye roll. “But a date sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Alex’s smile widens. “Then a date it is.”
We continue eating. I feel at ease once more in Alex’s presence. Everything has suddenly returned to normal, despite Hunter leaving in the next few months and Seth’s health issues. It’s like, for that short moment I’m with Alex, I can pretend like everything is okay.
***
“Aww, so handsome didn’t make it into the Olympics,” Charlie says as we walk from the library toward the art school. The sun shines brightly, making her golden hair glimmer in its light. A foot of snow stands on either side of the pavement we walk on, glittering in the sun’s rays and making the campus look absolutely magical. I wince at Charlie’s words, wishing I hadn’t told her anything, but she’s the one who asked and I hate lying to a friend.
“Just keep it to yourself,” I say quickly. “He’s pretty hurt about it.”
“Fair enough. But he is the fastest guy on the team. And things like the Olympics take a lot of mental strain. He probably choked, because he was so nervous.”
I groan. “Please, don’t say ‘choked’. Especially around him. It sounds so—”
“Rude? Dismal?”
“Both.”
Charlie chuckles and shakes her head. “Don’t worry. My lips are locked and sealed.”
I open the door, holding it for Charlie and several other art students walking in, close behind her. “Change of subject,” I say while allowing the door to close on the last student, “I was able to draw up a sketch I was hoping to show you once we get to class.”
“Oh, goodie!” Charlie claps her hands together. “Were you able to figure out a position?”
“Well,” I saw with a wince, second guessing myself already. I have no clue if what I drew will tie into our project at all, but I need to get something done. It’s not like we have an infinite amount of time. “I decided to draw just the face for now.”
Charlie frowns. “But my designs are faceless. How will that convey female sexuality? Or, are you going with the viewpoint, that in most cases, the female orgasm is insignificant?”
I grimace and look around, seeing several people standing on either side of the hallway. They’re not paying attention to us, too busy with their own conversations to really care that we are speaking so candidly about sex.
“Oh, don’t be a prude,” Charlie laughs while grabbing my shoulder and shoving me inside our classroom. “You don’t have to blush every time we talk about sex.”
“Charlie!” I look around at our peers sitting at their desks. They definitely heard us this time. The girls sitting in the far corner of the room are staring at us with narrowed eyes. The guys sitting at the front are blushing while they stare at their desks and their books.
“Oh, what?” Charlie asks while stalking toward her desk at the back of the room and slamming her bag onto it.
“Can you lower your voice just a bit?” I whisper while sidling close to her.
Charlie rolls her eyes. “What embarrasses you, Rachel? The word sex? Or the fact that you’re getting more of it than anyone else in this room.”
I think my face is as red as a cherry right now. It feels like it’s going to burst into flames. “I just think,” I whisper while lowering myself into my seat, “some things shouldn’t be shouted across the room.”
Charlie shakes her head, but her smile hasn’t left her lips. “You do realize we are going to have to speak about this in front of the class room at the end of the semester, right?”
“I know,” I groan.
“Now, let me see what you drew. I’m very interested in this faceless creature you have created for me.”
