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He put up his hood again as we exited the bar, but as soon as we were outside, he pulled it back down. “Who gets custody of the booty?” He held up the commemorative pint glass appraisingly.
“I say we take the King David approach,” I replied.
He looked at me like I had proposed cutting an actual baby in half. “I know your specialty is paleontology, not physics, but if we cut the glass in half, neither of us will be able to drink beer out of it.”
“I mean like this.” I took the pint from him and unclipped the trivia medal from the side. “You can have the pint glass, and I’ll keep the bling.”
Brody pointed a finger at me. “You’ve got a deal, partner.”
I looked over my shoulder in the direction of the parking garage. “My car is this way. Thank you for saving me from a really depressing night. If you didn’t come along, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” I paused, then added, “Actually, I know exactly what I would have done. I would have gone home and felt sorry for myself while composing a really awkward email to the Dean of my department. This was a lot better.”
“Screw that guy,” Brody said. “I’m glad they bailed on you.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.”
“I’m glad,” he went on, “because it meant I got to spend a few hours with you instead. Plus, free pint glass. That’s a win-win in my book.”
I smiled at him. “You know what? I’m kind of glad, too.”
Brody smiled back at me.
As we stood outside the bar, the moment was pregnant with possibility. Brody was looking at me like he wanted to invite me back to his place. And to my surprise, I found myself wanting him to say so.
I wasn’t sure how I would reply if he did. I usually liked to take things slow with potential boyfriends.
Is that what he is to me? I thought. A potential boyfriend?
The phrase sounded sweet in my thoughts. And as if he could read my mind, Brody’s smile deepened and his sharp eyes continued to watch me.
After the amazing night we had, I wanted to push my boundaries. I wanted to get a nightcap at Brody’s place. I wanted to meet his husky dog. And if things escalated from there… Well, that thought thrilled me far more than I expected after a first date.
Not yet, I thought to myself, somehow holding back. There’s no need to rush into things. Especially with such a sweet, sexy guy.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my red pen. I grabbed Brody’s hand—his surprisingly large hand, which quickly sent me thinking about other large body parts—and scrawled my phone number on his palm in red ink.
“Give me a call if you want to defend our trivia crown,” I said. “Or, you know, if you want to do anything that’s not trivia-related.”
Brody looked at his palm, then smiled warmly at me. “I’ll do that. G’night, T-Foxy.”
I practically skipped back to my car, all thoughts of my paleontology colleagues long forgotten.
