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“Before you go…”
He took another step forward as I backed up one. I’d get annoyed about retreating, only I was trying to leave and he kept trying to shorten the distance between us.
“I’m waiting,” I said when he didn’t continue.
“I brought you something.” He thrust his hand out with a stack of four music sheets. “I was going to pin it to your door. But…your boyfriend…and the movers.”
“Boyfriend?” I didn’t want to take the music. If I did, it would totally send the wrong message. At the same time, I was eager to see what he’d written. The last few songs he’d brought to me had been amazing pieces. “What boyfriend? Oh crap, Lachlan isn’t here, is he? I am not dating your brother.”
Curiosity surged through me and I took the offered sheets as he frowned. “Yeah, Lachlan is here, but I didn’t mean him.”
Jerking my attention up from the music, I frowned. “Why is he here?” Didn’t he graduate? Although I managed to not ask that one.
Jonas shrugged. “I don’t know. But who is the guy with your movers?”
Pivoting, I glanced toward the big truck where Dix spoke with a pair of the guys who’d been hauling our stuff up. Most of it was furniture from last year brought out of storage: the coffee maker, updated pieces for our rooms, luggage, and new bed linens. Dix had also insisted on the latest television.
“That’s Dix,” I said, glancing at Jonas and meeting the sudden intensity in his stare. “He’s my driver… part-time bodyguard. And friend.” The last I kind of tacked on because Mom used to always tell me that staff was staff, and to never cross those lines, but… I liked Dix.
“So, not your boyfriend?”
“No,” I said slowly. “Not my boyfriend. Why the sudden interest in my love life?”
“Are you hungry? Want to get food? Oh, the food court isn’t open yet. We can order stuff, though. Would you like to get lunch tomorrow? Or do you go running at this time every day?”
I didn’t have time to answer one question before he asked another. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever heard him say so many words in such a short amount of time.
“No, I usually go running early—before classes.”
“How early? Six?”
“Yeah, sometimes. It depends on the weather. Look…” I caught sight of Aubrey coming out to where Dix was. “I gotta go. Don’t think food together is a great idea. I love the music, in any case, so I’ll see if I can come up with some words. But…you don’t owe me anything like food or whatever. So—why don’t we just keep this strictly a music thing.”
Maybe not even that, but I liked the music.
I waved to him with the sheets, then turned before he could ask me something else and jogged away. His curiosity about Dix was weird, but was he serious about Lachlan being back? And Lachlan didn’t tell him about showing up in L.A.?
Blowing out a breath, I slowed down as I got to Aubrey and Dix.
“There’s my girl,” Dix said, grinning, then he nodded toward where I’d been talking to Jonas. “Run into a fan?”
I shook my head. Yeah, I didn’t really want to discuss Jonas with him or anyone else. “No. Are we about done? I’d kill for a shower and some food.”
Aubrey laughed at me. “They were just wrapping up.”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of the movers. You get showered, then I’ll take you two out for a senior year kick-off dinner.”
I stared at him and I wasn’t the only one. Even Aubrey looked skeptical.
“Yes,” he told us with exasperation. “It’s a thing, now move it.”
I saluted, still chuckling, and stole a glance back to where Jonas had been as we weaved through the others coming and going through the main doors.
He was gone.
But one look at the music told me I would see him again.
Probably in classes.
