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“Don’t, Grace.” She grabs my knee to keep me on the couch. “Don’t say anything to him. Promise.”
I acquiesce, reluctantly, but man, would I love to give this guy a talking-to. Or a slapping.
“It’s so ironic,” she says. “All this time I’ve been searching for someone who would appreciate me for who I am instead of how I look.” She goes back to toying with the loose thread and lets out a cynical little laugh. “And now I’ve found him, but my looks have ruined it for me anyway. Everyone says beauty is a blessing, but for me it’s a curse.”
I have a few curses of my own I’d like to try on Dave.
* * *
Three days go by without a word from Dave. Ivy spends all her time outside of class with me now, but she’s really only here in body. Her mind is solely occupied with Dave. At first, I was glad to have my Ivy back, but she’s so miserable I’m feeling guilty for that sentiment.
Also violent.
It’s Friday afternoon, and I’m killing an hour between classes while I eat my lunch. I pull my jacket tighter around me, chewing a bland mouthful of peanut-butter sandwich. I’d rather have ham, but that would require effort and an ice pack. I’m people watching, relishing the nip in the air and the October sun on my dark jeans when I see Dave approaching.
He hasn’t spotted me yet, which isn’t surprising, considering his brow is furrowed like the Grand Canyon. I try to squelch my mama-bear response with limited success before he reaches me. If this isn’t a divine opportunity, I don’t know what is.
“Hey, Dave.”
He jumps and blinks, seeing me, where he was just navigating the crowd before. “Oh. Hey, Grace.” The furrows deepen, drawing the corners of his mouth down. “How’s... it going?”
Hmm. He might be almost as miserable as Ivy. Idiot. “It’s going,” I say, then take the plunge and kick my promise to Ivy to the curb. “I’ve missed seeing you around the apartment.”
He looks up at the sky, which offers no deliverance from me. “Yeah.”
“Have a seat, Dave.”
Fear creeps into his worry.
“C’mon. I’ll be nice.”
He sighs himself onto the bench I’ve claimed and stares out at the milling crowd—a small gathering of political activists campaigning for next week’s congressional election, but mostly they’re stalling traffic—leaving me free to examine him.
“You look miserable.”
He grunts, keeping his eyes on the people. “What happened to nice?”
“It’s a good thing you’re miserable since I was pretty tempted to punch you. But since you’re already suffering...”
No response.
“She’s pretty down too.”
He swallows.
I switch to people-watching. “You seemed happy before, with Ivy. Seems like if you were both happier together, maybe you shouldbetogether.”
“I can’t. She’s... I can’t.”
Maybe Iwillpunch him. I choose words instead because I am that mature. “You know, Dave, I’ve gone out with a lot of guys. Some I’ve been attracted to but they weren’t attracted to me, others were good friends but I wasn’t attracted to them. I’ve watched you and Ivy, and frankly, what you have is special. You’re great friends, you enjoy being together, and from what Ivy said about that kiss”—he flinches—“you’ve got the attraction part down too. Attraction is a gift. If I ever meet a guy who can be a great friendandtake my breath away, you can bet your best guitar I won’t be running away from him at the first hint of emotional danger.” My eyes are stinging, so I busy myself with collecting my lunch and anger. Thankfully, he’s inspecting his hands, so I don’t have to meet his eye. “It’s a gift, Dave, not a sin. Don’t throw it away.”
Chapter 13
Halloween
I’m worried Ivy will detectmy treachery, but she’s too mired in neglected studies and romantic misery to notice. At first, I’m expecting every minute for Dave to come over or call. But a whole day goes by without any sign of him coming to his senses. It’s Friday, Halloween, and I’m facing down another boring weekend. That would be fine, except I’m worried about Ivy. She really needs to get out. Thus, I gird myself for battle and launch a warning shot off her starboard bow.
“Hey.”
