Tea expedition?If I didn’t have any other knowledge of Ryan, I would classify him as a nerd.
Still, I held my uninterested stare. “Against my better judgment.”
“You won’t regret this,” Ryan assured. “Tonight and whenever else. It’s going to be great. This is going to be the most amazing yet weird sleepover ever.”
4
“Seriously, this is the best. Lu, my partner, helping me pass my classes and graduate. I love it,” Ryan continued to muse with elation.
That made one of us.
Leaning back in his chair, Ryan looked around. I took the time to as well. In the past half hour, the library had cleared out. The lights had dimmed from the last of the librarians leaving for the weekend.
Was I really going to spend the entire weekend here? Campus security could pass by and find us and then … what? Kick us out? It wasn’t so bad when I thought about it like that. Then, I would just be right back to sleeping on a gross campus couch, bolted down to the floor in case anyone wanted to steal ugly blue polyester.
I took a deep breath, turning back to the matter at hand as I met Ryan’s eyes, already situated on me.
“I think we need to order a pizza,” Ryan said seriously.
“I think we need to order two if you think I’m helping you write your whole essay and who knows what else,” I said, shaking my head at the rest of what was going on inside my head.
His grin never faltered. Reaching for his phone, he scrolled through what looked to be his contacts. “Benny’s or Atajio’s?”
“You’re serious?”
He nodded. “I don’t joke about pizza.”
“Atajio’s. Half pepperoni.”
“Good choice.” He dipped his chin in approval. “I always took you to be vegetarian or something.”
“I am. Sometimes,” I conceded.
Ryan cocked his head to the side. “Sometimes?”
“Mostly, I disagree with the entire meat and production industry, but then”—I sighed—“I really get the hankering for a good cheeseburger with mayo.”
“Mayo?”
“Yes, it’s a perfectly good condiment,” I argued. “And it’s been a rough day.”
Ryan lifted his hands in surrender before he leaned over the side of his chair to grasp his crutches. He adjusted them one at a time under his arms before he stood to head in the other direction. “Hey, you aren’t going to hear any complaints from me. We’ll get one of each in case your conscience gets to you.”
Probably for the best.
I watched as he moved back toward the other side of the library, where I knew the service was better. I wouldn’t have thought Ryan frequented this place that often to know. I realized I was staring. I forced myself to pull my eyes away from Ryan’s retreating form and flipped the lid of my laptop.
I started to jot down a few of the call numbers for generic books that might help Ryan with what I assumed was the standard three to five sources minimum he didn’t yet have. That way, at least he wouldn’t have to be here all night with me.
The image alone of him with tired eyes glaring at my attention to detail from across the table caused me to spell a title incorrectly from the database as I wrote it down on the paper.
By the time Ryan returned, I was done, kicking my own legs up on the other chair he wasn’t using next to me.
“Pizza is on its way.”
“And you need to get started on that paper if you plan on ever getting it finished.” I pointed with the back end of my pen. “I already got started on a few sources I think will help.”
His shoulders slumped. “Didn’t forget about that, huh?”
