“You could have just used one of those words,” I laugh.
“I’m going to make you use ruminate in the first essay you write.”
She’s talking about the future.
Another good sign.
“So, do you want to go and help me stop ruminating about last night?”
“Where do you go skating?” She offers me a small grin.
“At the CGU rink.”
“We’ve got an ice rink?”
“How you’ve been here for three years and never went to The Links Cafe or to the rink is baffling.”
She crosses her arms in front of her, no doubt miffed at how I’ve just mocked her, but I’m legitimately confused. It’s like she hasn’t had any fun since she’s been at college at all.
I’m about to change that.
“I haven’t spoken to you in over a week and you want me to go ice skating with you and a bunch of football players?”
“You’ve missed me, haven’t you?” I tease with a pleased grin. It’s almost as if she’s been keeping track of the days, just like I have.
“I wasn’t keeping track,” she retorts defensively, as if she can read my mind. “And I don’t really know if I’m up for skating.”
I’m stretching the truth about my teammates coming along, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to come out directly and tell her that this is just me trying to figure out how to spend time with her. It’s the key to my new and improved plan.
Get her to forget about Aaron.
Make her fall for me.
“There will be other students there, not just ballplayers.”
“I was doing something.”
“It’ll be good for our story if people see us together.”
I can almost see her brain working behind those gorgeous almond-shaped eyes of hers. She’s trying to figure out what I’m really up to. There’s a reason why she’s the best tutor on campus. She’s too smart for her own good.
“You really want to go skating?”
“Just trying to keep up my end of the deal. The best way to do that is if we’re seen.”
“I’m not sure that’s the best use of our time. I’m going home for Christmas, so you need to write those essays before then.”
It physically hurts me to ask this question, but I do anyway.
“Do we still have an arrangement?”
Please say no.
“We still have essays to write, don’t we?”
“And there’s still the Aaron factor?”
I let out of a sigh of relief when Willow finally opens the door and signals with a head jerk for me to come in.
