“No, don’t worry. Plus, I still owe you for all your Econ notes.” I called and ordered enough pizzas for everybody, basically an entire large for each person. Britte wouldn’t be able to stomach that much food, but then I could save hers as left overs. Fin could be so generous when I was in charge of his credit card.
“How do you feel about the midterm?” Jameson asked after I hung up the cellphone.
“Not bad actually. Thanks to your notes and tutoring.”
“We make a pretty good team. You’re not as lost as you think you are. But if you still want help, we can keep studying together.” His cheekbones were highlighted with pink again and he kept brushing his auburn hair out of his eyes.
“That would be great. I could always use help, thank you. After spring break? We could start like a weekly study session. Just go over the class or whatever?” I asked hopefully.
“That works. You’ll get it in no time,” he promised with a sweet smile.
We finished unloading everything by the time the pizza came. Fin and Jameson even had time to run out and get a couple six packs of Spotted Cow. Then we stood around the kitchen counter eating straight from the boxes.
“My feet hurt,” Britte whined. “I want to sit down.”
I gave her a helpless shrug. “I used to have furniture. I will never take that for granted again.”
“Tara the biotch. I hate that little witch,” Britte grumbled and then grabbed a paper towel, another piece of pizza and plopped down in the recliner.
“One day, I want to hear the entire story,” Jameson looked at me, sincere and serious.
“One day I will tell you the entire story,” I promised and then winked at him.
I felt Fin’s eyes on me so I turned around and engaged Britte in small talk. She wasn’t really paying attention to me, she was watching Jameson and Fin interact behind me. I could feel them communicating without words but I didn’t even want to guess what it was about.
Until suddenly Jameson announced, “Alright, thanks for the pizza Britte, I mean, Fin. I’ve got to go.”
“Already?” I asked, mostly because I had a feeling it would piss Fin off.
“Oh yeah, I still have to finish, uh, I have a date, later. I forgot about it until right now. Better go.” And then he was gone, before any of us could even say goodbye.
I whirled on Fin, “Did you scare off your own friend.”
“What?” he asked incredulously. “You heard him, Ellie, he had adate.”
I just rolled my eyes at him.
“Actually, I have to go too,” Britte stood up from the recliner and wiped her hands off on her paper towel. “I have study group in a half hour. And that is not an excuse, I really do.”
“Aw, I thought we’d hang out tonight. You know do roommate stuff, like eat ice cream, watch scary movies! I even splurged and bought Kitkats and Rocky Road!”
“Some other night, Els, sorry babe,” she disappeared into her room presumably to get dressed.
And then it was just Fin and me. I turned around and gave him an awkward smile.
He was leaning against the counter watching me. His eyes had gone dark and intense and his jaw was doing that ticking thing, that rapid muscle movement I was starting to realize appeared whenever he was trying to hold himself back. He wanted to kiss me right now; I felt it down to my very bones.
And for a moment I was so desperate to let him I forgot how to breathe.
“Can I help you?” I asked while putting the left over pizza into plastic wrap and stacking the boxes for the trash later. Why couldn’t they make pizza boxes the size of normal trash cans? As a college student I admittedly ate a lot of pizza, but honestly was it so much to ask for a narrow box?
“What kind of guys are you into?” he asked firmly. He was leaning back against the opposite counter, still and calm. He was so tall, each of his muscles long and lithe, but now with his question each piece of him was brimming with tension, like he was coiled to strike. I felt like this was a trap, like he was setting me up for an attack.
“Am I into?” I stalled. My emotions were everywhere, want warring with resolve.
“Like, what’s your type?” he asked again, standing up straighter as if he were on display, as if he were letting me judge him against whatever I pictured in my head.
But my answer was easy.Smart. Funny. Protective. Loyal. Compassionate. Good. You.They were all there, right at the tip of my tongue but I couldn’t say or admit any of them. So instead I said absently, “Pirates.”
