“See you there.” I smile and turn and practically skip out of the room to the main set of stairs. The smile remains all the way down to the lobby and when I see her heading my way, the smile turns into a grin. My God, what is it about this girl that makes me want to do a goddamn jig?
Doing my best to keep myself in check, I take a moment to really observe her. She’s walking toward me, but she’s not looking at me. Hell, she’s not even looking up. Her head is down and she’s practically dragging her backpack on the ground. The damn thing is so stuffed it’s got to weigh a hundred pounds.
Taking quick steps, I reach for her bag as soon as I’m close enough. “Here. Allow me.”Allow me?What kind of shit is that? No matter, my act of chivalry has gotten her attention. She’s finally looking at me––she appears to be surprised.
“Oh, no, I can carry it.”
“I’ve got it.” I lift it and grunt as I sling it over my shoulder. “What the hell you got in here, an anvil?”
I guess what I said was funny because a sweet giggle escapes her lips. “Pretty much everything I own is in there.”
“So, there’s a bed and sofa?” I wiggle my shoulder. “Feels about right.”
Her giggle turns into a full-fledged laugh and I’ve got to say, I don’t hate it. Not in the least.
“Coffee?” I say as I point to the library exit. “Let’s go to Brewster’s.”
“Oh, um, that place is sort of expensive. Why don’t we—”
“It’s on me.”
“No.” She shakes her head.
“I invited you for coffee. I pay.”
She blinks at me. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. “I guess that’s how my roommate and I handle things like that too.” She snorts. “She had to pay that night at The Dirty Rabbit.”
And there we have it. She’s opened the door for us to talk about that night and her one-of-a-kind pickup line. “Speaking of––”
She holds up her hand. “No. I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that night. We’re not talking about my utter humiliation at making up the worst pickup line in history. Not in this lifetime.”
I chuckle at her assertiveness. This girl is fucking adorable. “No?” I shrug or I try to with her thousand-pound bookbag over my shoulder. “That’s too bad. I was going to tell you about one ofmybest pickup lines.”
“Oh?” She looks up at me and blinks. “You’vegot a pickup line?”
“Sure.” Although, I’ve never had to use it. Girls do just what Emma did that night.Theyapproachme.
