Oh. Okay, so it was at least someone I knew, if not someone I wanted to hear from.
Why?I answered.
Downstairs. Have something for you.
I knew he couldn’t get into the dorm without a student ID, but this was Stick, and I wouldn’t put it past him to worm his way in somehow. He knew what room we lived in because he’d come here the night Lucas was arrested.
And I didn’t want him in the room with me right now. Not because I didn’t trust him. And certainly not because I’d been replaying that kiss over and over in my mind since it had happened.
Because I hadn’t.
Not too much, anyway.
What is it?
Can’t say. You need to see it.
I’ll be right down.I grabbed my jacket, still warm from my body. Phone and keys in hand, I took the stairs down. Made him wait a little.
I walked through the main entrance but didn’t see him waiting against the pillar where Lucas was always waiting for Lily.
“Jane. Over here,” he called, and I turned and walked around the large pillar looking out onto the circular drop-off area. There were six metered spots in front of the dorm, always taken. The one-way drive was wide enough for three cars, which was good because there was always at least one car next to every metered one with people being picked up or dropped off, or, like, pizza delivery guys. That left one lane for people to actually drive through. And sometimes that was taken up too.
Stick was standing in front of a black sports car, with his red car parked behind it. “Hurry up, will ya? I’m freezing my nuts off.”
I walked toward him, surprised to see somebody behind the wheel of Stick’s car. I ducked my head to look, thinking maybe it was Lucas, but it was just some guy about Stick’s age that I didn’t recognize. He nodded at me and I nodded back. The engine was running.
I walked up to Stick and said, “What’s going on? What do you have to give me?”
Okay, I knew I’d watched too many romcoms with my mom when I was younger when the first thing that popped into my head was Stick whispering, “This,” and taking me into his arms and kissing me like he’d done on the dance floor.
Make no mistake, if he’d tried it I would have kneed him in the balls, like I should have done at the wedding.
“This,” he said, and took my hand. His were bare, and my mittens were still in my dorm room. He dropped a set of keys into my palm then curled my fingers over to make a fist over them.
His hands were indeed freezing, and they hesitated for a moment on mine, like he was trying to warm them up on me or something.
“What are these to?” I asked, taking my hand from his and opening my fist. They were car keys, and the key chain was heavy silver with a Corvette insignia.
Stick took a step away from the black car he’d been standing in front of. Which was, of course, a Corvette.
“I don’t get it,” I said.
“It’s yours,” he said, like it made perfect sense.
“You stole me a car? I mean, I figured I was a good kisser, but come on—you didn’t need to steal a car for me as a thank-you.”
He snorted. “Please. You should be thanking me for that kiss. And I didn’t steal the Vette.”
“Oh, ‘the Vette,’ is it?” I took a step around him, to look more fully at the car.Mycar?
“So if you didn’t steal it—”
“It’s from your dad, okay?” There was definite tone in his voice. He did not appreciate the car thief joke. Which, of course, meant I’d have to save a bunch to use on him.
Though it wasn’t like I was hoping to see him again or anything.
“This is from my dad? Are you sure?”
