She takes in the boxes and lifts a brow. “Isn’t that too heavy? Let me take something.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“Dude, I can carry a box.” She reaches for the top one, the lighter one, but I pull away from her.
“I’ve got it.” I head for the door.
“Who are you trying to impress by pretending to be Superman?” she says as she follows me. “You might drop something.”
“I’m not going to—” My shirtsleeve gets caught in something sticking out of the wall, maybe a nail, and the boxes topple to the floor. All the contents, including the Lego, spill out.
Darn it.
“I told you,” she says before dropping down and gathering the things. “You didn’t have to be this macho man and you didn’t have to show off.”
“I wasn’t showing off or trying to be a macho man,” I tell her as I also collect the things from the floor and place them in the boxes. “I didn’t want you to carry anything. The boxes are heavy and there are many floors we need to climb.”
“I’m perfectly capable of carrying a box up a few flights of stairs.”
Sighing, I shut my eyes. Why is everything I do wrong in her eyes?
“I know you are,” I say. “You’re capable of anything. I was just trying to be nice. It has nothing to do with being a macho man. I thought you knew me better than that.” I add the last part in a quieter tone.
Her eyes soften a little. She averts her gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I get to my feet, holding the box full of Lego. “It’s okay. This one is heavier than that one. I’ll carry this and you can carry the other one. If you still want to, I mean.”
She nods, still not looking at me. After she scoops the box into her arms, we climb the stairs, not saying anything to each other. I wonder if she’s thinking about camp like I am. Because she did know me back then. She knew me so well, I was like an open book to her.
“I’m sorry we argued,” I tell her once we reach the top floor and advance toward the exit of the building. I force a smile. “It’s not a good idea for partners who are trying to get an A to argue.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
We just stand there looking at each other.
“Where are we going to work on this?” I gesture to the boxes. “Your room? My room? The library?”
She wrinkles her nose. “I doubt the librarian would want us making noise in the library. How about your room?”
“The Globe Theatre would not stay standing in my room. Beck likes to throw his crap around the place.”
She ponders for a bit. “Well, Sophie’s over at Damian and his mom’s apartment all the time, so I guess we can do the project in my room.”
“Lead the way.”
I trail her to the girls’ dorm. I haven’t been here before and can’t help but notice how different this dorm is from the guys’. For starters, it smells better. And it’s cleaner. And I also notice the furniture doesn’t look like it’s as abused as the guys’.
Sophie unlocks her room and we place the boxes on the floor. I take a few seconds to check out the place. It looks like a typical dorm room, but it’s less messy than mine, and it doesn’t smell like food like my room.
A smile tickles my mouth when I spot something leaning against the wall. “You have a guitar?”
I’m at its side in an instant, running my hand along it. “This is so neat. You stuck with playing?”
“Yeah.”
She doesn’t say anything else, and I get the feeling she’s not exactly thrilled with me being here.
My smile drops. “I’m glad you still play. I’ve got a test to study for, so I’ll see you.”
