She was sitting with two other older women who both glared at us in harsh disapproval. One of them shook her head in frustration.
"Sorry! Sorry..." Nathan whispered back at her, lowering his voice a bit more before turning back to me. "But anyway..." he trailed off. He seemed to be staring at something right behind me.
His eyes were as wide as saucers and I suddenly became painfully aware of some really gross lip-smacking noises coming from the seats next to me.
"Already, guys? Really?" I whisper-shouted and rolled my eyes at McKenzie and Tanner, who were making out pretty heavily. He was even starting to feel her up. I scooted over in my seat as far as I could, inching closer to Nathan. I glanced over at him, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh. I wasn’t sure which was worse—my best friend acting like a horny teenager or being slammed up next to my high school nemesis turned sort-of crush. My cheeks were warm with embarrassment.
"Oh, geez. So uh, which one of us is going to have to find another place to sleep tonight?" he whispered into my ear.
I blinked, confused at what he was implying.Find another place to sleep?Was he coming onto me? "What do you mean?" I asked, baffled. "Are you—" I started, but he put his hands up innocently.
He pointed at our friends, who were practically undressing each other in the seats next to me. "They are definitely going to have sex tonight, and they have to do it somewhere," he replied.
Oh, God, he was right. Well, I definitely wasn't going to get any sleep that night. Even if I were to put my headphones on and blast some music, McKenzie could be pretty loud and vivacious with her partners. I knew it would be pointless to attempt to block out the sound of her and Tanner having sex. After the noise assault, she always tried to make it up to me the next day, usually with some sort of heartfelt gift or to take me out for dinner. But still, it was going to be a long night. I groaned quietly.
"Looks like one of us is going to end up having to listen to them all night," he whispered. "I know it's kind of gross and obnoxious But, I guess… somebody should be happy tonight. Right?”
"Shh!" the ladies behind us hissed in unison. This time, they were glaring at McKenzie and Tanner's rather inappropriate PDA.
"Geez, sorry," I said, shaking my head.
I’m not sure what possessed me to be so bold so suddenly, but I leaved over and rested my head gently on Nathan's shoulder. He was definitely surprised, but he didn’t move me.
We turned our attention back to the screen and pretended to watch the rest of the movie as McKenzie and Tanner continued making out sloppily beside us. Yep, I was definitely going to be spending as little time at home as possible.
6
Elizabeth
Last night,I made the decision to sneak out of the apartment early before Tanner got there to see McKenzie.
It was something I'd been doing more and more over the last two weeks. I knew they appreciated the time alone, and honestly, I needed a quieter place to study. I started toward the university library with a cup of coffee in my hand. Fall leaves danced and flew across the brick walkways on campus, creating soft scrapes and screeches as they flipped and folded.
The wind picked up quickly, blowing my dark hair around my cheeks. I could feel the comforting weight of my bag on my back. It bounced against my frame as I took the library steps two at a time. Maybe it was the bookworm in me, but I found the weight of the books on my back comforting.
I took a sip of coffee as I stepped inside the library. With a slight frown, I realized that I had been in such a rush this morning that I had neglected to put in any sugar. It tasted bitter but I needed the caffeine, so I hoped I could drink it black. Like, I could get used to it over time. Kind of like spending time with Nathan. Thanks to our respective best friends, we were seeing each other three to five times a week. It was hard to swallow at first, but eventually, it wasn't so bad anymore.
Rocking onto my toes, I smiled at the short entryway, dotted with a few reading chairs and desks. The library was basically home to me. Outside I was an outcast, but here, I was normal. Breezing past the historical collection, I followed the walkway around the room and into the main section of the library, choosing an empty table in a random section. I took a victorious sip from my coffee.
Within five minutes, I had my textbooks stacked up and my notebooks covered with different-colored pens. Gentle jazz music floated through my headphones and hours flew by as I read. Despite the bitter coffee, I was fighting the urge to close my eyes. Not wanting to be one of those people who fell asleep in the library while studying, I sat up quickly and widened my eyes as I looked at my screen. Soon, the lessons began to blur together. I sat in front of the screen with an empty coffee cup, blurry-eyed and bored beyond all reason.
I closed my eyes and took a moment to absorb all of the information I'd reviewed. When I opened my eyes, Nathan was standing in front of me. He was talking, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. Reluctantly, I pulled out my headphones, interrupting “Hedwig's Theme.”
"What?" I asked, holding the headphones in my hand in front of me like evidence.
He laughed. "You're saying you didn't hear me at all just now, did you?"
I shook my head, giving a helpless chuckle and a shrug.
"I asked if I could sit with you."
“Sit? Here?” I gawped. “With me?”
“Yes. Sit here with you. I mean… may I?”
Surprise blossomed inside me, and I pushed my glasses up my nose. Nathan clicked into focus, and I noticed that his blond hair wasn't styled in his trademark faux-hawk. It laid in soft peaks that gave him a sleepy, just-rolled-out-of-bed look.
"Sure," I said, hoping I sounded casual. I pushed one of my earbuds back in place, but something told me to keep the other one out. "You can if you want." I forced my eyes back to my textbook, hastily reading a page before realizing that it was the same paragraph I had attempted to read four times. My eyes slowed, and my interest faded. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Nathan took the chair across from me. He began pulling things out of his bag, but I could've sworn he looked at me. I think he was trying to see what I was reading.
