Unless you ask. Then all bets are off.
I keep those thoughts firmly trapped in my head because they’re premature. I’m focused on developing a friendship with Stevie in the hope she’ll lower the shield she protects so fiercely and let herself act on the obvious chemistry we share. I know I’m not alone in feeling this, but I promised I wouldn’t keep pushing, and I’m a man of my word.
Irrespective of how badly I want her, I will let her set the pace.
The ball is firmly in her court.
“Unless you’re into that kinda thing, and then I’m sure my buddy would be more than happy to oblige,” Cohen says, swirling around in his seat to join our conversation.
I drill him with a heated glare. A not-too-subtle reminder that he needs to tone down his assholish ways. It’s like he just can’t help himself when he’s around a pretty girl. I’m still watching when he looks over at Stevie, so I spot the instant spark of recognition the same time Stevie sucks in a small startled gasp. My eyes flick to hers as she finally sits beside me, setting a brown paper bag down on the table and dumping her book bag on the ground at her feet.
Nibbling on the corner of her mouth, she glances swiftly between me and Cohen, and it clicks with me instantly. A sour taste pools in my mouth, and knots form in my gut.
“You two know one another?” Will asks what I’m afraid to, now he’s no longer sucking face with Ellen.
Cohen’s lips twitch as his gaze roams leisurely over Stevie, and I don’t like it one little bit. “If you mean know in the biblical sense, then—”
“Watch your mouth.” I cut across him, working hard to keep my ass in the seat when I long to reach across the table and ram my fist in his face. “Show some respect.”
Cohen loses the smirk, but his jaw tightens in clear aggravation as he levels Stevie with a neutral look. “Apologies, Stevie. I meant no disrespect.”
“None taken,” she says, recovering her composure fast. Her slender fingers open the paper bag, and she removes a wrap, a bottle of water, and an apple. She must have bought it from the deli on campus, and it’s surprising we didn’t bump into one another there.
“He can’t help himself,” Noah supplies, balling up the wrapper from his burger and depositing it on the tray along with the rest of the remnants of his lunch. “His default setting is stuck on asshole.”
“Hey!” Cohen tries to defend himself. “I’m not that bad.”
“I’m sure we don’t want to get into all that here.” Will slides his arm around Ellen’s shoulders, attempting to defuse the situation.
“We’re cool, Stevie, right?” Cohen leans back in his chair and smiles at her.
“I have no beef with you.” Her smile is tight, but I detect no animosity. Just the same awkwardness the rest of us are feeling with the obvious elephant in the room.
“Awesome.” Cohen offers her a tame smile before diving into his meatball sub.
A pregnant pause ensues, and it’s cringing.
Clearing my throat, I slide one of the smoothies in front of me across the small gap to Stevie. “I got you this. Ellen said you like them.”
“That was extremely thoughtful. Thank you, but you don’t need to keep buying me things. Unless you’re like this with all your friends?”
Cohen almost chokes on his sandwich. Is it bad, for a fleeting second, I wished he did? I don’t want to start shit with my buddy, especially for something that happened before I met Stevie, but knowing he’s probably hooked up with her sticks in my gut.
“Gar is a generous guy,” Noah says before adding, “I’m Noah, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you,” Stevie says. “How do you guys all know one another?”
“Cohen and Noah are the roomies I mentioned,” I confirm. On the other side of me, Ellen and Will are whispering, which is rude, but whatever. I’m kind of over this lunch already.
“And Gar and I are both family enterprise majors,” Noah confirms. “You’re a sophomore too, right?”
Stevie nods as she picks at her wrap.
“What’s your major?”
I am uncharacteristically quiet as I finish my sandwich, lost in my thoughts, but I’m listening to the conversation around me.
“Floral management.” She confirms what I already know in between drinking sips of the smoothie.
