I smile wide as hell at that. She talked to her mom about me. When I look at Memphis, he lifts his lip in a snarl. His name doesn’t get mentioned.
“Yeah, everything is good. No, I don’t need that.” Her voice is pitched even lower like she really doesn’t want us to hear her.
“I should get back, but I wanted to ask if you know anything about a parking permit.” She’s quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t mind driving myself. I like being able to come and go.” Another short pause. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll make an appointment with someone,” she urges quickly, as if she regrets bringing it up.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to you later. Love you too, bye.”
Waylynn is slow to turn around, like she might be embarrassed, but I can’t just let that go to waste, so I tease, “So you told your mom about me?” I knew she’d be flushed all pink when she turned around, and man, I love being right. She’s adorable.
“She asked what I’ve been doing,” she defends.
“She knows you’re doing me?” I feign innocence.
“Shut up.” She groans and her head drops back on her shoulders.
“I don’t warrant a mention?” Memphis’ tone is haughty. He’s so offended. I kind of love it.
“I told her about you too,” Waylynn admits reluctantly.
“Good. Come sit. Tell me about your parents.” Memphis doesn’t make it a request.
“That’s weird. I don’t want to talk about them.” Despite her protest, she does return to her seat.
“At least tell me if you get along and if they are nice.”
“Yes, we get along, and yes, they are nice,” she says with ease. I don’t think she’s lying, or if she is, she’s really good at it.
Memphis watches her closely for a few seconds, as if his stare will make her confess some truth she omitted, but she doesn’t crack.
He continues the conversation. “They are in California?”
“For now.”
“What does that mean? Are they moving here or something?” I question, knowing it would probably be harder for both of us to date her if that were the case.
“No,” she scoffs. “They travel a lot, but not here.”
“Is that why you chose Michigan?” I wonder.
Waylynn licks her lips, and I swear she thinks about how to answer for a second. “I went with my gut,” she finally says.
“Your gut?” Memphis tilts to the side to see her better.
“Yeah. When I was checking out schools, this one felt right.” Her fingers are tangled in the ends of her hair, tugging. She seems nervous.
“I’m glad you trusted your gut.” I bump her shoulder, drawing her attention back to me. “You should always listen to those little voices.”
Her face goes stark white for a breath, and then she lets out a forced little laugh as her color returns. “I usually do, that’s why I talked to you that day outside the south quad.”
I lean forward and smack a kiss on her lips, not caring that I have pizza breath. I just want her to know I’m happy she’s here. “Want another slice?” I ask when I stand.
“No, I’m still working on this.” She motions down to her lap.
“You?” I ask Memphis, who lifts his plate in response.
“You good if I try the mushroom?” He directs his question to Waylynn.
“Of course, I’m not going to eat an entire pizza.”
