“Hit me.”
Biting my lip, I take in his youthful glow that seems to have sparked alive tonight.
“Two of my best friends are hounding me about going to the soup kitchen to volunteer next weekend. Would you mind if they, along with Jake, tagged along as volunteers?” I put my hands under my face and make puppy dog eyes. “Please?”
Grayson runs a hand through his hair, adjusting his glasses. “You know that we have more than enough volunteers, right?”
I feign a gasp. “You can never have too many people willing to help our community.”
He snorts. “Fine, but they have to stick to serving and cleaning.”
“And you’ll allow me to take a couple of pictures for the article?”
He sneers. I know he hates having his picture taken, but he already said yes through a text. “As long as you help with the cleanup, then yes.”
My hand flies to my forehead in a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Grayson lifts himself up in a heartbeat and pulls me down next to him. I squeal in surprise as he brings me to his side. He lightly pinches my waist in an attempt to tickle me, but I don’t budge.
Giving him a half smile, I say, “I’m not ticklish.”
His jaw drops. “There’s no way.”
“It’s true. That’s one fun fact about me.”
“Oh yeah?” He unwraps his arm from around my shoulders, and I instantly feel cold. “Tell me more.”
“More fun facts?” Grayson just smiles and nods. I look up at the starry sky, trying to think of the most interesting things aboutmyself. “I’m warning you now that some of these might sound like I’m bragging, but they’re the only facts I can think of.”
He dips his chin. “Consider me warned.”
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, I stick my hand out, ready to count the facts on each finger. “I used to make my own jewelry when I was a kid.” I flip my thumb out.
“That’s cool.”
“The first book that ever made me fall in love with literature wasThe Little Prince, but my favorite novels arePride and Prejudice,The Great Gatsby, andThe Princess Bride,as you already know.”
“I’m ashamed to admit I’ve only seen the movies.”
“I’ll lend you one of my copies,” I say absentmindedly, trying to think of other things to say. “Oh! My not-so-secret dream, that’ll probably never happen, is to open a bookstore that has drinks?—”
“I think those already exist.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tell him, “If you’d let me finish.” He raises his hands in surrender. “That has drinks like cocktails and wine, so it’d only be for people over twenty-one, and it’d also stay open late, maybe have some movie nights once a week. A friendly, fun, and peaceful place. Most of the bookstores and cafés in the city are either too small, too commercial, or always full. I’d love to sit, have a glass of wine, and read or write.”
When I swivel my head toward Grayson, he looks impressed. “You told me something about this at the beginning of the semester. It’s a good idea. I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in it.”
“Don’t go stealing it now,” I tease.
Grayson flicks my nose. “Anything else?”
“Mhm. I know how to do a double axel.” Grayson stares at me, looking puzzled, causing me to scoff. “Men.” I roll my eyes and explain. “It’s an ice-skating move. I took lessons when I was younger because I loved the idea of being a professional iceskater. Then I got bored. That happened a lot when I was a kid, except when it came to books.”
A gust of wind blows through our hair, and Grayson quickly wraps a blanket around us. It’s not a cold night, just a little chilly, but sitting still makes it feel colder than usual.
“Oh, okay, I thought of one more.” Grayson motions for me to continue. “I got into Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, but not Cornell for some reason.” Shrugging, I look down from the sky and sigh happily. “That was fun. Now it’s your turn.”
I’m met with silence, and after picking up my flute again, I turn my head toward Grayson, whose eyes are as big as saucers.
