Whenever Dominick thought about their date, he always came to the same conclusion. The two of them had fun somewhere in the middle of the date. It was the beginning and end that had beenamess.
He sighed. “I can’t explain it. There was a slightconnection.”
Even with his eyes on the road, Dominick could see the incredulous look onConrad’sface.
“Relationships have been built upon less,” he added hoping to buildhiscase.
“But those people had to see each other a second time,” Conrad argued. “You’re currently going to coffee shops in the opposite direction of where she works. You’re too afraid to call her. I think it’s time to admit this is never going tohappen.”
“That’s probably for the best,” he said, even though he wasn’t completely convinced by his own words. “I’ve got to focus on my grades, and not get distracted. I plan to put all this energy into my economics paper that’s due next week. Nothing like some good ol’ research to get me back ontrack.”
Conrad reached over and ruffled his hair. Dominick really hated it when he did that. It made him feel like such a little kid, and it made him swerve slightly in the lane. He got a quick honk from the driver behind him and felt a flush creep up hischeeks.
“That’s the Dominick we all know and love. All school, no play. I think this means I can play Death Count 2 and not have to worryaboutyou.”
Dominick pulled into one of the school’s many parking lots. “You don’t have to worryaboutme.”
Conrad shook his head. “Sweet. Thanks for the ride. I’ll catch you later.” He hopped out of the car, and walked towardtheirdorm.
Dominick didn’t get out right away. He thought about what Conrad had said. Of course he wanted to call Harmony, but what if she didn’t want to talk to him? And despite the awkward Harmony situation now limiting his coffee shop options, he didn’t want to leave Florida Southern. The only way he could make sure that didn’t happen was to stay diligent in hisstudies.
It was time to let go of the far-fetched hope of things working out between Harmonyandhim.
He grabbed his phone, and pulled up the contact information for Harmony. Dominick had saved it in his phone from the date itinerary before their first date thinking it would be helpful to have if they had gotten separated on their date. He hadn’t needed it then, and he wasn’t doing himself any favors by keeping it saved in his phone. And yet, he hadn’t deletedityet.
It wasstupid.
If Harmony wanted to talk to him, she would have called him by now. He scrolled to the bottom of the contact page and clicked DELETECONTACT.
He let out a long sigh. Now that was done, and he could get back to work. He grabbed his coffee, a couple old books from his professor, and started walking toward thelibrary.
Dominick rubbedhis temples before reaching out to grab his drink. He was disappointed to discover there was nothing left after he’d already lifted the cup to his lips. He’d finished the first draft of the paper in record time, surprised by how little space Harmony was taking inhismind.
Unless he counted that last stray thought—which hedidn’t.
He glanced at the time in the top right on his screen. 12:38? When had it gotten so late? The library would be closing in less than half an hour. This would be a good time to pack up and head back tohisroom.
Dominick shut down his laptop and lifted his arms above his head, stretching unused muscles. As he did, he looked around the library. Most of the students who had been sharing the space were gone. It looked like it was just him and thelibrarianleft.
He bet Conrad would still be up though, still playing his game. Dominick wondered, not for the first time, how he managed to pass his classes. He was a cliché the way he spent so much time gaming with guys he only knewonline.
Dominick thought he should grab Conrad something to eat, just to make sure he actually consumed something somewhat healthy. There weren’t a ton of options this time of night, but he still hoped to get something other than pizza. He grabbed his phone to text Conrad, and was surprised to see his screen light up with several text messages from an unknown number. The latest one, and most prominent one,reading:
I should stop texting you. I probably look like a stalker. I promiseI’mnot.
The first thought that entered Dominick’s mind was, “Who is this stalker?” His breath caught in his chest at the mere thought of having someone message him so much in such a short time. He’d only been at the library for a few hours, and this mystery person messaged him…seventeentimes?
Whoa.
He unlocked his phone and started scrolling through themessages.
Hey. I got your number from Morgan. I hopethat’sokay.
No. That was definitely not okay. Did Morgan sell their information? Or worse, did she give his actual match his information even after he said no? He couldn’t do thisagain.
I’d really like to talk to you. I hope you’ll hearmeout.
I was a jerk, and I’d like anotherchance.
