“When are you going to tell me about your date?” I thought for sure that was the reason he called, except he hasn’t said a word about it. I hope it’s because it went well and not because he blew it.
“It was good. She’s so pretty, Alex. I’m still not sure what she sees in me.”
“Don’t do that.” I stop rummaging inside my dresser for my work polo to glare at him through my phone. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re amazing. And a catch and pretty much the nicest guy on the planet.”
“Yeah, but…” He motions to himself. “You know.”
And now I’m mad. Because he’s doing it again. He’s throwing away opportunities of happiness because he’s scared of what may never happen. “Stop, Mason. She knows, and she doesn’t care. Stop sabotaging yourself.”
I keep my voice firm, leaving no room for negotiation, and hope that Mason can tell how serious I am. He doesn’t fight me, so I take it as a win.
I glance at the time. “Oh, shit. I gotta go. Don’t want to be late for my super fun job of collecting girls’ numbers.”
“You haven’t gotten a single one, have you?”
“Not a single one.” My honest response elicits a smile. “Seriously, Mase. Sarah is so lucky to have you.”
“Pretty sure it’s the other way around.” I don’t disagree on that fact, either. In fact, I’m certain they’re lucky to have each other. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. Get back to work before you get fired, you slacker.” I end the call before he can fire off an insult of his own.
My shift today is rather slow, especially for a Thursday afternoon. Finals are right around the corner, and it’s as if the student body is all locked away in their rooms or in the library, already cramming and freaking out. Not that I mind. I take advantage of the lack of gym goers to crack open a book to do my own bit of studying.
A few minutes in, however, someone clears their throat. It makes me jump.
My book falls off my lap and on to the ground with an embarrassingly loud thud. “Shit,” I mutter. “Give me a second.” I grab my book and stand, only to drop it again.
Standing on the other side of the counter is a bombshell wearing tight yoga pants and a loose fitted tank over a bright pink sports bra. Her dark hair is tied back into a purposefully messy bun.
And holy fuck, she’s hot.
Quickly, I kick my book under the desk and shove my hands inside my back pockets in attempt to look cooler than I feel. “Sorry. Hi.”
She watches me with what I hope is an amused expression. “You good?”
“Yeah, just, you know…working.” I close my eyes, embarrassed and wishing I could crawl under the counter and hide. I’m usually much smoother than this. I take a deep breath and open my eyes to try again. “Can I help you?”
“Actually, yes.” She places her bag on the floor and leans on the counter. She’s somehow even more attractive up close. “I can’t seem to find my ID, and I have a training session in five minutes.”
“Thatisa problem,” I tell her. “No ID, no entry.”
She sighs and holds eye contact. “I plan to get a replacement tomorrow, but I really can’t miss this session.”
All faculty, staff, and students need a university issued card in order to use university operated facilities, so she’s either a guest without a pass, or she’s telling the truth and somehow affiliated with the school.
I use this as an opening. “So you go to NYU?”
Her lips tug upward into a small smile, like she knows exactly what I’m doing. “I do.”
That’s lucky for me. “Let’s see what we can do.” I wake up the computer and punch in my credentials and navigate to the members page. “Name?”
“Trinity Young.”
I type it in, and sure enough, her account pops up. From her membership logs, it shows that she usually comes in on Mondays and Wednesdays. Since I work Tuesdays and Thursdays, that would explain why this is the first time I’m seeing her. “Do you have another form of identification on you?”
She taps her driver’s license on the counter, already holding it like she knew I was going to ask, and hands it over.
The first thing I look at is her date of birth. She’s twenty-one. Perfect. I hand her card back, noting the way our fingers brush. “I think we can let you in just this once. Just make sure to get that new card. Peter works tomorrow, and he’s nowhere near as nice as I am.”
