Page 14 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

The thing about Avery Collins was that talking to him always made me laugh. Not that he was a comedian type — we could safely rule that one out — but his attitude cheered me up. His cynical views and the way sarcasm flew over his head made me chuckle. The way he enabled my silly jokes made me feel good about myself. And whenever he engaged with my wacky side, I felt a little closer to him.

It was odd to run into him three days later. Not that it was a surprise, though, since I was the one who crossed the city to crash a party at the Northwood campus. Cole had accompanied me and Spencer had scored his own date. So when I spotted Avery on the far side of the frat house, I debated leaving my friend hanging immediately or leaving him hanging a little later.

Avery’s rate of replies to my text messages was around four-to-one these few days, but they were good replies. And they were made better when I caught him looking at me from the corner of the large common room. His teeth clamped on his lower lip when our gazes collided and I felt like a cartoon character who had just smelled a freshly baked pie. I wasn’t going to let myself float all the way there. I didn’t want to spook him. But I also had a good feeling about winning the challenge tonight. And scoring a date.

The truth was, I didn’t care about the challenge at all. It was an easy excuse for sappy behavior. And it was a shield that protected me from feeling lame. Who chased a guy this hard for such small returns? Not someone who didn’t have a pretty solid way to protect his ego by saying it had all been a ruse.

But it didn’t feel like a ruse when his gray eyes met mine and his ears perked. His high fade and soft, stylish hair begged to be felt by my fingertips.

It occurred to me that I hadn’t bothered scoring a date since the dare. Avery had been the sole target on my mind. Maybe I was getting a little obsessive, but it was something I could control.

“What are you waiting for?” The voice asked. For the briefest of moments, I imagined it was Avery urging me to go for it. Then I looked at the source and found Cole watching me with a cheeky smirk.

“Let him wonder,” I said confidently. “He expects me to go there. I’ll bet you anything he has a list of places to get to as soon as I come close. He’ll let his guard down if he starts thinking he’s free of me.”

“You think about these things too much,” Cole said lazily.

“Doesn’t everyone?” I asked.

My friend laughed out loud. “Last I checked? Nope.”

“How do you seduce someone who is convinced you’re a bad idea, then?” I asked.

Cole’s face went blank with confusion. His brow wrinkled a little and he cocked his head. “I…don’t. I move on.”

It was my turn to be shocked. “But it’s the sweetest when you work hard for it.”

“Man, I’ve got enough struggles on my plate,” he said. “Dating is not one of them. If a girl rolls her eyes at me like Collins does at you, I would be out of there and never try again.”

I pressed my index finger against Cole’s chest. “You, my friend, are missing out. Avery doesn’t actually hate me. And he doesn’t really think I’m an annoying stinkbug who solely exists to pester him. Dating is all about freestyling, and the sooner you get that, the sooner you’ll discover how fun the chase is.”

Cole considered it and dismissed it. “Sometimes, I think you enjoy the chase more than the actual rewards.”

I would have said something clever, but it was my guard that was down, and it was Avery’s hand that slapped my shoulder. “Not even a ‘hello?’” His voice was pretty flat, which I was starting to learn meant nothing at all. He was a tame, composed creature. He was as stable as a mountain. His steady demeanor wasn’t a show of disregard. It was just Avery Collins.

Cole smirked and pulled away, melting into the crowd. And the crowd dimmed in my field of vision. Everything grew still, and all that remained was this tall, handsome guy, his composed posture, and his intense gaze.

I felt a tingling rise from my stomach and take hold of my heart. “Why waste breath on that when we could be making out?”

Avery’s lips stiffened and his face hardened. I wondered if that was almost a smile. “Slow down, soldier.”

“What for?” I asked. This might have been the wrong course to take if I wanted to convince him a date with me was something he would enjoy. Then again, I couldn’t let my gaze drift to his lips without feeling the fire blaze in me and wanting to kiss him.

Damn. I am really starting to like this guy.

“I’m here,” I pointed out and laughed it off. “And you keep resisting.”

Avery moved his hand behind his back and pulled something out of his back pocket. A card. One of mine. It featured two illustrated dinosaurs with the caption: “We could be dino-mite together.” He licked his lips and read the back. “If I were a painter, you’d be my masterpiece. Let’s brush strokes together at your place. GR.” Avery lifted his gaze to meet mine and pushed the card back into his pocket. “I got it this morning.”

I shared a proud smile. “And the other two? Do you carry them around as well?”

Avery’s eyes twinkled for a moment before the spark went out. “I forgot it was in my pocket.”

“Ah, of course,” I said and nodded gravely. “Stowaway cards are such a modern-day nuisance.”

“Alright. Fine. I expected to catch you,” he admitted levelly.

“And you figured you would RSVP in person. Delightful!” My smile was genuine. I lifted my free hand and set it on his shoulder. Normally, it would help the other person lean into a positive reply, but this was more about my need to feel him near me. I wanted him. It was that simple. Nothing Spencer and Cole said could change this little fact. Avery was elusive yet oddly flirtatious. He acted like he didn’t care either way. These things only made me want to show off more. “What will it take for you to agree to that date of ours?”