Page 34 of Back to You

The best thing about Lake, other than his heart the size of Texas, was that he had absolutely no clue what he looked like. Sky-blue eyes, a riot of blond curls and smooth, perfect features led to him getting stared at a lot. He was a tiny thing, topping out around 5’3”. He also generally had no clue when he was being hit on, which had led to some hilarious encounters over the years.

The man made a beeline for Lake. “Hi, can I buy you a drink?”

“Oh, I already bought it, but thanks! That’s very nice of you. What would you like to drink? Everything is good here, and Brandon makes the best cookies.”

“Oh, uh …” The man was clearly at a loss as to what to do now.

“Shut up, Evelyn, this is getting interesting!” Rhonda yelled. The old lady brigade was now starting intently at Lake and the new guy, waiting to see what would happen.

“Uh, could I maybe take you to dinner sometime?” New Guy asked Lake, looking nervously at the old ladies.

“I do remember to eat dinner, usually! I mean, not always, but sometimes. The other day I was working on some old-school trigonometry and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. And Sean from the astrophysics department came over and asked me if I wanted to get dinner, and since I did, I said yes, and went down to the cafeteria and got something to eat. When I got back Sean seemed mad, which I don’t understand because I was really grateful he reminded me to eat.”

“Come on, this is just painful,” Marcus grumbled.

The guy stared in confusion for a moment, then said, “Was that a yes?”

Lake smiled. “Yes to what?”

Marcus coughed to cover a laugh. Brandon just shook his head.

“Maybe I could get your number?” New Guy said.

“Oh sure!” Lake rattled off his phone number.

“I’ll hit you up later?”

“Uh, that sounds unpleasant.”

“I mean … I’ll text you, okay?”

“Sure!”

With that, the guy headed out the door, but Brandon could see him texting as he went. Sure enough, Lake’s phone chimed. He grabbed it from his pocket.

“Who is Devan?” Lake wondered.

“How many men have Lake’s phone number and have never heard back from him?” Marcus asked.

“Ethan and I tried to do the math one day, but numbers don’t go that high.”

“Hey blondie!” Rhonda yelled. Lake, not realizing she was talking to him, glanced around the cafe.

“You! Short and blond! With the eyes!”

“She means you, Lake,” Marcus said, handing him his latte and muffin.

“Oh! Hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were talking to me!” Lake wandered over to the old lady table and began to make friends, something he was always able to do easily.

“Ten bucks says he’s in the book club by the time he leaves,” Brandon said.

“I don’t take sucker bets.”

Brandon shook his head and went back to the kitchen to continue his supply order. He’d just hit the last button when Lake stuck his head around the door. “Can I come in?”

Lake was one of a handful of people who were permitted entry into Brandon’s kitchen. He could be a bit particular, and Lake understood not to touch anything.

“Sure, what’s up?”

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