Page 43 of More To Us

"I've made it clear to him that I don't want a boyfriend."

"Doesn't mean you can't kiss." She pops a chip in her mouth. "Or do other things." She smiles.

I lean forward and whisper, "Are you crazy? I am NOT having sex with him. I just met him. And I told you, I'm not dating him."

"You don't have to date him. Just be friends with benefits." She picks up her sandwich. "You're in college now. It's time to try new things. Be bold. Experiment with things you never thought you'd do."

"Like a one-night stand?"

"Exactly." She bites into her sandwich, then wipes her mouth with a napkin. She glances around to make sure no one's listening, then says, "I thought for sure I'd regret it, but it turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done."

"No offense, but that's kind of sad. I know for a fact you've done better things than that."

"You don't understand how great that night was." She sets her sandwich down. "Anyway, this isn't about me. What I was trying to say is that if you want to hook up with Austin, then do it. You don't have to be his girlfriend."

"You just told me to stay away from him, and now you want me to do it with him?"

She shrugs. "You refuse to listen to me when I tell you to stay away from him, so as long as you're going to hang out with him, you might as well get some benefit out of it."

"I'm already getting benefit out of it. I like hanging out with him. As a friend. Just a friend."

She laughs a little. "Yeah, we'll see. So what time is he picking you up?"

"At seven. I'll tell him to come upstairs so he can meet you."

"No." She grabs my arm just as I was about to take a bite of my sandwich. "Wait for him downstairs. I can't meet him."

"Why not?"

She lets go of my arm. "Because I can't have him telling Dylan about me."

"Why would he tell Dylan about you?"

She thinks for a moment. "You're right. He probably wouldn't. And even if he did, Dylan wouldn't put it together and know it's me. He probably doesn't even remember me. In my head, I keep thinking he thought that night was as great as I did, but I'm sure it meant nothing to him. He's probably had sex with ten other girls since then." She checks her phone. "It's six. We should hurry so you have time to get ready for your date. What are you wearing?"

"It's not a date. And I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt, like I always do."

"Kira." She takes a sip of her soda, then pushes it aside. "You're going out with Austin Wheeler. Girls are dying to go out with him, and when they see you with him, they'll be talking about you, wondering who you are and commenting on what you're wearing. You have to look your best."

"I don't dress for other people. You know this about me."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm just saying, you might want to wear something nicer, like maybe a skirt."

"We're going to the movies. People don't dress up for the movies. And besides, Austin likes it when I dress casual. He told me that last night."

"All guys say that, but then they see a girl all dressed up and can't think straight."

"You keep forgetting, I'm not dating him. We're just friends."

And yet now she's got me wondering if I should change my mind about that, because I really want to kiss him. Or maybe do more than that.

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