Page 44 of Holding On

"You work out?"

"My two jobs are a workout, but sometimes I walk just to clear my head. My brother works out all the time. He has a set of weights in our apartment but I never use them. Speaking of Mike, I think he might have a new girlfriend soon." She says it in a hushed, excited tone. "We met her this morning when the fire alarm went off and we were all stuck outside."

"Did he ask her out?"

"No, but I think he will. At least I'm hoping he will. He's been hung up on his ex for months. He needs to move on, and he seems to really like this new girl."

"How about you? Any exes you haven't gotten over? Or are you in a relationship now?"

It's bold to ask but I need the answer. And I think she knows why. I'm not exactly hiding the fact that I like her.

"Nope. I'm single. No boyfriend. No exes I'm pining over. How about you?"

"I don't have a boyfriend either." I grin.

She rolls her eyes. "Smart ass. You know what I mean."

"The answer is no. I don't have a girlfriend."

She grabs two sodas from the fridge and hands me one. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"I've had several. Why?"

She shrugs. "Not that I believe rumors, but the rumor around town is that you don't date a girl long enough for her to be your girlfriend."

"That's somewhat true, but it's not because I don't want a girlfriend. It's because my future is up in the air. I don't know what I'll be doing after graduation or where I'll be moving so it doesn't really make sense to get into a serious relationship right now."

Becca nods. Then she turns away and finds some plates in the cupboard.

Shit. I think I just screwed this up. I was trying to be honest with her but will what I said make her not want to go out with me?

The doorbell rings. Becca sets the plates down. "That was fast. I'll go get it."

"Grab the money. It's in the drawer." I point to it. She opens the drawer and takes out a couple twenties, then goes and gets the pizzas from the guy.

While she's at the door, Jackson calls.

"Hey, man," he says when I answer. "How's your weekend going?"

"Good. Hey, I can't talk right now. I've got company."

"Company? Who's over there?"

"A friend."

"A female friend?" He chuckles.

"Yeah. I gotta go."

"Do I know this female friend?"

"No, you don't know her."

"Is she one of the cheerleaders?"

I've dated several of the team's cheerleaders so it wouldn't be surprising if one of them came to town and showed up here. I had a friends-with-benefits arrangement with a couple of them.

"She's not a cheerleader. I told you you don't know her."

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