Page 46 of The Baller

“How do you go around the city if your face is everywhere?” I laughed.

“I like to run. Do you run?”

I nodded, probably too enthusiastically. “Yes, I like running.”

“Let’s go for a run sometime.”

“I…” Shit. What was it about this guy that makes me forget how to string a sentence together?

But once again, Lux saved me from embarrassment, or not, with a loud laugh at my awkwardness. “Come on… let’s go and find Shakespeare.”

My hand slotted back into his, his finger curling around to brush my knuckles like we were always supposed to fit together, and he’d done it a thousand times before.

And when we stepped into the next room, I realized the nerves in my belly had stopped dancing.

TEN

LUX

Our first FaceTimestarted with a thud, followed by a loud clatter, and what sounded likefuck. All I could see was beige before Radley’s face appeared as she bent over and picked her cell up.

“Lux?”

I held back the smile at the confusion on her face. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

“FaceTiming you. What areyoudoing?”

She sat down, propped the phone in front of her, and lifted a couple of very heavy looking books to the screen. They were so thick I could probably do bicep curls with them. “Studying.”

From what I could see of the background, it didn’t look like she was in the library, but the books were so big I couldn’t see anyone making the effort to carry them either.

“Where are you?”

“In my dorm.” She smiled softly, and for some reason, that smile tugged hard in my chest.

No, I knew the reason. She was in her dorm because shefelt safer in there.

I rubbed my jaw to ease away the clenching that kicked in.

“How long does this Pledge Week thing last?”

She shrugged with a single shake of her head. Based on what she’d been telling me, it was way longer than a week. Someone needed to give these fraternities a calendar – or math lessons. One week equals seven days.

“Why are you calling me?”

“I wanted to see your face. Is that okay?”

She blinked in surprise, and a little quirk curled her lips. “Um… yeah. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“Is that why you dropped the phone?”

“It buzzed off the desk before I could pick up.”

I grinned at her. “How much more studying do you have left?”

“About three years’ worth.” She smiled, that same smile she’d given me at Asher’s; the soft one that crinkled up her nose and made the gold in her eyes as bright as the sun.

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