Page 12 of Savage Seduction

“Thanks,” Ben looks away before good-naturedly hitting his knee with the palm of his hand. “You just mentioned you have some changes coming up soon?” I ask. “Stuff to do with your ER career?”

“Yeah, you could say that. I don’t know. It’s one of those things where you’re sure you’re going to do it, but then a split second later… I don’t know. Something changes.” His deep blue eyes draw me in deeper. I want to know more but figure it isn’t any of my business. At least not yet.

“I’m sure you will make the right decision when the time comes,” I say with a smile.

“Thank you, Max. I appreciate that more than you know.” He clears his throat. “I haven’t done this in a long time, but what the heck? Max… would you accompany me to the café inside before classes start? I’d love to buy you a soda… or coffee?”

His boyish nervous looks make the butterflies flap about in my belly. “Like a date?”

“Um…”

I smile and smack his shoulder. “I’m kidding. I think we both need to leave the comedy to the experts.”

We chuckle together for a moment. “I’d love to have a drink with you.” I check the time on my watch. “I don’t have a lot of time, but I could use a latte. In fact, I can always use a latte… for future reference.”

“Perfect.” Ben jumps up and offers his hand.

I accept the help and then pull my heavy backpack up and sling it over my shoulder. “Thanks.”

We walk inside and downstairs to the café. The large brightly lit room is filled with round white tables and black chairs. Vending machines and water fountains are in the back of the room, fountain drink stations to the right, and a long line to order food to the left. After ordering, we sit in the far back corner of the expansive room. The café is used by each person visiting it today for something different. Multiple tables are makeshift napping stations, with students using their backpacks as pillows. There are a few people kicked back on their phones, while others eat their lunch and study for tests. It truly is a multipurpose and necessary sanctuary.

“I haven’t spent much time down here,” I say. “But I kind of like the vibe.”

Ben gestures over his right shoulder at the blue-haired girl painting her toenails. “Really? You like that vibe?”

I laugh. “Okay… maybe not the bare feet on the tabletop. But I can see why people come here to study and chill out. There’s enough random shit going on to meld together into human white noise.”

“I guess I can’t be too hard on toenail-girl. Back when I was in grad school, I used to have to pull an all-nighter studying and end up brushing my teeth in the drinking fountain before class.”

“Gross.”

He nods. “Not my finest moment.”

I take a sip of my latte. “It’s not Java Java Hut, but this is actually good… or I just really needed it.”

“I love that place too, but eight bucks for a large iced coffee is a little rich for my blood. I’m glad you like their USC special.” He blows on the hot drink before he indulges. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“As long as it’s nothing personal.”

“Well… I mean…” Ben stammers.

“Just kidding.”

“I need to figure out your poker face pretty soon or I’m not sure I’ll last very long.”

“I’ll behave.” I wink, pleased with how easily I can make him squirm. “Please… ask away.”

Ben sets his coffee down on the table before leaning back into the chair. “The other night… at Taco Caliente?”

“Yeah?”

“Did the manager ever give you my number?” Ben looks down at his drink. “I was hoping to hear from you.”

“Hector? Yeah, he gave it to me.” I sit back in my chair and sigh. “Honestly, that evening was a blur. I pulled a girl from a burning car and then had to get to work on time so I wouldn’t incur the wrath of an idiot. Plus, I needed to make a goodimpression on my boss.” I shake my head. “I couldn’t tell you where I even put your number.”

“Fair enough,” he says. “Wow, you pulled a girl from a burning car. You okay?”

“I’m fine. I was sore that evening, but I’m alright now. Where did you disappear to that night anyway? I looked for you, but the crowd was huge by the time I left.”

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