Page 17 of The Romance Rivalry

He’s dressed in well-worn blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a gray cardigan.

Oh.

It’s like looking in a mirror.

Awkward.

He has on thick tortoiseshell glasses that make his green eyes pop. And to top it all off, perfectly side-combed hair, complete with a yellow pencil, fresh red eraser, tucked behind his ear.

He looks like he walked off the pages of a dictionary under the word “collegiate scholar.” Unintentional couples outfit aside, I can’t take my eyes off him.

“Also, I don’t think I properly introduced myself this afternoon. I’m Garrett.” He holds out his hand, and just as I’m about to shake it, I’m cut off at the pass. My handshake-to-lovers quest has been cockblocked by none other than Aiden Jeon.

“What’s up, man, I’m Aiden.”

“Hey, nice to meet you.” The two shake hands like they’re long-lost lovers and I’m just here to clean their chamber pots.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” one of the others says, reaching out her hand toward me. I grab it immediately before it can be stolen from me and shake a bit too vigorously. “I’m Jenna. I follow you online and your reviews are the best. We align on almost everything.”

“Hi, Jenna,” I say, finally releasing her hand. “So you read romance, then?”

She nods, and with each bob of her head, I feel my chest loosening and my shoulders relaxing.

More voices make their way into the Commons, and in short order, a group of about twenty of us has gathered, grabbing random chairs and sitting in a blob-shaped formation.

I sit down. Garrett takes a seat to my right and, you guessed it, winks at me. Again. And it’s not any less weird now that I know his name.

I feel the air turn frigid and black to my left. I don’t even have to look to know that Aiden has taken the other seat next to me. I can smell him.

I hate that he smells so good.

I find out that most of the group has met for years, all of them coming in and out as they’ve attended Brighton College. There’s a nice camaraderie here, and I remind myself that I’m one of them, a book person, even though this is one of the first times I’ve been this person face-to-face with others, instead of behind a screen.

“Let me kick us off since I was the one who chose this month’s selection. Hopefully you had time to read it over the summer break,” someone I haven’t yet met says to the group, giving a pointed look in everyone’s general direction. “I’ve been itching for us to get into a classic horror novel, so I feltSalem’s Lotwas the perfect choice. Do you agree?”

Nods around the room.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt you, Jackson, man, but do you think we could do quick introductions first? We’ve got a couple new people joining us today,” Garrett says. “I’ll go first? I’m Garrett Karl, fourth-year philosophy major. My favorite authors are Kerouac, Vonnegut, and George R. R. Martin, in that order.”

Fourth-year. Older man. Age gap. Dude-bro taste in books aside, this could be interesting.

He holds his hand out to me, palm up. Does he want me to hold his hand, stand up and come sit on his lap, what? What are these social cues I’m unaccustomed to?

He nods, encouraging me.

“Um, yes, sorry, hi, I’m Irene. I’m a freshman here at Brighton studying contemporary literature. And my favorite authors are Nalini Singh, Ms. Beverly Jenkins, and Queen Nora Roberts...”

“Amen,” Jenna says.

I also hear a few snickers around the room. Just wait until the club pick is a romance book. We’ll see who’s snickering then.

“I, um, haven’t had a chance to read the book. But I’m excited to be here.”

I hold my breath for a second once I’m done, hoping no one is disappointed or calls me out for not reading this week’s book choice.

But all eyes quickly move on to my left.

“Hey, I’m Aiden. I’m actually newer to reading. Didn’t really grow up with books or anything, so now I’m devouring anything and everything to catch up. I’m particularly loving romance novels, so I’m open to recs. I can’t narrow down my favorites to just three authors. Call me easy, I like to play the field.”

---