Page 6 of Drew
“For what?”
“I told you. We’re getting dinner.”
Cocky much?
Leaving no room for argument, he places a hand on the small of my back and leads me to his black SUV. He surprises me by opening my door and waiting for me to get in to buckle, before closing it.Maybe he can be a gentleman?
To my surprise, the ride’s filled with comfortable conversation on the way to God only knows where. He’s yet to fill me in on our where we’re going, but fills the time by making small talk about life on campus. Even though we’ve never met apparently, we lived in the same dorm our freshman year.How could I not notice the likes of him?
It’s not long until we arrive at the restaurant. That’s when I realize he’s taken me to a nice place. I mentally count my cash on hand, knowing I don’t have a lot to spare in my minuscule bank account. Working for the college as a library assistant, I only get paid twice a month, and payday’s still a week away.
“Um, Drew? I’m not sure we should go here.” I try to think of a way to suggest a fast food restaurant I can afford.
“Why not? It’s your birthday. You deserve a special treat.”
“Yeah… but… um…”How the hell do I say this?
“Relax, Abby, it’s my treat. It’s your special day.”Does he have special mind-reading abilities?
“Are you sure?” I feel weird. It’s almost date-like. Not that I go on many of those.
“Absolutely. Let’s go inside and celebrate.”
He grabs my hand and walks me to the door. My body trembles with the warmth of his hand in mine. Shivers race up my spine, and butterflies flip in my belly. I’m not sure what to make of Drew. Where did the cocky, self-absorbed jock go?
When we get inside, the hostess tells us she has a table available. We follow her in and are promptly seated at a cozy table in the back corner. It’s not easily seen from the rest of the restaurant, and I wonder if Drew had anything to do with the choice of seating.
The hostess hands us our menus and asks if we’d like to have anything to drink while we decide. Drew orders a Coke, and I settle with water for now. My friends and I have plans later, and I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories of twenty-one-runs, and I have no intentions of being a statistic. Hell, I wouldn’t even be going out if Chloe and Sydney didn’t threaten to drag me out, kicking and screaming. They’ve been planning this for months.
When Drew immediately sets his menu down, I feel a bit self-conscious. Having never been here before, I’m unsure of what to order. Though he said he’s paying, I want to feel out what he orders, so I can get something similar in price. “Have you already decided?” I ask as I continue perusing the menu with what I hope is nonchalance.
“Yeah, I’m getting the asparagus-stuffed chicken breast and a baked potato. Do you know what you’d like?”
I peruse over the menu, and everything looks delicious. But the thought of asparagus has my mouth watering. Hmmm… another thing we have in common, how odd. I didn’t think there would be much after our encounters in class. “I think… I’ll go with that as well.”
Drew raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.
As soon as the waitress takes our order and leaves, Drew asks, “So… what made you choose CRU?”
“Well…” I say as I finish a drink of water. “I’ve wanted to come here since I was little. My parents encouraged me to tour many campuses, but I had my heart set on CRU. When I came to visit my sophomore year in high school, for summer camp, I was determined to make this my college.”
“You came to summer camp at Columbia River University?”
“Yeah, it was a science camp. Geared toward girls in math and science. We got to stay in the dorms for a week and see what college life was like. It was inspiring, to say the least.”
“Wow… I spent my summers in high school focusing on one basketball camp or the next. I knew I had to get a scholarship to get into college, and thankfully, it worked out for me. But you were already focused on your career.” He looks at me with wonder in his eyes and something else I can’t quite describe. As I replay his words in my mind, and I try to figure him out, a thought springs to mind.
Crap. He’s here on scholarship. There’s no way he should pay for my dinner tonight. Thankfully, I can afford what I’ve ordered, so relief washes through me. But how do I bring it up to him?
“Everything okay?” Drew asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I shake my head and force my worries away. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He grimaces for a split second, then his features clear as if he doesn’t believe me. But for now, he lets it go when he asks, “So… what’s the plan for tonight?”
“I’m meeting my best friends Chloe and Sydney, and I’m sure we’ll end up at Sherman’s, since that’s where Syd works. They know I’m not much of a partier, but they still insist on making sure I have a birthday I’ll never forget.”
Drew chuckles a deep laugh, and the butterflies are back in my belly.
