Page 7 of Drew
“Does that mean you willallbe drinking?” Drew asks in curiosity, but there’s something else there, too. Protectiveness? Why would he feel protective over me? We just met.
“I’m pretty sure one of them will be the DD.” Most likely, it’ll be Sydney. For being a bartender, she mysteriously never drinks. Maybe she sees the effects of alcohol on a regular basis and doesn’t want to live it. Who knows?
“But you’re not sure?” Drew asks with concern.
“Oh, I’m sure. Sydney wouldn’t let us drive home with anyone who wasn’t safe. She’s a stickler about things like that. I’m sure she’s got it all planned out anyway.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear and take a drink of water. “It’s not like her to do anything unplanned.”
Drew leans forward on the table, resting on his forearms with interest. “What do you mean?”
We’re interrupted by a waiter bringing our food. As he sets the food down, my mouth waters, and I let out a small moan in appreciation. Glancing at Drew, I say, “This looks amazing. I’m so glad you suggested it.”
Drew’s perfect lips form a smile, and my breath catches. “Thanks, it’s one of my favorites. I found this place my sophomore year. I try to come back as often as I can.” He takes a bite of asparagus and grins in appreciation, then looks to me questioningly. “You were telling me about your friend…”
“Oh, right, Sydney…” I laugh at his determination to stay on topic. “Syd and I met our freshman year of college, the day we moved into the dorms. She lived across the hall from me, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Drew nods, and an appreciative grin turns up his lips. “I have a few friends like that, though most of them are on the team. It makes it a lot easier when you have people in your corner.”
I let out a deep sigh in agreement. “No kidding. I don’t know what I’d do without Chloe or Syd in my life. We’ve lived together since sophomore year, in an apartment off campus. Though all of us have great families of our own, we’ve become our own family.” As Drew takes another bite, I continue with, “Chloe and I have been friends since seventh grade. We met at summer camp one year and have been friends ever since.”
Drew cocks his head to the side and asks, “Did you grow up in the same town?”
“Unfortunately, no,” I sigh. “But we lived about an hour apart. I lived in the north end of Seattle, and Chloe lived near Tacoma. As soon as we started driving, we saw each other as often as possible. When we found out we were both attending Columbia River University, we knew we had to live together. Once we met Sydney, we’ve been like the Three Musketeers.” I smile at the memory, then change the topic to him. “Where did you grow up?”
Drew shrugs. “I’m from Spokane. But I spent a lot of time growing up in Seattle.” Something dark crosses his features, but it’s gone before I can figure it out.
I realize we have another thing in common. “I’ve only been to Spokane a few times as we drove through to meet family in Coeur d'Alene. I loved visiting my cousins in the summer. They had a cabin on the lake. We’d spend hours waterskiing, tubing, and knee boarding as kids.”
“It’s a great town. That’s for sure,” Drew agrees.
When we’re nearly done with our meal, Drew excuses himself to use the restroom. I take this time to enjoy what’s left of my delicious meal but mostly ponder over Drew. He sure is a lot different from the guy I met in class. I thought for sure I’d hate this semester, having him as a partner. But I think I might be wrong.
When he returns, he leans back in his chair, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “Will there be any guys joining the Three Musketeers tonight?” Drew’s question completely catches me off guard.
“Uh…” Where did that come from? “Not that I know of.”
Surprise fills Drew’s features. “So… is it just a girls’ night out thing?”
I shake my head. “Not intentionally. As far as I know, we’re all single. Chloe and Jeff broke up this summer, and Syd’s… well, she’s a bit picky. I doubt she’s seeing anyone new.”
“What about you? Are you hoping someone will be there tonight?” Drew’s question rolls off his tongue with ease.
Laughter erupts from me. “Nope.” I pop the p for emphasis. “I’m definitely not. I don’t have time to date. Between work and school, I have my eye on the prize, and I’m not letting anything get in my way.”
“Sounds like you have a story to tell…” Drew probes.
Shaking my head, I reply, “No. Not really. I dated someone most of sophomore year, but he ended up just wanting to use me to get through bio-chem. He was more concerned with the chemistry in our textbook than what we might’ve had together. So… No, thank you. I’m fine being on my own.”
Drew’s mouth hangs open, and his eyes widen. Before he can say anything, we’re interrupted by what appears to be the entire waitstaff arriving at our table.
I eye Drew suspiciously. But his focus remains on the waitress.
“Excuse me… Ladies and Gentlemen…” a girl about my age announces, “can we please have your attention. It seems we have a birthday girl in our midst who wanted to let her birthday skip by. Please join us in wishing Abby a happytwenty-first birthday.” She places a large red-velvet cupcake in front of me with a candle burning bright.
Hoots and hollers erupt around the restaurant. My eyes dart to Drew, who shrugs sheepishly as a wide grin forms on his perfect lips, then he joins in and sings.
I want to crawl under the table and die. It’s so embarrassing being the center of attention. My cheeks flush, and it’s all I can do not to cover my face. No one has ever done anything like this for me. When Drew pulls out his phone, I try to glare at him, but it’s useless. He smirks and has a look that says there’s nothing I can do about it, so I break out into laughter.If I can’t beat him, I might as well join him. By the end of the song, we’re both laughing.
When it’s time to blow out the candle, I regain my composure and make a wish.
