Page 7 of Ten Years and Then…
“Really?” He wanted to kick himself. But she was still smiling that same smile. She really was that one in a thousand, or million, girl, wasn’t she?
“Yeah, really. Seven o’clock, does that work? You can pick me up outside Morris Hall.” She stood up, reached over, patted his arm. “And thank you. For saying I’m funny. That—it means more than you know.”
Chapter 3
First Date, Part 1—Albion College
Nora, October 14
Nora kept replaying his words in her head, oblivious to everything else. She barely even realized she was back in her room until Kim’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Hey, Nora!”
It took her a moment to focus on her roommate. “Oh. Hi, Kim. I guess I’m a little distracted.”
That earned her a sharp laugh. “A little? I was about to throw something at you to get your attention.”
She didn’t quite blush. “Okay, a lot distracted.” Nora hesitated, not sure why. There was no reason not to tell Kim, was there? It was just a date. “I just got asked out,” she said.
Her roommate started to roll her eyes, then she really looked at Nora. “Like, a date-date? Not just a ‘let’s hang out and see what happens,’ kind of thing?”
Nora knew exactly what her roommate meant but was too polite to say more bluntly, and she let it pass. “Yeah. He was—remember I told you about the guy who started giving me unsolicited tech support a few weeks ago? That’s him. I never saw him, we just shouted at each other across the room. But I guess he saw me.”
Except he said he hadn’t seen her—only heard her. Just her voice and her laugh and how she talked when she thought nobody was really listening.
And she believed him.
“That’s cute,” Kim said. “Like a secret admirer, kind of. Right?”
It was kind of like that. “He said I was funny.” Nora took a breath before going on. “Actually, he said I was the funniest person he ever heard.” As she said it out loud, she realized she didn’t just believe him. She knew it. Absolute certainty. She’d stake her life on it, that he meant it, even if she couldn’t say why.
“Wow. That’s cool, I’m happy for you.”
Nora almost answered that she was happy for herself, too, but that would have been too much. Even if it was true. She couldn’t say the other thing, either. That this was the first time anybody ever acted interested in her because of anything other than the version of herself she usually put on for guys. The one that said without need of words that it wouldn’t take too much convincing to get her up to their room or into the back seat of their car, and she wouldn’t be too demanding once she got there and she certainly wouldn’t be too clingy afterwards. That Nora was nowhere to be found when she was talking to Daniel. He’d never seen that girl—and maybe nobody else would ever have to see her again.
No, that was putting far too much weight on one conversation, one boy, one date, assuming he even showed up.
Except, maybe it wasn’t after all. Even if tomorrow night was a washout, if she was totally wrong about him, he had seen through to who she wanted to believe she really was. And if one person saw it, then other people would see it, too.
Kim was staring at her again; how long had she been debating herself? “Thanks. I really—I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
Daniel, later that day
Daniel had been replaying the conversation in his head over and over. She’d actually said yes! She hadn’t laughed at him when he told her the truth—even though it had been her laughter that made him notice her in the first place. Her laughing at him wouldn’t even have been the worst thing. She could have really meant it when she’d asked him if it was just a cheap pickup line. She could have lumped him in with the jerks who didn’t notice anything but what was on the surface and didn’t want anything but a hot night or two with her before they moved on to the next girl.
Bianca had met a guy who turned out to be one of those, and Daniel had listened to her for three hours afterwards. Remembering it now, a year and a half later, he could still feel his anger rising at the guy who’d dared to treat his Bee that way.
No, that was then, and what was important now was that Nora didn’t do that. She listened to him, heard him. Believed him. Wanted to see him. And he wanted to shout about it.
Nobody on the third floor needed to hear it, though. But there was someone he could tell, and the phone was in his hand—and ringing—before he even realized he’d picked it up.
“Who is it—Danny, is that you?”
“Yeah, Bee. I … I wanted to—no, I had to tell you.”
There was a giggle on the line. “You don’t sound upset, so I’m guessing this is a good thing you have to tell me?”
The best thing. Hopefully. “Yeah. I—well, I asked her out. And she said yes. So we’re … we’re going out tomorrow night.”
