Page 11 of Liar & Champion
“Hi there,” Christina said, taking the direct approach and cutting off my own escape. “I can save you some time. She’s not interested.”
I wasn’t sure what to do with that. “The teacher seemed very?—”
“Sunshine. And yes, that is her real name. She’s the worst tease. She’ll lead you on, but no one’s actually good enough to touch her.”
“You’ve tried? Maybe she’s just not interested in women, however beautiful they are.”
She stepped closer to me and touched my chest. “I’m not the one who wants to touch her. Trust me. You’re much better off looking elsewhere.”
Did I mention my perverse streak? This was the second person to tell me that the kitten wasn’t a good idea. I stepped back far enough that her hand dropped between us. “I appreciate the chivalrous streak in you that yearns to protect the unsuspecting, poor, defenseless male, but I’m pretty sure I can take the disappointment if a woman I approach turns me down. Just because a woman smiles at a man doesn’t mean she’s a tease if she doesn’t want to take it any further. And honestly, I don’t mind being teased.” I gave her a slightly charming grin then headed out, hoping to catch up to the kitten.
It took me all the way outside, down the sidewalk towards a big building that my map said was the art building to finally see her.
“Hey, Kitten, wait up,” I called, breaking into a jog as she turned to smile cheerfully at me.
“Hi there. Hobbes, huh? Too bad. I thought we would be great friends.”
“Speaking of great friends, what did you do to that poor girl to get her all heated up?”
She wrinkled her nose, once more losing that smile. “It’s because she has perfect breasts.”
I almost tripped. “Come again?”
She stared at me, like she’d never seen me before. “Did I say that out loud? Oops.”
I felt a flicker of disappointment. “So, you are into her, but she’s not into you?”
She laughed, and that smile, it really was as infectious as yawning and twice as fun. “No. She dated a friend of mine for a little while. He told me all about it, unfortunately. I’m not into her or anyone. I do think that you’re really attractive, but I don’t date.”
She was so straightforward about everything, so refreshingly honest, or maybe that was terrifyingly honest. “I don’t either, but I thought I’d change things up while I was at this school. If you did date, what kind of guy would it be? Geek? Jock? What else is there?”
“Normal student who works hard at three jobs to pay his way?”
“Ah, that’s me then.”
“You have too many muscles to be normal. How many hours a day do you spend working on your physique?” She was too cute to be offensive, but that had probably been a delicate little jab.
I laughed. “You want some pointers? I do self-defense classes, and we’re going to start a club. You could come, learn how to stay safe.” I hadn’t liked the way the skateboarder with the piercings and the undisciplined board had looked at her, talked about her.
“You’re a martial arts teacher?” Her smile faded slightly.
“Sure.” Among other things. “Not seriously, just for exercise and boosting self-confidence.”
She brightened up. “Like forms without contact? I could do that. Sounds fun. Sign me up, Brutish.”
“Sure thing, Stoic. I am seriously thinking about lunch. Do you have any recommendations?”
Her eyes widened and she took a small step back. “You’re asking me out to lunch, like a date? I told you that I don’t date.” Her smile was still sweet, but her voice was very firm.
That was interesting. She really would give me some resistance. Why didn’t she date? Why did Christina think she was a tease? Why did I care?
I casually closed the distance between us and leaned down so I could say low, “I’m actually already seeing someone, Henry, from orientation. We’re going to get root beers and talk about the self-defense club. You can come if you’d like, if you’re hungry, but it’s not a date. I’m feeling like a good sandwich, something with bacon.” I backed off so I could see her smile, so sweet that I wanted to taste it. I took my own step away from her. If a woman said no, you respected that, however sweet her lips looked.
“I have a class, but I can highly recommend the Sandwich Guys.”
“Sandwich guys? That’s what it’s called?”
She shrugged and headed off across the green. “You will not regret it.”
