Page 38 of Crimson Promises
Riley: Talk soon.
Okay, that was unexpectedly pleasant.Also, gross. No one calls me Rors.I think it was safe to say that Riley was interested in more than just one date.But am I?I turned my head to look at the man who captivated my interest for the last several hours. If I was honest with myself, I had to admit that Ben captured my attention in a way that Riley didn’t last night.
But everyone deserved a second chance, right? What if I wrote him off too early? And while Ben was acting nice and everything, it wasn’t like he asked me out. He went as far as to admit that he preferred to be alone. It did not seem like he was ready for any commitment. Who cared that my heart kicked up a notch when Ben looked at me, or that unspoken bond that seemed to flow between us so effortlessly, or that hereallygrasped what it was like to deal with loss and grief. He had been shaped by it, just like me.He’s my classmate and nothing more.
A flash of white that landed in my lap. I glanced up and behind my shoulder to find Ben standing there.
“Why did I have to practically sell the shirt off my back to try and get some extra napkins around here?” he asked, reclaiming the seat opposite mine.
I closed Riley’s message and slid my phone back into my bag.I’ll deal with that later.
“Because the owner of Perk & Pour is passionate about the environment, each customer is only allowed two napkins maximum. The business is trying to do its part by trying to limit the amount of unnecessary waste.”
“Commendable reasoning, but you could have warned me before I went up there. I would have just asked for a cloth to wipe down the rest of the table and would have given it back to them,” he said, his earlier irritation seemingly gone.
“Why would I do that when it’s so much more fun this way?”
“What a sneak you are!”
“Sneak?” I stick my tongue out. “I don’t even get the title of something more devious like a mastermind? I’m not five.”
“You sticking your tongue out at me doesn’t exactly substantiate your point. And I think it’s only fair that you suffer the same humiliation you put me through.”
“All you had to do was ask for extra napkins. You make it sound like you had to break into the Dean’s office.”
“Still, I’m all about equality. Wouldn’t you agree?” Ben arched a brow as if to challenge me.
How exactly was I supposed to say no to that?
“I believe in equality. I took advantage of an opportunity to outsmart you. Since you’re new and I need you for this assignment, what did you have in mind as an equalizer?”’
Ben steeples his fingers together as if he were Mr. Burns fromThe Simpsons, tapping his two index fingers together. “I’d like to propose a challenge, which is neither embarrassing nor sneaky. I have to see a foreign film for one of my elective courses. Since I’m new here and you are my only friend, will you come with me? I’ll even let you pick which one.”
Are we friends? Friends was safer than the alternative. He probably doesn’t even see me that way anyway.He gives me puppy dog eyes and puckers out his bottom lip in a pout.
A wide grin spread across my face. He knew he had me.Damn green eyes.
“Ugh, alright. But since you only had to ask for napkins, you’ll have to pay up if you want to talk about true equality.”
Ben groans. “I’m going to regret saying yes to this, aren’t I?”
“I’m your only friend, as you pointed out. Do you want to alienate me on our first day of friendship?” I cross one leg over the other.
“Fine, what is it?”
“You have to come with me to dinner.”
He perks up at that. “What’s so wrong with a dinner? I can handle that.”
“Perfect.”
“Do I have to dress up? Are you sure there isn’t more to this?”
“Of course not. Maybe jeans and a semi-casual shirt?”
“There’s something firmly fishy about this. Like a sweater?”
“Sure. A sweater is fine, Ben.”
