Page 23 of More Than Chemical
He turned away, and I pressed a hand to my stomach, suddenly overly aware of the rhythm of my breath, my heart, even the rush of air in my ears.
If I’d been standing, I was sure my knees would have been weak.
Clearly, I was still as attracted to him as I’d been the night of the party. Maybe more so, because I knew what it felt like when he touched me.
He was at the counter now. I couldn’t hear him, but the order taker called out to the barista, “Venti Americano with room.”
It was confirmed. Not only did I hate coffee, but I was also coffee ignorant. What in the world was an Americano?
He sat in his chair. “Did you come here right from your job?”
“Yeah.”Oh, great response, Ade. Way tobe a conversationalist.
“Where at?”
“The bookstore. Just on Saturdays.”
“Cool.” He took a sip of his coffee. “You get a discount?”
“Not on course materials, but on other merch.”
“Sounds like a good gig.”
“It’s okay.” My gaze shifted to the table. He was so dang gorgeous. I couldn’t look at him without thinking about all the feels I’d had last weekend. “The people I work with are decent.”
He spun his cup in a perfect circle. “I’m glad you texted me.”
My heart did a little leap. “You didn’t think I would?”
“I wasn’t sure.” He smiled, and I noticed that his teeth weren’t perfect. They had a bit of a gap in the front, which was cute.
After this confession, I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to be honest too. This wasn’t a game of hide-and-seek. It was real life, and I needed to find my footing.
“You’re right though. It took me a bit to decide.” I took a sip of my drink but this time didn’t take my eyes off him.
“You are afraid of me, aren’t you?”
“No, not exactly.” My hands were clammy. “I think I’m afraid of your reputation.”
“My reputation?” His brows folded inward. “I didn’t know I had one.”
“Well, there are the thirty girls.”
His eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head. “What thirty girls?”
“The rumor is you’ve had sex with thirty girls since school started.”
It took a moment for him to digest this. Then from somewhere deep inside him, he laughed loudly. “Wow. I had no idea. That is some kind of reputation.”
“Crazy, isn’t it?” The notion of it made me want to giggle too, but I didn’t, because he stopped laughing and his expression sobered.
“Interesting gossip, but rather impossible, wouldn’t you say?” He lifted his cup and drank.
I swallowed. He had a point. He was in school, on the dean’s list, maybe had a part-time job like I did. Finding the time would be difficult. But I hadn’t completely changed my mind about him. A rumor might be just a rumor, but it had to start somewhere—there had to besomevalidity to it.
“Thirty does sound a bit ridiculous.”
“Is that why your boyfriend told me I wasn’t your type?” He smiled with a corner of his mouth.
