Page 48 of Waiting Forever
“To give Nathan time to dump Harper.” Two weeks should be enough.
“Good idea. And in return for my help, you can help me write my essay on foreign politics. In German.”
A shocked laugh escapes me. “You’re funny.”
“I’m serious.” His features remain poised.
“Okay. I can help. You might fail, but I’ll give it my best.”
His lips split with a smile. He nudges my thigh. “I’m just kidding.”
I exhale with relief. “I’m so happy you’re kidding. A knot was forming in my stomach over you failing because of me.”
“So gullible.” He stands and hooks his backpack on his shoulder. “I need to hit the library before my next class.”
“Okay.” I get my bag and stand, too. “See you Wednesday?” Tomorrow he’ll be in the testing hall on the other side of campus.
“Sure. You want to meet at Starbucks before class this time?”
“I can do that. Nathan won’t be happy about it, but that’s a good thing. Right?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” He winks and strolls away.
His laid-back vibe is so European. Not that I’ve been to many places over there, but the people aren’t as keyed-up as Americans. We’re always in a hurry to get stuff done. For example, my urgency to make Nathan jealous.
Maybe I’m going about this wrong. Maybe I should back off and let nature take its course. But what if that course doesn’t lead him to me?
Forget nature. Urgency saved me when those two guys attacked. My “fight or flight” response kicked in with force. It didn’t matter that I’d studied Tae Kwon Do as a kid and taken self-defense classes with my mom my freshman year of high school.
I wasn’t in a position—literally—to use either of those skills. I had to improvise, to fight however I could. And I did.
However, there is something to be said about playing hard to get. The last thing I want is to cancel our lunch date, but I want Nathan desperate to hang out with me, to the point he can’t resist me. With that in mind, I send him a text.
20
Nathan
I PULL UP to the curb on campus to drop off Kensi before heading to work.
“Thanks.” She flashes me a smile and grabs the door handle, ready to jump out.
“Wait.”
She glances at me. “Yeah?”
“What’s your hurry?” She’s been antsy all morning and she’s wearing makeup—mascara and lip gloss—for the first time since she arrived. Is she trying to impress someone?
“I’m meeting Azure.”
Geez. What is it with this guy? She canceled our lunch date yesterday to study with him. “What kind of name is Azure, anyway?”
A ghost of a grin shows on her face, but she’s quick to hide it. “It means blue. His mother named him after the color of his eyes,” she adds in a dreamy tone.
Oh, hell no. She can’t be into a guy with a name like that.
She reaches for the door handle again.
I grab her hand. “Wait. I’m not done.”
