Page 9 of Without a Doubt

“Only child, but I grew up with Glen and his brothers and sisters, so it feels like I wasn't sometimes. Glen and I are the closest. He's like the older protective brother without being older or a brother.” Eva smiles and I know she must have a special bond with Glen. The care she has for him is obvious.

“I'm his best friend. Yet, he didn't even introduce us.”

“Maybe we weren't supposed to meet so soon. Besides, would you really want to trade in the story of how we actually met?” Her eyes widen a little. “You know, I think we should. If anyone asks, Glen introduced us. Then no one else has to know what happened to me.”

I chuckle. “You aren't getting out of it that easily.”

She dramatically sighs. “It was worth a try.”

“Have I redeemed myself yet for laughing at you?” I give her the biggest, most charming smile I can manage. Or, at least, I hope that's what it looks like.

Eva purses her lips, narrowing her eyes at me as she contemplates. Then she shrugs and smiles. “I guess so.”

“Really? You don't sound so sure.”

She glances down at her nearly empty plate before meeting my eyes again. “The moment I realized we were going horseback riding, you redeemed yourself.” When I grin, she adds, “It's no reason to get cocky, Emerson.”

“Why not? It shows you that I paid attention to what you said, so I could do something with you that I knew you would enjoy. How could you not cut me some slack after that?” The waitress brings the bill, and I hold her there as I quickly slip my card inside and hand it back to her.

“Because you're making it so obvious that I should! Be humble, not arrogant.”

I laugh. “I'll work on it. Do you want a to-go plate?” There's not anything left on my plate, but she has a tiny bit on hers.

“No, I'm good.”

Once the waitress returns, we begin our drive back to campus. We're nearing the appropriate exit on the interstate when Eva speaks. We had been riding in relative silence until now.

“You live off campus, right?”

“Yeah, I got an apartment at the end of last semester.”

Eva's quiet for a moment. “Can I see it?” When I glance over at her in surprise, she says, “You can learn a lot about a person by their home.” She shrugs. “I'm curious and not quite ready to go back yet. That's the only reason I'm asking.”

I chuckle at her. Sex never crossed my mind for this date. My past is too involved in my future for me to have sex with a girl I barely know. Waiting is practically part of my DNA, something I'm always doing in some aspect of my life. Regardless, I find myself answering in a way that sort of contradicts my thinking.

“We can go to my apartment for whatever reasons you want, Eva.”

She tries and fails at hiding her smile. Eva reaches out to press buttons on my radio to see what my pre-set stations are. I've never had someone come into my truck and operate things as if they owned it without ever driving it. I like her doing it though. She's trying to get to know me better. The remainder of our drive is spent quietly as Eva takes turns listening to different stations. I park at the apartment complex and then walk around to open Eva's door.

“I've determined you have decent taste in music,” she says.

“Only decent?” I ask, leading her up the staircase of my building.

“Well, there was one or two questionable stations of six, so I had to knock it down to decent.”

I laugh. “I can handle decent.” We reach my apartment, a number twenty on the door in brass. I unlock the door and push it open for her to walk inside while reaching in to flip the light switch.

Eva steps over the threshold, openly looking around. I didn't expect anything less after what she said. My place is just that. A place. There's a black leather couch, a simple rug on the floor in front of it, and a large flat-screen TV with video games scattered around the game console on the entertainment center. An end table sits at each end with a lamp and coasters. The open floor plan gives her a glimpse into the kitchen, only a microwave sitting on the counter, plus a loaf of bread on top of it. Stools line the bar where I eat because I don't own a dining room table. I don't even have a dining room.

Closing the door behind me, she disappears down the short hallway to my room and bathroom. The bathroom looks like any other bathroom: a toilet, a rug on the floor, a sink, and toiletries sitting on the counter. My bedroom is complete with a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a closet.

Having Eva here so obviously examining my place makes me realize how bare it is. I exist here more than I live here. So when she returns and I ask, “What did you learn about me?” I'm not expecting her answer.

“You like video games. You don't make your bed, but you are pretty neat and organized. You actually use your laundry hamper. If it wasn't for the unmade bed, I wouldn't be sure you actually stayed here often.” She frowns, glancing around again. “There's not a lot of yourself here.”

“Most of my things are back home. I didn't bring a lot with me to college and when I got this place, I didn't go home for my stuff.” Eva takes a seat on my couch, so I sit too, figuring she wants to hang here for a while.

“How come?”

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