Page 12 of Awakened in September (Sleepless November Saga 4)

“Yeah…”

“And did you pay?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then it was a date.”

I shake my head. “No. It was two friends having dinner.”

The corners of Jesse’s mouth raise. “Did it end with a kiss?”

I wince. “You guys are seriously the worst.”

They all chuckle as I walk up the stairs. I honestly didn’t think of it as a date. I simply wanted to get something to eat and asked her to join me. However, if Caleb knows about it, that means Bree told Taylor. Does she think it was a date, too? Shit.

I DISTANCE MYSELF FOR a couple days, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. However, on Friday, we decide to grab lunch. There is a deli near campus that has never disappointed, so we go there. I get an Italian sub and she goes with some lettuce wrap thing. I pay for the two of us, ignoring Jason’s voice in my head telling me this is a date, too.

“Are you coming to the party tonight?” I ask.

She nods. “Yeah, I think so. Do you want me to come?”

Is this a trick question? “I wouldn’t mind you being there. Should I pick you up?”

“That would be nice. My last class ends at nine, so I’ll be back by like 9:15.”

“You signed up for a class that ends at nine on a Friday?”

She smiles, amused. “Yes, Holden. Not everyone comes to college for frat parties.”

Little does she know, I have a perfect GPA. I just choose not to torture myself with horribly timed classes. Well, except for that 7:30 AM sociology class on Tuesdays. I really need to go to that next week.

“Bree?” Someone interrupts.

She looks up and grins. “Julia, hey!” Bree stands up and gives the girl a hug. “This is my boyfriend, Holden.”

I’m in the middle of taking a sip of my water when I hear the term. I gasp, effectively choking on my water and break out into a coughing fit. Bree rubs my back, making sure I’m alright. Did I miss something? When the fuck did I become her boyfriend?!

What do I even do? Do I correct her? No, that would be embarrassing. I’ll just wait. I’ll talk to her tonight at the party, once she has a little alcohol in her system. Yeah, that’s a good plan.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I tell her friend, faking a smile.

“You, too.”

After we finish our food, we head back to campus and go our separate ways. The only thing I can think of is the fact that I think we’re just friends, and she’s going around telling people I’m her boyfriend.

NINE FIFTEEN COMES AROUND and I pull up outside of her dorm building. I’m about to text her to let her know I’m outside, but she surprisingly walks up to the driver’s side window. I roll it down and look her over. She’s not ready.

“Hey babe.” She bends into the car and kisses me. “I just have to go upstairs real fast and change.”

“Alright. I’ll wait here.”

Her mouth turns into a pout. “No, come with me. It’ll only take a second.”

I think about it for a moment, then sigh. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

She looks proud of herself and smirks. “I thought you said cute wasn’t one of the words you’d use to describe me.”

Getting out of the car, I shut the door behind me and lock it. “You going to evaluate every little thing I say, or are you going to change so we can get to the party?”

---