Page 3 of Still Here Without You

“Ha, aren’t you delusional. That happens to be my thinking position.”

“Well, it’s hot,” I say and grin when her cheeks start to redden.Yep, that was my goal.

She crosses her arms in front of her chest and stares me down. I fight to keep my eyes focused on her face, knowing she’s expecting me to look at her tits, but at the last second I fail.Dammit.

“Thank you for proving my point,” she says. “You’re…inappropriate.”

I laugh and lean back in my chair, crossing my feet in front of me before completely changing the subject. “So, Del. What do you do when you’re not being tutored?”

“Um, how is this going to help my cause?”

“Trust me, there’s a method to my madness.”

Shaking her head, she bites back a smile and huffs. Her teeth pull at her bottom lip before she says, “Right. Okay, I’ll bite.”

You already are.

Internally laughing at my own joke, I finally look up from her mouth for a second time to catch her staring at me in anticipation, though I’m not sure what she’s waiting for. Tapping her pen on the table impatiently, she frowns. “So?”

“So, what? I’m the one that asked you a question,” I say with a smirk.

“Huh?” She pauses. “Oh, right. Well, I'm a cheerleader.”

I laugh out loud and then pretend to cough when I realize she’s serious, only there’s no hiding my snicker.

“Of course you are. It makes sense and yet…I did not see that coming.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. You give off a cheerleader vibe, but at the same time…you don’t.” I shrug and watch as her beautiful features morph into a scowl. Claws out, she looks ready to pounce. The more I think about it though—athletic, put together, strong—I’m seeing it.

“Cheerleader vibe?” she huffs. “If that’s true, I’m proud to give off thatvibe. Being a cheerleader has made me the woman I am today. I’ve gained amazing friendships, so much strength, andextremeflexibility.”

Hmmm…I’d like to see that.

I raise my hands in defense. “I meant nothing by it. It’s not a bad thing. I just wasn’t expecting it and…”

“And?”

“And yes, I may have thought of a stereotypical cheerleader when you first mentioned it. You know the type…walks around in uniform, rules the school, only dates stars of the sports teams.”

She sighs big, like she’s heard it all before, and I’ll bet she has. “Sorry, you can probably blame television for me making that assessment,” I say, even though I’m actually kidding. It’s just fun to make her mad.

“I thought they’d send someone smart to tutor failing students. Are you sure you’re the right person for the job?”

“I am; don’t worry. And I know that at least two of those things are false. After all, you aren’t in uniform now, and I’ve never heard of you, so you mustn’t be ruling the school.”

She rolls her eyes again, and I’m going to say, right here and now, that the eye roll is her signature move. She’s really fucking good at it. Somehow she makes you feel like a complete fuckup yet manages to look hot while doing it. Never thought I’d say hot and eye roll as something that works together, but there you go. Credit where credit’s due.

“Okay, so you’re a cheerleader. Are you sassy like Torrance or badass like Missy?”

Delilah looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Bring it On?” I say with an attitude. Surely everyone has seen that movie by now.

“I know what you meant, jackass. I’m just a bit shocked that those words came out of your mouth.”

“What? I love a good chick flick as much as the next guy.”

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