Page 20 of You Were Never Not Mine
“I know.” His smile widens. “I like your name.”
“Thank you.”
“Want to grab a coffee sometime? Like after class?”
He’s wasted no time and I suppose I should appreciate that,but I’m still a little uneasy. Is this some sort of setup? He knows August and was at the frat house. Is he a part of it? “Are you in that frat?”
“Alpha Squared? Yeah. I just rushed and got in.” He’s grinning, and I wonder if he expects me to congratulate him.
I don’t.
“Do you know August well?” I ask.
“Not at all. That guy hardly speaks to anyone. Only his best friend Cyrus. That dude though? He’s cool.”
“Uh huh.” I have no idea who Cyrus is and I don’t care to find out either. “I have a class after this one.”
“Right after?”
Well, technically no. I have an hour between my second and third class, but he doesn’t know that. “Sort of.”
“We can hang out for like, twenty minutes. Come on. I want to convince you I’m a good guy despite my shitty writing skills.”
A tiny laugh leaves me and he looks pleased. “Maybe.”
“I’m buying.”
“Oh, well then. I can’t resist.”
He’s nodding. “Soon you won’t be able to resist anything I say or do.”
I don’t know why his statement fills me with the faintest sense of apprehension but…
It does.
We’re at the campus coffee shop after class and it’s swarming with students and faculty. Supposedly it’s the best coffee around, not that I would know. I’ve never come here. And when I admit that to Tim, he’s flabbergasted.
“Seriously? What the hell, Sinclair? You’ve been missing out on the best coffee in the entire city.” He says this with theutmost sincerity, his expression full of shock. I’m sure he’s exaggerating. “Are you from around here?”
I slowly shake my head as I scan the menu. I don’t even know what to order. “I’m not a big coffee drinker.”
“Damn, girl. You are blowing my mind left and right today,” he mumbles, glancing around the café. “Hey, there’s a table over there. You should snag it before someone else does. I’ll order for you.”
“Make sure it’s sweet and not too loaded with caffeine, okay?” I tell him as I start to head for the table.
“It’s a coffee place. All of the drinks are loaded with caffeine,” he calls after me and I smile to myself.
I don’t know why I felt apprehensive earlier. Tim is nice. Extremely friendly and open. Not an arrogant ass like some people I know.
One person I know.
August.
And I don’t even know him, I think as I settle in at the tiny table that’s right by the window. A few hours of conversation at a frat party is not necessarily getting to know someone. Besides, I have zero desire to spend time with him again. He’s a horrible, unlikable person.
So why can’t I stop thinking about him?
Frustration ripples through me and I check my phone to see I have a text from my roommate.