I laugh. At least Sam knows he’s not fooling me. I’m pretty sure my mom is clueless about his feelings for her, but most days, she’s in a bit of a haze anyway, so it’s hard to know.
Sam:Not kidding, Phoebe. I’ll change the locks. :)
Phoebe:Okay, okay.
Sam:Good. Stay there, make friends. In a month or two, you can come home to see us, ok?
Phoebe:Deal. Tell her I love her.
Sam:Will do. And you know she loves you right back.
Phoebe:I know.
Sam:And hey, when you go to the bookstore, don’t be shocked when there’s $$$ in your account.
Phoebe:Sam!
Sam:Love you, kiddo.
Phoebe:Right back at you.
If someone had told me that when I was twelve my brother’s swim coach would one day be one of the most important people in my life, I’d have looked at them like they were nuts, but here we are. And I’m a firm believer that enough bad shit happens, so when good things and good people come around, you need to hang on to them.
I stand and scan the commons again. I check my phone, but it’s exactly noon and I have no new messages. I’ll give Gabriel five minutes. It seems rude to just leave, but I don’t want to sit here and wait all afternoon either. And I don’t really need a tour. I have a map and the campus isn’t that big. I should be just fine.
“Phoebe?”
I turn to find a guy calling my name. And he’s not alone. Beside him stands the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He’s tall and lean with hair that’s nearly black. I can see tattoos trailing down his left arm. His lips are full and pouty, and his eyes are a cerulean blue I’ve only seen in art, not in real life.
He looks vaguely familiar, and I wonder for a moment if I’ve seen him on the cover of a magazine.
“Gabriel?” I ask, looking between the two. The guy with dreads smiles. “Yea, that’s me. And this is Ty.”
***
Ty
She’s even more beautiful close up. That’s my first thought when I see Phoebe James across the quad. Since our worlds intersected in that courtroom a year and a half ago, I’ve tried to compartmentalize. She was a girl who’d lost almost everything. And I decided to help in any way I could. That meant setting up a foundation and a scholarship to try and put her life back on track.
It also meant staying in the background and keeping my mind off anything except helping her. There are a million reasons why I need to stay far away from Phoebe James. But damn me, I’m a selfish bastard, so I take a moment to look at her--long brown hair, sweet face, slender body, slight curves. It’s just a moment--but I linger too long.
“Ty, hold up!” I turn to see Gabe, the guy who saved my right-brained ass in Chem last year.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Remember how you always said you owed me your firstborn child for doing most of the lab work last year?”
“Yea…”
“Look, I need a quick favor, if you’ve got half an hour to spare?”
This guy is the reason I’m not taking science again this year, so I can’t say no. Besides, my work here is done. I saw her. She’s here. She’s fine. She’s on campus. And she’s officially none of my fucking business. “Sure, man, what’s up?”
He walks toward the fountain, motioning for me to follow, and I have the distinct feeling I’m going to be picking up trash for the second time today.
“In addition to being a chem whiz, I’m also a tour guide. And we’re short-staffed. And it’s freshman move-in weekend. I’m in the middle of taking this group around,” he nods in the direction of the Student Union steps to a group of guys, “but I’m already late to meet my noon appointment. Can you cover me?”
“Uh, sure. I just have to show the kid around campus?” He hands me the folder and thanks me. I shrug. “No worries, man. How hard can it be?” Admittedly, this is not in my wheelhouse. Gabe’s a friendly guy, so this job is probably perfect for him. Me? I’d much rather meet characters in books than actual people in real life. Or hang out with my friends than walk total strangers around my college campus. But, I definitely owe the guy a favor, so half an hour of my life isn’t too much to ask.
