She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Okay, fine. I guess I can settle for the random lunch here and there.”
“So, how are things with you and Chase’s friend? What was his name?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Ew, that was so last week. I’m over him. I’m moving on to someone better.”
I wasn’t surprised to see how fast she’d moved on. “Oh, yeah? Who?”
She grinned and batted her lashes. “Just this guy who sits next to me in my Econ class. His name is Brantley. He’s from Florida, so he has bronze skin, brown hair with these natural highlights, and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. Seriously, Eve, this might be the guy I marry.”
I snorted. “I’ve heard you say that way too many times to take it seriously.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “I’m serious this time.”
“You always are,” I teased.
“Anyway… What are you going to do about Chase?”
I shrugged as I moved the pasta around my plate. “I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt him. He really is a nice guy. Just… bad timing, I guess.”
She nodded. “Just tell him that then. If he’s a nice guy, he won’t take offense at it. He’ll wait. Trust me, you’re worth waiting for.” She gave me her sweetest smile.
I grinned, feeling a little bit of relief.
After lunch,I was walking toward my next class when Chase made his way to my side. “Hey, what’s up?”
I glanced over at him and shook my head. “Nothing, how have you been?”
He moved his head from side to side like he was unsure. “I’ve been a little confused. I thought our date was great.”
“It was.”
“Then why do I feel like you’ve been dodging me?”
I looked over at him, and the defeat on his face brought me to a stop.
“I’m not avoiding you, Chase.”
“You’re not?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ve just been busy. Between class, homework, studying, and my job, I don’t have time to date and hang out with friends. Especially with as low as my grades have been.” I met his gaze and held it. “I know you didn’t know me before this year, but the girl you see before you isn’t who I’m used to being. I was valedictorian of my senior class. I was always at the top. Then I came here, and I don’t know what happened. I don’t like being on the verge of failing. I’ve been spending more time in the library and less time socializing with friends. Thank you for the date. I had a great time. And thank you for being so nice to me, but I’m afraid that I just don’t have time for this right now. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”
He reached for my arm, trailing his fingers down until he grabbed my wrist and lifted my hand. He pressed a kiss to the back. “Thank you for being honest with me. Just know that I’m here whenever you’re ready.” With that, he released my hand and turned, walking away with his head down.
I was stunned by how mature he was and how understanding he was. I felt stupid for letting a guy like that slip through my fingers. On paper, he was everything I should’ve wanted. But I already knew that being with someone required more than just being able to check off boxes. It was about the way your stomach dropped when you caught the attention of that one specialperson. It was how your heart raced, how the butterflies came alive in your body and made every nerve ending sing. It was the goosebumps that prickled your skin just from having his breath blow across your neck.
For the longest time, I felt dead. Like I was just a zombie who was mindlessly walking through life. Elliot was the only one who had made me feel alive, and I knew there was a reason behind it. I just didn’t know what it all meant.
Once Chase was out of sight, I continued to class. The afternoon seemed to drag on and on that day.
I was leaving campus for the day when I got a text. I pulled out my phone and read the message as I walked down the sidewalk.
ELLIOT: Where are you? We need to talk.
EVE: I’m walking home. What do you need to talk about?
ELLIOT: Exact location?
I frowned in confusion, but I typed out exactly where I was on my walk home. After a few seconds, when I didn’t get a message back, I slid the phone into my pocket. I was just about to step off the curb when a car stopped directly in front of me. The window rolled down just enough for me to see his eyes. “Get in.”
