Any response.
When one minute slowly ticks by without a reaction, disappointment bubbles up inside me as I realize that maybe this little texting flirtation has come to an abrupt end.
And that’s fine. It’s not like this was actually—
Three flame emojis pop up on the screen.
Damn. You’re smoking hot.
Relief rushes through me as every ounce of tension gathered in my muscles dissipates and my knees weaken.
You’re way out of my league.
Before I can text back, a third one rolls in.
Have a good day, beautiful. Talk tonight.
A smile stretches across my face as I practically tap dance through the living room on my way into the kitchen, where Sasha sits on the counter, wolfing down a bowl of cereal as she swings her legs back and forth.
With narrowed eyes, she points the spoon in my direction. “You look way too happy for eight o’clock in the morning. Take that shit down a couple of notches before I have to do something about it.”
I snort and flutter my lashes. There’s way too much giddiness careening through my veins. “Sorry, can’t do that.”
Her face scrunches. “Let me guess…this has something to do with Chris, your mystery man.”
Unable to help myself, I grin like a lunatic before grabbing a granola bar and a banana to eat on the way to class. “Maybe,” I sing-song obnoxiously.
“Please girl, there’s no maybe about it. I haven’t seen you this excited about someone since…” Her brows furrow as she tilts her head and stares off into space. “Well, never.”
Hmmm. She might be right about that. I don’t even think I was into Andrew this much. I mean, I was…but there was something different about it. Like I just felt lucky to be with him. As if he’d plucked me from obscurity like a rockstar at a concert. In hindsight, I treated him like he was something special and didn’t hold him accountable for his behavior.
I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I’m eager to see where it could lead. We have a lot in common and he’s so easy to talk to. And those abs…
“I know.” There’s a pause as I reluctantly admit my deepest fear. “He almost seems too good to be true.”
There. I said it. Out loud.
“Maybe he is.” She shoves another spoonful of Apple Jacks into her mouth before chewing them thoughtfully. “Has he sent you a photo of his face?”
“No.” Although…it’s not like I’m dying to send him a pic that’s up close and personal either. We’re taking everything slow and getting to know each other without worrying about the physical.
“What if he turns out to be hideous?”
I turn the question over in my head. It’s not like I haven’t pondered it before.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “The thing is, I really like his personality. You know how you meet someone and maybe at first, you’re not attracted to them physically, but the more you get to know them, the more appealing they become?” When she nods, I continue. “I think it would be like that.”
“Cyrano de Bergerac.”
I tilt my head. “Huh?”
She waves her spoon in the air before swallowing down her breakfast. “You know, like that old movie Cyrano de Bergerac.”
“I think the movie was actually based on a play.”
Sasha rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that is so not the point.”
“This is more like that reality show Love is Blind. It’s kind of like I’m blind dating this guy. Except, we’re not actually dating.”
Yet.
“Who knows,” she adds, “maybe this one will turn out to be your dream man.”
I rein in the snort and try not to get my hopes up. Have I secretly thought the same thing?
Maybe.
“I won’t hold my breath, but I like what I’ve discovered so far.”
Setting the empty bowl on the side, she leaps down from the counter. “Anyone would be better than that asshat.”
Asshat is Sasha’s pet name for Andrew. I have to admit that it’s a fitting description.
Not wanting to get dragged into another conversation about my ex, I grab my jacket from the back of a dining room chair along with my messenger bag and head for the door. “Are we still on for lunch?”
“Yup. I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see you later.”
With that, I step into the narrow hallway before taking the stairwell to the first floor and exiting the building. Campus is about a twenty-minute walk from the apartment. On a gorgeous autumn day when the sun is shining brightly overhead, it doesn’t feel so bad. During the winter, when the temperatures plummet or the sidewalk is full of snow, I usually take my Volkswagen Jetta. It was a gift from my stepfather for my sixteenth birthday after he and Mom tied the knot. As far as stepparents go, Garret is a good one. He’s never been anything but kind.
The morning passes by in a blur of classes before I hit the library to sneak in a little studying, and then it’s time to meet up with Sasha at the union. Am I guilty of being distracted for most of the morning and peeking at my phone to see if Chris has texted again?