“Yeah,” he grinned.
“I’d love to,” she jumped at the opportunity, “I just need to get these books back to my room.”
“Don’t worry about that, there’s a place you can leave your stuff there. Sometimes, we go there right after class.”
“We?” she asked.
“Our group?” he tried to explain. “There’s not many of us. Maybe about thirty.”
So, it was true. Mina had heard it right. But now, she was wondering. Why was he offering to take her there? They’d barely spoken before. The detective in her overpowered the lover. She eyed him a little warily and he noticed it.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you to come,” he said, simply, as if he was able to read her mind.
“That…” she started, paused a little, just to make sure that he really had said it and she didn’t just hear it inside her mind, then continued, “is exactly what I’m wondering.”
“You’re very mistrustful, aren’t you?” he asked, with a gentle smile on his face.
Of course she was. Wouldn’t anyone in her shoes be? But, she couldn’t just blurt it out to him.
“I call it careful,” she explained.
“I’d say it’s more than just careful,” he laughed, “but, I understand. New place, new people. We’ve all encountered tragedy in our lives, so I guess it’s difficult to trust someone again.”
“Something like that,” she nodded, surprised that his words would make so much sense.
“Well, the reason I invited you is simple. I like you. I want to spend some time with you, hang out, do whatever.”
She wasn’t expecting such a matter-of-fact kind of courting. Even though she’d rarely admit it, Mina was a romantic at heart, and loved the whole lovey-dovey shebang. Flowers, chocolates, candles. But, with her chosen profession, it was difficult finding someone who’d understand why she could just disappear in the middle of a date, because her brother needed her help fighting a vampire. So, at some point, she simply stopped even trying to find someone, and focused on living her life as it was. Flying solo.
“But, you don’t even know me,” she questioned him.
“Silly, that’s exactly why I want to spend time with you,” he laughed.
“But, that makes no sense,” she laughed back. “How do you know you’re gonna like me after you get to know me?” she teased.
“I guess that’s a risk we’ll both have to take,” he articulated. “So, what do you say?”
“Alright then,” she shrugged her shoulders, as if she was indifferent to the whole idea, “but, don’t say I didn’t warn you. They say I’m not very likeable.”
She took one step towards him and they started together. There was only silence between them for a few seconds but it was a pleasant kind of silence, the kind that allowed questions to form inside their minds, so they could get to know each other better and, perhaps, share a few special moments.
“See, that’s just one of the reasons I knew I’d like you when I met you that first time,” he was the first to speak again.
“When I stumbled onto you like a dork?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “That was cute.”
“Maybe to you,” she shook her head. “I was more embarrassed.”
“It sounds like you’re way harder on yourself than you should be,” he spoke softly.
He had no idea how right he was. For a second, she wanted to tell him that but she bit her tongue just in time. She couldn’t risk making him into her confidant. She didn’t trust anyone that much.
“Sometimes, you have to be,” she said, instead.
“I know the feeling.”
They walked on, neither of them saying anything for a while. Mina welcomed the silence. It was a chilly night and she welcomed the clarity of mind it brought. She rubbed her upper a