“That had to be the most boring two hours of my life.” We had just completed a seminar on adapting to college life for the upcoming freshman. I set my lunch of a double burger and fries on the table. I then sat beside her, watching as she picked over her salad. After a few minutes suffering the cold shoulder, I asked, “Are you ignoring me?”
“More like pretending you aren’t here,” she snapped.
I leaned over and placed my lips above her ear. “Ouch.” The tomato she was toying with rolled off her plate and off the table. “If you don’t want the salad, why eat it?”
“Of course, you would say that. Your muscles have muscles.” She let out some high-pitched unnatural sound. I placed my hand on her back soothingly and she made the same sound again, this time longer and higher. “Are you choking?”
“I’m fine. Please stop.”
“Stop what?” My hand ran gently down her spine, feeling her tremble from my touch.
“Assaulting me.”
“I thought you were choking.”
“Well, I’m not.”
I decided to give her a break and dropped my hand from her back. “So you like my body, huh?”
She choked on the water she’d just sipped, and I used the opportunity to touch her again. I rubbed her back and watched her fight to gain control of herself again. “Are you choking now?”
“Why are you here?”
“I’m eating lunch.” I popped a fry and smiled. She returned it with a scowl.
“Why does it have to be this table?”
“I like the view.”
“There are plenty of other views. In fact, there are views at other tables.”
“Are you always so insecure?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re distrusting of my attention because you don’t really believe I would be interested.”
“That is the most self-centered bullshit I’ve ever heard. Have you ever considered that I’m not distrusting of your attention but annoyed?”
“I may annoy you, but you still want me.”
She shook her head and stared at me with a curious expression. “It’s a wonder you aren’t bursting, Dash Chambers.”
“Go out with me tonight.”
“What?”
“Go out. With me. Tonight.”
“I heard you. I just don’t understand you. Why would I go out with you?”
“Do you have anything else better to do?”
I could see on her face that she didn’t. It’d been a week since our first encounter, and I knew for a fact that all she’d done was attend classes and seminars. This was the first time I’d even seen her eating in public.
“I’m not going out with you.”
“I’m not asking you to run away with me and elope.” Smooth, man. Real smooth. Her smart mouth made it hard to remember that I was supposed to be charming. Then again, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy our interactions.
I was also treading on foreign territory. She was different from the girls I was used to. None of them would have hesitated to fuck me the first day. This was my first time giving chase and the part of me I didn’t realize existed liked it a little too much.
“Then you shouldn’t have a problem understanding the word ‘no.’” She stood to her feet with her uneaten salad. “Find someone else.”
I watched her walk away, turning heads as she moved. Her wild hair attracted enough attention, but the highlighter green, Girl Scout vest, and white skirt made of what looked like bird feathers, and her purple combat boots ensured everyone took notice. I wanted to break the fingers that pointed at her outrageous getup. I knew she noticed, but she held her head high as she crossed the yard and bypassed the lunch tables. Her curves were on display, and I admitted they pleased me more than I thought they would. I hadn’t been able to get them out of my mind in the week since I made her blush, and I would give anything to be able to explore them.
I had the entire summer to make her fall for me and mistakenly thought getting her would be easy. I couldn’t even get her to like me.