I could see him there, walking the tree-lined paths. And if he was good enough to get this internship, Mr. Valdez would certainly welcome him to the department. Maybe we’d end up working in the labs together.
“Yeah. It’s amazing,” I said, unable to stop my smile. I missed so much about UW. “You can see Lake Washington from most of the rooms in the chemistry department. And I would challenge anyone to say they have a better football stadium.”
Ugh, football made me think of sitting in another car entirely, beside Landon as we watched the Seahawks players walk into his center. I blinked the image away, focusing on Ben.
“That would be a change from the desert,” he said, cracking a smile. “Why were you late to the internship?”
I sunk into the seat. “It’s a long story.”
“Maybe you can tell me later. This is where we’re going,” he said, pulling into a parking lot. Neon beckoned us to TIki Bobs Cantina, where a big thatched roof covered a sweeping outdoor patio. Melodies from a mariachi band trickled out into the night air.
“This looks fun,” I said. And I meant it. Maybe my apartment sucked, but the lab had been great, and Ben seemed nice. Every time I thought of Landon it felt like I’d been stabbed in the chest, but maybe this would get my mind of him for a night.
We headed across the lot, entering the patio through a side gate. Ben waved at three others, two guys and another girl I recognized from the lab. They’d breezed in and gathered materials before disappearing again.
“Hey everyone,” Ben said, “I found the straggler.”
“Hola,” I said, waving awkwardly. “Me Llamo Taryn.”
The girl laughed. “You retained your high school Spanish better than I did,” she said. “I’m Amy. That’s Paul and Nick, otherwise known as Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.”
“Hey!” one of them said. “My GPA is higher than yours.”
Amy grinned. “You took a photography course last quarter.”
“And?”
She shook her head. I liked her already.
Ben pulled out a chair, waiting for me to sit so he could push it back in.
Ben sat beside me, just as a waitress came by. She talked us both into their signature drink, something with rum, served in a coconut. The hot Texas night mingled with the scent of citrus, and if I closed my eyes and let the sounds of the band drift over me, I could almost pretend I was on a beach in Mexico.
Ben was sitting close to me, his knee bumping mine when he moved, just enough that I knew it was not accidental. He caught my eye, flashing me a brilliant smile.
It was entirely different than Landon’s. Landon’s smile was reserved for those special moments, when he forgot to be guarded, forgot to overthink it. Ben’s was wide and open, carefree. He was happy, relaxed in a way Landon wouldn’t understand.
“Were you really going to take a bus home?” he asked.
I twisted in my chair so I could face him, looping my elbow over the back of the seat. “Yeah. It’s not a big deal.”
“Maybe not, but it’s a pain in the ass. Write down your address later, and I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
“You don’t even know if I’m on your way,” I said, laughing.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, leaning forward. His blonde hair slipped into his eyes. “No intern left behind.”
I snorted. “I mean if you’re going to twist my arm.”
The waitress returned, setting two coconuts with bright yellow straws in front of us. TIKI BOB’S CANTINA was hand-carved into the husk. I took a sip, eager for the warm buzz of alcohol. It was sweet, and utterly delicious, and as I settled into my seat, I breathed a sigh of relief. This I could do. Befriending my fellow interns. Going out and getting to know a new city.
Burying thoughts of Landon at the bottom of a drink.
Ben’s phone chirped, and he glanced at the screen.
“Girlfriend?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m single.” He held up his phone, still on the lock screen. “It’s my sister asking if I’m being lame and studying on a Friday night.”
He unlocked his phone, flipping the camera on and leaning up against me. His cologne washed over me, a stark contrast to Landon’s. It was fresh and piney, so different form the deeper, woodsy scents Landon preferred. “I need a picture, because she won’t believe I’m forsaking my hermit ways.”
I laughed, leaning against him, holding my drink up and smiling into the camera.
The photo turned out cute, with the dim green glow of the portico and the coconuts making it look like we were on a beach somewhere tropical.
“That’s cute. Send it to me,” I said. I’d use it as evidence to Annie I wasn’t sitting around moping over Landon the whole time.
“What’s your number?” he asked.