Page 50 of Darkness Defined

“No. I figured we could grab dinner together.”

Why was it every time Matt talked to me, it inevitably felt like he was asking me out? I was pretty sure it was an overwhelming dose of wishful thinking, but maybe Rubio had a point. “Dinner would be nice. Where were you thinking?”

“The cafeteria is not too far. I noticed you left your dining card on the counter, so I brought it.” He held up the square of plastic with a grin. Then his gaze dropped to the books I was holding. “I can carry those if they’re heavy,” he said as he reached for the books, his hands encasing mine.

My heart thudded loud enough I was positive he could hear it, and my breath pointblank refused to come. His hands were warm and oddly gentle, despite their coarseness. Where I should have been formulating a response, all my traitorous mind could do was think of how nice it would be to have his touch on other parts of my body. I swallowed hard with exactly zero moisture in my mouth. “They’re not heavy.”

“Okay.” He blinked those stunning eyes at me, but didn’t move.

We stayed like that for a long minute, that might as well have been a panicked eternity. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t think clearly enough while his hands were on me and I wasn’t exactly eager to make him move them.

“Alex?”

“Yeah?” I croaked.

“Are you gonna give me the books?” He shifted his hold, making his fingers slide along mine.

Irresistible longing shot down my spine. He was so close. All I had to do was lean forward and I could finally taste those full lips, show him that as much as I enjoyed being his friend, I wanted more.

A shrill whistle pierced the air and shattered the moment. Matt glanced around for the source of the sound while I tilted the books into his hold. “What were you thinking for dinner?” I asked, wiping my sweaty palms on my slacks.

He followed the movement, then adjusted his grip on the stack of literature. “I don’t know. Whatever you’re in the mood for, I guess.”

I wasn’t sure I would ever understand why Matt insisted on eating the same things I did when he could literally have anything. Surely, he had different tastes. Plus, most of the time, the dishes seemed to be entirely foreign to him, not that he ever complained. I chanced a smile. “What would you say to trying some Greek?”

“I’ve never had Greek before.” He tilted his head while he seemed to consider something. “If I’m remembering right, I’ve seen a few dishes, though. Looks tasty.” With that, he took off towards the cafeteria.

I sighed to myself and followed at a more sedate pace. If only he was talking about me and not food.

Chapter 15

Billiards & Besties

M

Theclassroomimmediatelybeganbuzzing with conversation the second Professor Whittle left. I glanced around the room and fiddled with my pencil. Typically, I’d occupy myself by drawing in my notebook, but frankly, I was running out of space. That, and I didn’t really feel like it. Alex sat at the front of the class—naturally—and was animatedly chatting with a girl with pink hued skin that seemed to shimmer every time she moved. I frowned. Something still wasn’t sitting right with me about his new tutoring group or this Rubio guy. I wasn’t about to tell Alex, but I’d seen the way Rubio had looked at him and I didn’t like it one bit.

The pencil snapped between my fingers. I stared down at the broken pieces like they were somehow symbolic of my unease. With a huff, I threw them into my bag and resolved not to relocate so I could chat with Alex instead of sitting here by myself. If Alex could have other friends, then so could I. Right?

I took stock of my options. No one nearby struck me as interesting. I’d never been good at making friends, at least none that stuck. Much easier to be on my own. I hadn’t even cared about having friends before. I blamed Alex.

The conversation behind me caught my attention, and I swiveled in my seat to get a look at the people responsible. Two guys, maybe a little older than me, but definitely not as old as Rubio, were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their cheeks. The one on the left had dark hair that fell around his face in jagged sweeps to frame his square face. He shoved his companion, who was noticeably paler, his skin a subtle pink where he was a rich earthy color.

“You’re making that up!” Pale blond guy smacked his friend’s hand away.

Messy hair shook his head. “I shit you not. The cue ball bounced off the nipple, flew into the air and landed with a huge splash in a pitcher of beer. Worst part? It was our beer. I’m telling you, that’s the last time I play pool with my cousins.”

I finished turning all the way around, hanging half out of my chair. “You guys play pool?”

“Sure do.” Messy hair tilted his dimpled chin at me. “You?”

“It’s been a while. Didn’t realize there was any place nearby.”

Blond guy leaned forward on his elbows. “Not too far from campus, but it’s a total dive.”

I smiled, recalling the hole in the wall I’d learned to play at. “I find those tend to be the best places.”

Messy hair gave me an approving nod. “Damn right they are. I’m Lucas.” He gestured with his thumb at blond guy. “And this disaster is Sam.”