Page 18 of Check You Out

I tap my fingers against the table. “Nicole suggested that I lobby him directly. What do you think?”

Aidan lifts a shoulder. “It’s a good idea.”

“You think so?”

He leans back in his chair. “Yeah. It seems like something you would do as Committee Chair.”

I swallow. “I’ll text him.” I pull out my phone and tap away. “Would you be willing to come? If I can get a meeting and if you’re available, of course.”

A corner of his mouth turns upward. “Sure.”

A smile spreads across my face. “Now where were we?”

We fall into a rhythm. I talk while he types. Occasionally, he offers a suggestion with regards to wording, but for the most part, it’s me who is doing most of the talking and direction. As the conversation flows, the awkwardness between us eases. Aidan and I have stepped from acquaintances to friends.

Progress.

8

Aidan

“Want to get some food?” Charlotte asks me with a yawn an hour later. We’ve finished the petition. It’s live on Change.org and posted on social media.

My stomach grumbles at the word “food”. The scone and latte staved off a little bit of hunger, but I didn’t eat lunch. I also normally eat at 10:45 because of my school schedule. “Sure.”

“Cool. There are some sandwiches downstairs, or we can pop over to Little Bennett’s. Any thoughts?”

“Um, I don’t know,” I reply. “Do we want to get some signatures first?”

“Yes! Let’s get everyone here to sign it.” She grins and touches my forearm. Her fingers grip my skin and warmth seeps down through my muscles and into my bones. She jumps up from her seat and dashes around the café, asking everyone to sign it: the family of small children in the corner, the couple sitting by the window, and Nicole and the other barista, a tall guy named Liam with a thick blond bun.

I follow like a lovestruck little puppy, smiling as she flits from group to group, her ponytail swaying back and forth.

Fuck, she is so freaking cute right now.

“Eight signatures down,” Charlotte declares with pride when we’ve finished and grips my shoulder. “This needs celebration! Should we get drinks from Little Bennett’s? It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

“Oh, uh, I have grading.” It’s not a lie. I do have grading. I always have grading. One of my classes just completed a poetry writing project, and I need to get the grades done before I get buried in planning for my finals. Little Bennett’s means crowds. I don’t like crowds. “But I do want to celebrate.”

I expect her to be disappointed or upset. I wait for her face to fall and her mouth to frown. But she smiles and says in a bright voice, “No worries. Let’s go to the bookstore. We can order pizza from Johnny’s. You can grade while we wait.”

My heart soars. “I can grade in the bookstore?”

“Yeah. People come in just to read. It’s great!”

I beam down at her. I want to say, That’s a dream come true. But I only say, “Sounds good.”

A brief walk later, and the bell above the door twinkles as we walk in. I pause just beyond the threshold and take in the cozy bookstore. It smells of cinnamon, apples, and vanilla, like someone just pulled an apple pie out of the oven. The whole room is warm and inviting.

I love this place. Maybe I’ll do more of my grading here.

“Hey, Sarah,” Charlotte calls to the woman behind the counter. “I’m going to order from Johnny’s. You can have some if you sign our petition.”

Sarah doesn’t look up from the computer monitor. “I already signed it. I want pepperoni. No pineapple.”

Charlotte leans over the counter. “Fine.” She turns to me. “Aidan, pineapple on pizza, yes or no?”

I shrug. “I don’t mind it.”