I push the earbuds that have been hanging from my shoulder into my lap. “I have no idea why you would bother, but if you did your research and are actually Daniel Kearns’ roommate, then I’m sure that you already know why I ran away the other day. Daniel and I—” I stop myself and look down briefly. “We don’t speak.”
Cole’s smile falters, but he still pushes forward. “Luckily I’m not Daniel.” He kicks back, mirroring my position so that he’s settled on his elbows. “So, tell me about yourself, Aimee Spencer.”
I shake my head blandly. “There’s nothing to tell.”
Closing his eyes, he angles his head so that his face is turned up to the sun. “Now that I don’t believe for a second. How about your family? Start with the easy stuff and we’ll work our way up to religion, politics and what type of birth control you’re on.”
I open my mouth, but there are no words—just thoughts dangling from my tongue. I’m not sure whether I should laugh or kick him where it hurts.
Cole squints over at me. “Waiting over here.”
I blow out a shaky breath. “My family is just my older sister and my parents. My dad manages investments and my mom plays bridge on Tuesdays, goes to her book club meeting on Thursdays, and worries about me during all of the in-between times.”
His eyes are closed but he nods like he’s been listening to me. I wait for him to say something, but after an extended silence that has my brain doing erratic twirls, I break down and ask, “So, ummm… what about your family?”
“I’ve got a thirteen-year-old sister back home,” he says, keeping his face tipped to the sun. “My dad’s a lousy attorney in the middle of nowhere-ville, Nebraska, and my mom is out of the picture. She emptied the bank account and ran off with another guy around three years ago.”
His tone is so casual that it’s obvious that he’s joking. I play along. “Oh, like she snuck off in the middle of the night with her tennis pro?”
Cole turns his head and looks at me with serious green eyes. “No, she didn’t want to become a cliché so she left on a Sunday afternoon with the her golf instructor. She lives somewhere up north and she calls occasionally, but I haven’t spoken to her since she left.”
Holy hell. Am I the biggest bitch in the history of the universe? Without thinking, I reach out and brush Cole’s hand. Instantly, his fingers curl over mine—capturing me, pinning me in place and sending a hum of electricity up my arm. My eyes snap to his and the world sways beneath us. I notice the hard movement of his throat as he swallows and a strand of hair falling into his eyes. His mouth parts like he has something to say. I shift my body infinitesimally closer and—
“Hey Cole!”
We look up in unison. A leggy girl with light brown hair and pink stained lips is waving at us from the sidewalk. The too-eager look on her face is like a poison spreading through my gut. I snatch my hand back and tuck it underneath my body.
Cole takes a tight breath and nods his head once to the girl before looking back at me with a level gaze. “So, Aimee, there’s this thing happening tonight.”
I hesitate. “What kind of thing?”
Chewing the inside of his cheek, Cole says, “A party kind of thing. The track team does it every year at the start of school as a sort of way to let loose before practices pick up and we get too busy.”
There’s no way that I’m going to a party hosted by a bunch of asshole jocks, but I ask anyway: “And where is this party?”
“At a place called Dirty Ernie’s.”
“Dirty Ernie’s? That sounds… um, interesting.”
I watch Cole’s mouth soften and everything inside of me rolls over. He pushes himself to his feet so that I have to arc my neck and look a long way up. “Will you come? I know for a fact that Daniel won’t be there so you don’t have that as an excuse.”
I surprise myself with my boldness. “And what if I have plans?”
Cole’s nostrils flare slightly. “Do you have plans tonight, Aimee?”
“No, but…”
He quirks one side of his mouth and laughs. “Good. Because I’m going to tell you a little secret but I’d like you to keep it between us.”
“What’s that?”
Cole stuffs his hands in his pockets and works his jaw like he’s thinking over each word before he says it. “It would have bothered me more than it should have if you’d said that you had plans.”
My thoughts are moving so fast that I can hardly follow them. Does he mean what I think he means?