Page 25 of Framed

My junior prom date, Penelope Jones, was missing one of her two front teeth. Being the gentleman I was, I still asked and went as far as offering to take her out to eat after prom. Dinner was going well, swell even, until a noodle flew through the gap in her teeth. Safe to say that was thelasttime I dated in Marblehead.

Her eyes narrowed. I couldn’t tell if that was a playful look or not. I hoped so. “You’ve watched me walk the same corner six times and you’rejustnow saying something? That’s pretty sick.”

That made me smile—not the playboy smile I purposely gave girls to make them swoon. It was genuine and I could feel my dimples puckered in my cheeks.

Fuck, who was this girl?

“I thought you would figure it out. Who would’ve known that you had the sense of direction of Zoro?” Her black eyebrows scrunched and I internally slapped myself.

Realizing she probably had no clue what anime character I was referring to, or what anime even was for that matter, I went to explain. But she surprised me when she responded, “Do I at least get a sword? I’d prefer Enma, if so.”

Who thefuckwas this girl?

“Youwatch One Piece?” I tried to keep the astonishment out of my tone but failed miserably. I didn’t think it was possible, but my intrigue about the curly-haired girl grew even more intense.

That made her tilt her head back and let out a laugh. “Is that so hard to believe?” Fuck if I didn’t feel the sound of that rich laughter in various parts of my body. It was a soft melody I wished I could store and play on my phone whenever I felt like it.

“No,” I amended quickly. “Of course not. It just surprised me, that’s all. You won’t find too many girls here who watch anime. They’re more in tune with reality tv, rom-coms, and all that cheesy shit.”

“What’s wrong with reality tv, romcoms, and all that cheesy shit?” Her smile grew wide again and I was having a hard time focusing.

“Nothing. Vanderpump Rules is one of my guilty pleasures and I happen to like a good rom com every once in a while, but nothing beats good ole anime.”

It was her turn to be astonished, her mouth slightly gaped open. It was adorable. “Youwatch Vanderpump Rules?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” I mocked her southern belle voice, causing her to playfully roll her eyes. “I have two sisters. And what can I say? Season one Stassi Schroeder starred in a lot of my wet dreams growing up.”

She scrunched her nose in disgust. “Do you talk about your wet dreams with all of the strangers you stop…?” Her voice trailed off in an audible question mark.

“Kane,” I finished for her.

“Scarlett.” Weirdly enough, the name suited her.

“It’s normally a topic I reserve for the third time I stop someone. But since I’ve seen you round the same corner six times, I’d say this qualifies as a special scenario. We practically know each other already.” That was exactly how it felt. This witty banter between us felt as if we’d been friends for years. Not strangers who just meet seconds ago. It came naturally, almost organically. It was different. I liked it. I likedher.

That laugh came again. I could listen to it all day.

“Speaking of, where were you headed?” I didn’t want her to leave but I also didn’t want to make her late to class or anything.

Confusion then realization flashed in her brown eyes. “Back to my apartment. Serenity Hall.”

So she was a junior. Serenity Hall was in front of my apartment, Valor Hall. Valor Hall was where all of the seniors were housed. That fact shouldn’t have excited me as much as it did.

I wasn’t shy with women—in fact, if anything I was too comfortable with them. But it had been a while since I felt a connection as strong as I did with this one. The girls here were nice, yeah, but they were superficial. They were more worried about how the captain of the undefeated football team would look on their arms or how it would improve their social standings. None of them were actually interested in me as a person.

Of course, I was no saint. I took full advantage of the willing and wanting women in my freshman and sophomore years, but it quickly lost its appeal. I just wanted a woman to connect with. Was it so strange to want something more than just hooking up?

“I can show you,” I offered with a shrug, trying to appear blasé, but I really wanted her to take me up on my offer.

To my dismay, sheepishly, she responded, “I can’t ask you to do that. I’m sure you’re busy and have better things to do than show the new girl around.”

I’m about to tell her that it would be my pleasure when my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Monday afternoon, which meant it had to be my mom doing her weekly check-in. I’d call her back later.

“You’re not asking, I offered.” Not wanting her to leave just yet, I tried another approach. “And technically, it’s not showing you around if it’s on my way. I mean, unless you want to round that corner another six times. Be my guest.”

She chewed the corner of her full bottom lip. I couldn’t help but follow the movement and wondered if those lips felt as soft as they looked. Did she know how crazy that one simple action could drive a man? From the shy look on her face, I would have to say no.

It made me want her even more.

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