Page 10 of Off Limits

“Dude,” Cal hisses after the waiter leaves. “Way to be obvious. Now the waiter’s going to think we’re creeping on someone with the way you were leaning and staring.”

Shrugging, I sip the water the waiter brought with him, using every ounce of willpower not to turn and stare at Ellie some more. “Whatever, man. Wearehere creeping on someone. Your sister.”

Cal makes a face. “Gross, man. We’re notcreepingon her. We’re making sure she’s safe and that her date isn’t going to hurt her.”

I shake my head at my friend. “I’m not sure what you think happens on first dates, but I’m pretty sure that abusive assholes don’t start out that way.”

With a shrug, Cal looks around the restaurant. “Whatever. I just want to check this guy out so I know who he is if the need arises. And if the date goes really badly and she needs out, well, then we can swoop in and save the day.” He refocuses on me. “Plus, you’ve been holed up at home way too much this semester. Did something happen over the summer? I know you’re not exactly a party animal, but you’ve been out way less than normal.”

“Nah.” Now it’s my turn to look around to avoid his eyes. “Changing divisions is more demanding than I expected, y’know? I’m just tired, and unlike you, I didn’t save all my easy classes for fall semester of senior year. I have a lot of homework to catch up on.”We’ll just ignore the fact that I’ve been low key pining for your sister since she fell asleep on our couch.Telling him that will help nothing and no one. Not me, not him, not Ellie. And it’s not like I’m going to do anything about it anyway.

He nods, his mouth twisting in a bitter smile. “Yeah. Even as second string, this season’s more work than last. More games. More travel. I hear you. And fuck you. I didn’t save all my easy classes for this semester. I’ll have you know that my bio classes are kicking my ass.”

I snort. “Maybe if you stayed home more, you’d have more time to keep up with your homework.”

“Maybe. But then who will look out for the lovely ladies of Marycliff University? They need me out and about making sure their needs are met.”

Shaking my head, I sit back in my chair and scan the restaurant again. “I’m sure someone else would step in and take your place if the need ever arises.” Cal scoffs and says something, but I’m not listening. I give zero fucks about Cal’s sex life, especially right now, because when I sit back like this, I canjuuustsee Ellie and her date tucked away in the back corner. She’s smiling. Which is objectively a good thing. But watching her smile like that at another guy has something twisting in my gut.

I want that smile all for me.

The thought lands with all the force of a defensive lineman gunning for the quarterback.

With a grunt I turn into clearing my throat, I sit back up and try to refocus on whatever story Cal’s telling me about the other night at a party. It’s useless, though, because I’m way too wrapped up in my own head and thoughts of Ellie.

Yeah, coming here was a bad idea. Because I don’t care if Ellie’s date is the nicest guy in the world. I just want to toss him out on his ass and take his place.

Fuck my life.

CHAPTER SIX

Ellie

Andrew holds open the restaurant door for me with a smile, acting every inch the perfect gentleman. He showed up at my door wearing dark jeans and a green button-down that picks up the hints of green in his hazel eyes. He’s a cute boy from my sophomore World Lit class—a junior psych major who’s taking his gen eds out of order so he can get his upper level classes out of the way faster, graduate early, and get a jump on grad school. I can’t say I blame him. If I had any idea what I wanted to do and could take upper level classes already, I might do that too.

Honestly, being face to face with someone so motivated is intimidating. It’s too much like being home, where Cal, my golden-child older brother is upheld as the paragon of achievement and success. Pre-med, bio major, star quarterback—though his star is somewhat dimmed this year with the transfer of Grayson Kilpatrick, the new starting quarterback that came with the new football coach, much to Cal’s chagrin.

Maybe it makes me a bad sister, but I couldn’t help letting out a cackle of glee when I found out. In private, of course, far, far away from my glowering older brother.

Who happens to be occupying a hightop table in the bar across from his ridiculously attractive man-mountain of a roommate, Simon.

As usual, my mouth goes completely dry at the sight of Simon in a T-shirt and jeans. He’s glaring at a waiter and leaning to the side, like he’s trying to see around him.

I quickly look away, returning my attention to Andrew. I’m here with Andrew. On a date. I don’t need to be drooling over another guy right now, no matter how droolworthy said guy might be. Andrew’s cute, with his short brown hair that he’s gelled up and off his forehead tonight. Maybe not I-want-to-climb-him-like-a-tree cute, but attractive enough. And he’s interested in me. And Autumn has declared this year the Year of Yes. When presented with a choice, as long as it isn’t harmful or transgressing my personal boundaries, I should say yes. According to her, this will help me to figure out what I do and don’t like to do, which will help me finally declare a major. And while May is ages away, if I can figure out my major before the deadline, it would be a load off my mind, plus it would get my parents off my back—at least about that.

Though it’s not that I don’t know what I like to do. The problem is that I like too many things. And I’ve always been good at most everything I’ve tried. I’m smart and talented, as my father in particular so often likes to remind me, so why can’t I just pick something? Except if I pick one thing, then I have to abandon the others, and what if I would’ve liked something else more? Or what if I haven’t even discovered the thing that I’m really passionate about? What if I don’t find that until I’m like … forty? And then I’ll have sunk all this time and effort and money into a career I’ll grow to hate and …

I pull the reins on that runaway line of thought. Glancing around the restaurant once more, my gaze snags on my brother, and I stifle a sigh of irritation.

Not just because he’s here, though that’s irritating enough, but because he represents all that I lack.

Cal, like Andrew, has had his major picked out since infancy. Must be nice to be so sure of yourself and your place in the world that there’s no doubt in your mind about what you need to do to get where you want to be.

Of course that means knowing where you want to be, and I guess that’s my problem. I have no five year plan beyond graduating from college, and no idea how to come up with one.

I do my best to ignore Cal and Simon and all the thoughts they dredge up—inadequacy! Fear! Horniness! Though the first two are from Cal and the other is Simon—and pay attention to Andrew, asking him questions that will keep him talking so he won’t notice my lame answers to the basic questions most people already know the answers to by now.

After the waitress sets our food in front of us, Andrew picks up his fork and gives me a sweet smile. “So, Ellie. I feel like I’ve been doing all the talking. I know you do your homework and give insightful answers in class discussions, but that’s about it. Are you an English major?”

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