Page 46 of Ink & Ambition

Beside me, Alex laughs as he finishes the last of his vandalism. Blowing the wooden shavings out of the way, he brushes his hand over the marking.A & M.

“See? Now it really isourstudy room.”

I want to roll my eyes at the cringiness but I can’t take them off the letters he’s permanently marked on to the table. I need to blink a few times before I can face him again and when I do, his smile is contagious. I couldn’t stop my own grin from forming even if I tried.

“You’re such a dork.”

Alex laughs and any tightness I had in my chest loosens. Leaning over the table, he closes my laptop screen, signaling the end of our meeting.

“The script looks good but you know, there’s a chance we have to reevaluate this during the week if the show picks up speed. I bet there will be hundreds more questions rolling in before Saturday,” Alex comments as I shove my computer back into my backpack and we start to head out the door.

“Hm, good point. I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if we need to rearrange some stuff.” After reaching the ground level, Alex hands Edith the study room key with a wink and then pulls the door for me to exit before him.

Just as I’m about to thank him and then rib him for his chivalry, my phone rings loudly in my pocket. As I pull it out, the name RYAN flashes on the screen.

“Oh look, your boyfriend is calling,” Alex says with feigned enthusiasm. I give him a shove before picking up the call.

“Hello?” I answer after the second ring. I continue walking toward the campus exit since Sydney is already home and I need to catch the bus. I expect Alex to head toward the parking lot but instead, he grabs my elbow and pulls me with him. I don’t have the time to question him as Ryan replies, “Margot, hey. It’s Ryan.”

I chuckle. “I know, caller ID and all.” Ryan laughs nervously on the other side of the phone.

“Right, duh.”

“What’s up? Everything okay?” I ask, still being manhandled by Alex. With an annoyed look at him, I pull my elbow away but the look on his face makes it clear that he wants me to continue walking with him.

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine. I actually was calling because I wanted to ask if you wanted to get dinner with me on Wednesday night? I know it’s kind of random in the middle of the week but truthfully, I don’t want to wait until the weekend to hang out with you. If you’re interested, that is.”

“Dinner?” I squeak out. I don’t miss the way Alex’s jaw ticks as we keep walking, but he doesn’t look my way.

I don’t know how to respond. I’ve never been on a date before. On the one hand, I’m absolutely terrified to put myself out there like that but on the other…Ryan is a nice guy. He’s been a perfect gentleman to me at every turn. I have no real reason to say no. I glance at Alex again and he’s staring straight ahead. No…no reason to say no.

His car is in sight and I’ve caught on by now that he isn’t going to allow me to take the bus home so I slide into the passenger seat as he gets into the driver’s side.

“That would be–”

My words are drowned out by the increasingly loud volume of Alex’s car radio, blastingRambling Manby The Allman Brothers Band. I almost drop the phone from the shock of the noise, but Alex doesn’t seem to even notice it. With a huff, I turn the volume down to an appropriate level.

“I would love that.”

Ryan sighs in apparent relief through the phone, having not even heard the radio interruption. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven. Sound good?”

Alex pulls out of the parking lot and makes a sharp left turn.

“Sounds great, see you then.” I smile into the receiver as I end the call.

I look over at Alex incredulously, but he remains silent, his eyes firmly on the road ahead. With my signature eye roll, I turn my body toward the window and watch the familiar scenery fly by. Danika is going to have an absolute fit when I tell her about Ryan asking me out. She’ll probably want to do a whole makeover for the event. Hair, nails, clothes. I bet she’ll even demand I–

“You know I was kidding about him being your boyfriend, sun.”

Finally he speaks and it’s to tease me. I want to give him a piece of my mind but when I look over to do just that, his gaze doesn’t look mocking. It looks…somber.

“He’s not my boyfriend. It’s just one date.”

Alex sighs but doesn’t say anything else. Within a few seconds, we pull up to the apartment and Alex reaches across me to open the passenger side door.

“I know. I’m just yanking your chain,” He grins but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Not like it did before. “I hope you guys have a good time,” he says, his hands back on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road.

I can recognize a dismissal when I see one. After thanking him for the ride, I slide out of the car and shut the door behind me. Alex pulls away the minute I’m safely away from the vehicle and the motion makes me pause. Normally he’ll at least wait until I’m inside the building…

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