Page 33 of Entwined

I can’t help but laugh as he wiggles his eyebrows at me. I walk past him trying not to smile.

“Where are you going? Class is that way.” He points diagonally to a path nestled between a cluster of trees.

“No. Uh-uh. I know enough not to take a path not knowing where it leads. I stick to the sidewalks… the ones out in the open.”

“It’s a shortcut. The path cuts across campus behind the dorms, past the stables—”

“Stables? Wait. Stop. Did you just say stables?”

“I did.” He frowns confused. Then his face lights up. “Ah, Jessie. Did I just find your weak spot? Allow me, to escort you to King College’s stables on our way to class?” He holds out an arm in a grand gesture.

This time I don’t even try to stop my smile. “Yes. Yes, you may, Sir Ben.”

“My lady.” He dips his head as I take his arm.

“What year are you?” I ask as he leads me to the trail.

“A Junior. How about you?”

“The same. Most of my credits transferred from California. But I need to take extra classes if I’m to graduate on time since I just declared my major. I want to be an Occupational Therapist and work with children with disabilities. How about you?”

“I’m a math geek. I’m double majoring in Finance and Computer Sciences.”

“Ah. Yes, we finally found your word: Geek.”

“Now who’s being cheeky? Fancy a Scrabble date later?”

I inhale the smell of wet grass, early spring and him. “Why yes. Yes, I would. But we can’t play in my dorm. I’m kind of avoiding my roommate as much as possible.”

“Why? Who is your roommate?”

“Gretchen Van Derman…”

“Ah, yes. I have a flat a few blocks from campus?”

“How about Evelyn’s Tea House? I’m sorry. I trusted too easily in the past…”

“Noted. No worries, the tea house for Scrabble it is.”

We walk in silence for a few minutes. Ben is solid. He’s built and must be an athlete… he’s crazy cute and I’m enjoying bantering with him. I’m not afraid. And it’s quite nice to just enjoy a man’s company without so much heavy emotional turmoil hanging over my head. The trees thin as we walk, the smell of fresh cut hay mixes with horse dung. I breathe in deeply, smiling with delight. Ben scrunches his nose. “You really are different, aren’t you?”

“Uh-oh, don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” He asks.

“Like a man who thinks I’m his next… “

“Love?” Ben supplies.

“Maybe?”

“Fine,” he sighs, “that word is off the board.”

“I-I’m sorry. I just really need a friend. Maybe several. I haven’t had a friend in a long time.”

“I understand. I was in a relationship for two years.”

“What happened?”

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