Page 22 of Begin Again

Dawn and I sat at a table with some other freshmen we’d met during orientation. We ate and shared impressions of our lecturers and classes so far, and we talked about where we were living. It turned out a few of us had toured the same apartments when looking for digs.

“The first thing one guy told me was that he wouldn’t fool around with me if I moved in,” said a boy who said his name was Scott.

“Would you have wanted to?” I asked.

“Oh, 100 percent, yes!” he moaned, rolling his eyes. “He was a real dreamboat, I’m telling you. Tattoos, muscles and averyerotic voice… I would’ve moved in just to hear him read me a bedtime story.”

We burst into laughter.

“Allie knows about that fooling around rule all too well,” Dawn teased.

Now it was my turn to moan and roll my eyes. But unlike Scott, I was annoyed.

“Wait. Are you talking about the same guy?” asked the girl diagonally across from me, sitting up straight.

“Oh, you must mean Kaden White,” another girl said, dreamily. I choked on a noodle. “He’s at the top of my list.”

“Which list?” asked Dawn, leaning in.

“My ‘if-I-could-have-any-man-in-the-world’ list,” she sighed.

Dawn and I exchanged amused glances.

“Then you should become best friends with Allie, she lives with him.”

The girl let out a squeal, and Scott sighed wistfully. He rested his chin on his hand. “Hallelujah, sweetie.”

“Can you introduce us?” asked the girl, eagerly.

“How do you even know him? I mean, I’ve only been here for a couple of days, but I’ve obviously missed something,” I said, amused. “I think I’ve hired the wrong informants.”

“Kaden is one of the dreamboats. Like Spencer Cosgrove,” explained another girl to my left.

“Spencer?” Dawn laughed aloud, but stopped when someone threw her a punishing glare.

“Yeah, there are a few dreamboats here,” Scott opined.

Which kicked off a discussion on who was the hottest guy on campus. Kaden was high on some people’s lists. I was glad when someone changed the subject, and we wandered off onto other themes. I really didn’t want to take someone back to the apartment with me or give up Kaden’s cell phone number to some freshman.

Although…

I looked at the girl with the dreamy expression.

And grinned.

Later, on my way to my last lecture of the day, my cell phone buzzed in my bag. I pulled it out while walking.

What the hell were you thinking?was the message on my smartphone screen. I smiled to myself.

That’s what you get for stealing my veggies, you ass.

I’d slipped Kaden’s cell number to the dreamy girl after lunch, winking.

My phone vibrated again.

You’re never getting another drop of coffee. I’m locking the machine in my room.

I snorted and stood still while I typed.

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