Page 2 of Single Glance

“If you’re thinking about the math, don’t,” a deep voice chuckled from behind me.

“Oh my God!” I jumped at the voice, my hand flying to my frantically pulsing heart. “You scared me half to death?—”

When I turned, the rest of my words cut off as the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen stood only a few feet away. The guy was tall, barely able to get through the doorway without ducking. He’d tucked his short brown hair under a baseball cap, but pieces of his curls peeked out from the front. With his tanned skin and bright eyes, it was impossible to stop staring. My eyes darted down, unable to stop myself as I scanned the rest of him. Tight, lean muscles covered his entire frame, and my thighs clenched a little at the idea of being thrown around like a rag doll. When my eyes darted back to his face, hissmile knocked me off my axis.

All my life, I’d known plenty of people who’d perfected their fake smiles. Too many teeth, dead eyes. With the town laughing stock for a mom, you learned quickly who you could trust and who would talk shit as soon as you turned around.

But this stranger? Goodness radiated out of him, an easy, charismatic charm that put you at ease. As I tried to remember how to form sentences, his eyes roamed down my body.

Oh, fuck.

Look, after over seventy-two hours on the road, I was not the best version of myself. Sure, I had showered before leaving the motel that morning, but I piled my long, wavy blonde hair on top of my head, and more than one stain marred my vintage t-shirt.

“You okay?”

“Me?” I squawked. “Yeah, yeah. Of course. Just tired after a long drive. Sorry about that.” I cleared my throat, moving my attention back to the man in front of me. “Are you moving in too?”

He smiled and leaned in closer. “Nah, just helping out. Didn’t want to take the elevator?”

“Nope.” I popped my hip to lean on the stair railing. “Have this thing about small spaces, especially when other people try to squeeze in too.”

“Can’t blame you on that one.” He held out his hand. “I’m Cam.”

“Hadley.” As our palms collided, I tried to ignore the jolt of electricity that trickled through my veins. It was disjointing, unexpected, and my cheeks flushed as I averted my gaze. I hiked my thumb over my shoulder. “Ishould get these up to my room.”

“Let me help.” He motioned toward my largest suitcase. “Save you a trip or two.”

“You would be my hero.” I passed it to him, and he didn’t flinch, even motioning for another.

“Shit, Hadley. What do you have in these things?”

“I have an unhealthy obsession with clothing and shoes,” I joked, knowing he’d most likely write me off for that comment alone. I’d heard it all—plenty of people labeled me as vapid or shallow because I liked fashion, but those people didn’t have to choose their clothes based on the church’s donations. After a lifetime of having few choices, I wanted to try every style and figure out what I liked most on my terms. “I like options,” I shrugged. “Plus, I’m from Massachusetts, so I didn’t know what to expect when I got to Texas.”

“Damn, you’re a long way from home,” Cam chuckled. “And my mom freaked out about me moving anhouraway.”

“My mom wasn’t happy about it either.” Understatement of the century. She hid my car keys the morning I left, and it took me almost three hours to track them down. “But I think she understands why I wanted to come out here.”

“Which is?”

“Escaping the cold winter,” I winked as I started up the first flight of stairs. Cam laughed below me, and for a moment, I regretted the lie. The truth about my reasons for moving to Texas sat on the tip of my tongue, but I shoved them back down. That was not first conversation material.Keep it light and breezy, Hadley.Talk about the weather, his taste in music—not the complicated interpersonal dynamics of your family.

Besides, when Cam stepped up to my side, I had more pleasant things to fill my mind. In fact, if Cam kept smiling at me, I’d forget I had a mother at all.We fell into step as we climbed the stairs, talking about his hometown and some local attractions. By the time we reached the sixth floor, I had a new restaurant, park, and bookstore to check out.

As we turned down my hall, I smiled back up at him. “Thank you again for your help, Cam.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “My dad would have killed me if I left a beautiful girl struggling with her suitcases.”

My cheeks darkened at his words. It wasn’t the first time someone had called me beautiful, but it was the first time the words rang true. I spent so much of my time picking apart my appearance, hating all the ways my body changed as I grew. Over the course of two summers, I’d gone from a skinny little thing to a body with curves I didn’t know how to dress or handle. That was hard enough, but then the comments started. My mother never prepared me for how to handle people leering at you, or grown men giving you skin-curling “compliments”. In fact, she only fed into my insecurities, hurling hateful words, as if I’d changed just to spite her. I tried to ignore them, but there were only so many insults you could take before they were carved deep into your psyche.

I exhaled, shoving those thoughts out of my mind. When I looked up, Cam continued to watch me. His appraisal felt different from the others. When most people stared at me back home, it made me feel raw, like they were looking for some flaw or weakness to prove their internal judgments. But with Cam’s gaze on me? I felt beautiful, like someone sawmeafter years of hiding behind a practiced smile.

Emboldened by his words, I took a step closer. “Well, maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee to say thanks?”

Before Cam answered, a door downthe hall burst open, and a brunette sauntered into the hallway with a laundry basket. When she got closer, her face broke into a wide smile. “Wait, are you Hadley?”

Cam’s eyes widened as he looked behind me and took a step back. The move was so unexpected, my stomach twisted, and it took everything in me to keep the smile on my face. As I turned to face the new addition to our group, I relaxed a little, recognizing her from social media. “Victoria?”

She nodded, placing her laundry basket at her feet. “Yes! But you can call me Tori. I’m so excited to finally meet you.” She raced over and pulled me into a hug. At first, I didn’t know how to respond. I wasn’t used to hugs. My arms reached out, and I patted her back, hoping she wouldn’t think I was weird right off the bat. We were stuck together for the year, and after our conversations online, I had high hopes we’d get along.

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