Page 48 of The Dating Game

“Sydney, I am not going to elope with Will in Texas!” I feel sick. Not at the thought of eloping, though that is crazy talk, but at the reminder that my relationship with Will started as a bet. I can’t imagine he’ll be happy if he ever finds that out. I may not have read as many romance novels as Belinda but I’ve read enough to know that if he found out, that would mess up whatever this is developing between us. And contrary to Belinda’s assertions, life is not a romcom where people canjust put the broken pieces back together with a few pages of romantic dialogue and a grand gesture.

“Well then you should absolutely take the black dress,” she says with finality, “because the naked thing is not an option.”

I throw the high heel at her.

***

I’mnervous.Ican’tdeny it. I’m about to go sit on a bus for 17 hours with a bunch of teenagers, a couple of other chaperones, and Will. Then I’m going to be in Texas doing mission work for a whole week!

I’ve never really talked to a nonbeliever about Jesus.

This is possibly further out of my comfort zone than even skydiving.

Okay, not further out of it…that’s crazy talk, but the butterflies in my stomach are still awfully reminiscent of that plane ride up to jump height.

To make matters worse, I haven’t seen Will since Saturday night when I told him I wanted to come on the trip. We’ve texted and even talked on the phone a couple of times, but he’s been swamped with trying to get last minute things done with the trip and make sure everything is good to go at Grace Canyon while he’s gone.

At least our conversations have been good. Flirty and light, nothing like the in-depth one we had at the club, but he’s definitely been the version of himself that I like. Quick-witted and funny. A good listener who asks questions and provides information about himselfin equal parts.

Last night, after Sydney and Caroline left, we talked for over an hour. We ended up starting another game of this or that, but then that morphed into a game of never have I ever during which it became painfully apparent that Will has done ALL the adventurous things life has to offer (skydiving, parasailing, white water rafting, swimming with sharks—to name only a few) and I have done one. Skydiving. Which I was essentially forced into.

But Will was really sweet about this. He didn’t make me feel silly or boring for not having done any of those other things. In fact what he did say was: “There’s nothing wrong with being someone who doesn’t feel the need to chase the next adrenaline rush all the time, Brooke. I’ve noticed that you take pleasure in the little things and consequently you seem to run on the high of life in general.”

That’s a direct quote, right there. Word for beautiful word. I know because after he said it, I pretended the phone had cut out and made him repeat it so I could write it down on a post-it.

Then I pasted the post-it note on my bathroom mirror and memorized it like a normal person.

Anyway, the point is, we’ve had some good talks. Sure I was tense the first few nights, fully expecting the annoying version of him to surface at some point…but it never did.

I’m really not sure what to make of this. Maybe he was just having an off couple of days? I guess I’ll find out for sure on this trip. You can’t hide much from a person when you’re spending a week traveling together.

I pull up to the school parking lot, still cloaked in early morning darkness save the lights of the charter bus we’ll be taking to Texas and those of the dozens of cars belonging to other chaperones and the parents dropping off their teens.

I spot Will’s familiar SUV—proof that he apparently can be on time for things—but don’t see him.

Which is fine. I don’t mind walking up to random people and striking up a conversation.

It’s just. I wanted to see him.

Also, what if he’s already with Sarah and she just asked him to sit with her and he’s too polite to say no, so now they’re going to spend the entire 17 hours bus snuggling?!

Oh gosh! I have to find him! I swing open my door with wild urgency— and almost hit Will with it. Where the heck did he come from?

“Woah!” Will exclaims as he attempts to keep the travel mug he’s holding from spilling. He smiles at me as he settles the safely-righted drink in front of me. “Where’s the fire?” he asks.

I don’t answer. My heart is beating rapidly in my chest, driven by a combination of the anxiety that propelled me out of the car and the sight of Will looking like the exact man I want to spend 17 hours bus snuggling with.

“Uh, I have to get back to the bus to help with check in and answer parent questions,” Will goes on in response to my silence, “but I saw you pull up and wanted to say hi.” His expression turns unsure. “Plus I brought you this.” He proffers the travel mug.

“Oh thank you.” I take the mug with a smile even though I’m feeling kind of awkward now. I don’t drink coffee. Or tea. Or any beverage—outside of the very occasional alcoholic drink— that doesn’t have water somewhere in the name. Something we discussed just last night during this or that (coffee or tea, tea for him, neither for me). Only apparently he either wasn’t paying attention to my monologue on the subject or he forgot, which is fine, butalso a bit awkward because how am I supposed to get away with not drinking this when we’re going to be together on a bus for the next 17 hours?

“Don’t worry, it’s water,” Will says with a chuckle. Apparently my smile didn’t hide my apprehension. “I just added some of that lemon-flavored electrolyte powder you said you liked. Grabbed it at the store on my way here. I’ve got a whole bag of the powder on the bus.”

“Oh.” My cheeks pinken with embarrassment even as fireworks of pleasure erupt in my chest. He made a special trip to the store on a busy morning so that he could bring me my favorite drink. Hewaspaying attention to me.

Not just to me, but to what I was saying. Not a lot if guys have ever done that for me.

“Did you really think I’d bring you coffee after that impassioned speech you gave last night?” he asks with a laugh.

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