Page 43 of Heart of Gold
He grabs it, pulling down the visor and inspecting it in the mirror. “Thank you.”
“What happened?” I ask.
He stares at me, like he’s trying to decide what to tell me. Or how much.
“Just a misunderstanding,” he says. “Well, sort of.”
I blow out a deep breath and stare out the windshield, “He’s a jackass.”
Gavin laughs, “Tell me about it. I’ve dealt with his shit all summer.”
I roll my eyes, “Try doing it for two years.”
His grin turns wicked and he points his thumb over his shoulder, “I can drive you back to the locker room?”
“Over my cold, dead body,” I laugh. “The dorms are fine.”
He salutes, “Aye aye, captain.”
I try my best not to stare at him but it’s so hard. I want to look at him, better yet I want him to look at me.
“Thanks for the ride,” I tell him. “You didn’t have to do that. I know you weren’t expecting to see me again, and that’s okay, you know? I don’t expect anything or…”
Oh my god, why am I talking?
“Stop,” he interrupts. “I wanted to see you again, Daisy.”
The way he still calls me Daisy makes the butterflies soar in my tummy.
He pulls up outside of Lancaster Hall and I hesitate to get out. I want to spend time with him. Something about him is so comforting to me, and I can’t explain it.
“Are you going to give me your number?” he asks. “Or are we going to have to rely on another twist of fate?”
My cheeks turn pink and I grab the phone out of his hand that he’s offering me. I type my number into it, and hand it back to him, simply saving myself as the daisy emoji.
“Well played,” he smiles.
I open the door, and step down off the running board to the pavement. I simply smile at him before closing the door and walking across the lawn to the main entrance. He sits there in his truck until I pull the door open and walk inside.
What a gentleman, I swoon.
I walk to our room and as soon as I’m settled in, my phone buzzes with a text.
Unknown
I had fun driving Ms. Daisy.
I save his number in my phone as Phoenix. I catch myself smiling at my phone screen for the first time in a long while, and think about what Gavin said. I don’t know if this is fate, but it kind of feels like it.
chapter eighteen
Gavin
I stare at my phone as the bubbles appear and disappear.
Daisy
Thanks for the ride.
