Page 26 of The Girlfriend Goal
"Nobody comes home at 2 AM looking 'flustered and smiley' from complaining." He was already heading to his room. "Give me five minutes to change into something that doesn't have coffee on it."
"Matt—"
"This is happening, Fletcher. We're going to the Pancake House, you're going to tell me everything about your secret study sessions with Rachel, and I'm going to figure out how to accidentally run into Jared again without looking desperate."
"You already look desperate."
"I know." He paused in his doorway. "That's the problem. He made me forget how words work. Me! I'm excellent at words."
Chapter 11: Rachel
"So he definitely likes you."
I looked up from my perfectly organized study materials to find Jared sprawled across my bed, still glowing from his reconnaissance mission.
"Who?"
"Lance. Keep up." He rolled onto his stomach. "His face when I mentioned you coming home flustered was priceless. Like a puppy who'd been caught eating homework. Also, his roommate is stupidly hot."
"Matt?" I tried to picture him through Jared's eyes. "I guess. If you like the whole athletic golden retriever thing."
"I very much do." He sighed dreamily. "He spilled coffee on himself when I walked in. It was adorable. Then he tried to use 'refrigerator' as an example of his extensive vocabulary."
"That sounds about right."
"Is he single? You've been spending all this time with Lance—"
"For our project!"
"—and you haven't asked about his hot roommate?" Jared threw a pillow at me. "I overheard him call me ‘a demon sent to test him.’" Jared hugged the pillow. "I've never been someone's test before."
"That's definitely not true. Remember Kyle from theater? You made him question his entire sexuality."
"That was different. This guy already knows he's bi. I saw his dating apps open on his phone." He sat up. "Let’s go get some breakfast."
"I have class in an hour."
"Skip it."
"I don't skip class."
"You also don't stay out until 2 AM with hockey players, yet here we are." He was already pulling me out of my chair. "Come on. I promise to stop teasing you about Lance if you come to breakfast with me."
"You're lying."
"Obviously. But I'll keep it to a minimum." He grabbed my backpack. "Besides, don't you want to see if they show up?"
"Why would they show up?"
"Because I may have mentioned we sometimes get breakfast at the Pancake House on Thursdays."
"Jared!"
"What? I'm being proactive about my love life. You should try it sometime."
Fifteen minutes later, we were sliding into our usual booth at the Pancake House, me with my color-coded planner and Jared with his phone out, pretending he wasn't checking the door every thirty seconds.
"So," he said, failing at casual, "tell me about Matt."
