Page 2 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
“No.” His answer came instantly, accompanied by a frown. Nowthatwas a familiar sight. “But you’re traveling alone?—”
I thought nothing could be more embarrassing than your sister asking her best friend to pick you up.Wrong. It was infinitely worse for said best friend to pick you up because he thought you couldn’t get home on your own.
Though, maybe . . . was it possible he’d been worried?
I shook my head. Here I was being delusional again.
Talk about pathetic.
Gabe, worried . . . aboutme? If he was, it was definitely just because he felt some sort of obligation toward me because of Ate. I couldn’t fool myself into believing he’d care about me otherwise.
Did I mention I’d had a crush on this guy since the moment I met him?
Kill me now.
“You didn’t have to come,” I told him. “It’s easy enough to take the bus.”
Needing to get out of there ASAP, I tugged at my suitcase handle, only to find resistance. My eyes met Gabe’s, and maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I thought I spotted a hint of amusement in his gaze.
“This again?” he murmured.
I rolled my eyes. “What is it with you and grabbing my bags?” He had done the same thing the first time I met him at this very airport—and again when he caught me after one of my thrifting sprees in town.
“Are you going to call me a thief like you did last time?”
“That depends. There’s such a thing as asking, you know. You should try it.” I tried to hang on to my annoyance, but a teasing note crept into my tone. I clamped my lips shut, worried he’d accuse me of flirting with him—again.
His words from last year came back to me:“Some of us have better things to do than gossip and flirt.”As if I’d done anything more than try to get to know him.
That tiny spark in his eyes vanished. “Fine. Can I carry your bag?”
“I mean, you don’t need to carry it. It has wheels. But hey, we’re making progress.” I chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. “Seriously, I’m okay. I’ll take the bus. Besides, aren’t you worried someone from school will see us together?”
His lips pressed together in a tight line. “It’s a risk, but I’m already here.” He glanced around us and spoke in a low tone. “The longer we discuss this, the more we’ll attract attention. You know what the logical decision is.”
My eyebrows swung up. “You know what? I’m good with the bus.”
“Luna.”
I hated the way he said my name. He rarely did, but on those rare occasions, it always came out exasperated and scolding—like I was a child who did nothing but misbehave.
Which only triggered my instinct to rebel.
He sighed as though he could read my thoughts. “Can I please just drive you home?”
My argument died on the tip of my tongue. I could continue debating with him or simply walk away, but either option would prove him right.
Or I could belogicaland mature and show him he was wrong about me.
“Okay,” I said. “But I get to choose the music.” Smiling, I handed my bag to him. I already had the perfect playlist in mind.
When he clenched his jaw, I half-expected him to withdraw the offer. But this was Gabe, and he was nothing but rational. “Let’s go.”
He gripped my suitcase, and I began walking to the exit. To my surprise, he fell in step beside me. He kept a careful distance—couldn’t have anyone thinking there was anything going on between us, after all—but he didn’t lead the way or trail me like I assumed he would.
As we passed other travelers heading out of the hall, a thought occurred to me. “Don’t you have work?” It was a Wednesday afternoon, right smack in the middle of the work week.
“Not at the university.”
