Page 8 of My Sweet Cherry
Then I saw her. Beth’s curls bounced as she half-stomped across the courtyard with her lips pursed. I lifted a brow; when Benny paused and saw where I was looking, he did the same. “See man? I told you,” he said while a smirk stretched across his face. “They love me.”
I watched her glide between people until she was within shouting distance. Then she slowed down, and the tightness in her features relaxed. The frustration that had been flowing off her when I first saw her was replaced with an intentional calm—one that promised a storm to follow. When she was just a few steps away, Benny cleared his throat and took a step forward.
“Well, look who it is!” He put his arms out like he was welcoming her into a party. “Hey, Beth!” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Hey, Benny.” Her voice was sweet—a strong contrast to the masked annoyance on her face that seemed more evident when she looked at me and back. “I thought you were going to call me,” she said without missing a beat.
Benny clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Oh yeah, sorry about that, doll face. Some things came up.” When he elbowed me twice and half-chuckled as if to imply those other things were named Britt and Ashley, I clenched my jaw.
“I see. Well, from what I heard, we had a really great time.” She winked, and my jaw almost dropped open. Where had the too-shy, choked-on-a-shot, couldn’t-look-me-in-the-eye librarian that I had seen earlier go? I crossed my arms and looked at Benny, anticipating the excuse he likely already had cued up.
“We did, baby girl. We did.” He took a step toward her, cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand while she narrowed her eyes at him. The gentle, usually-got-him-what-he-wanted move wasn’t working on her. “I’ve just beenreally busy.”
“Right. Busy.” Beth nodded curtly, grabbing his wrist and pulling his hand away from her face.
“Exactly.” Benny smiled like he’d just won something. “Look, I gotta get going, but hit my pager sometime and maybe we can finish that movie.” When he nudged her with his elbow, she looked unphased, and a small rush of relief came over me. I didn’t know the girl very well, but she seemed innocent. I didn’t want her to get hurt by my idiot, thinks-he-can-have-his-way-with-any-girl roommate.
“I think I’m busy.” Beth’s smile didn’t match the bitterness in her tone, but she held her head high when she stepped between us. Her shoes clicked against the sidewalk as she walked away, and when a breeze whistled between the tall buildings that surrounded the open courtyard, I smelled a mix of vanilla and something more dangerous: temptation.
I turned around, and my stare met two big, green eyes looking back at me. Beth narrowed them slightly before she whipped her hair over her shoulder and kept moving.I can take care of myself.Then she smirked.
“What did I tell you, huh?” Benny puffed his chest out. “These girls want me.”
I laughed. “Yeah, dude. If you say so.”
Chapter 9
Beth
“Don’t forget that next week is your midterm,” Professor Truman said, stacking his notes and sticking them back in his bag. “Make sure you also study this weekend, and don’t party too hard! I know how homecoming week goes around here. It’s not my first rodeo.”
The scuffle of chairs sliding back from desks drowned out the end of his warning as the class started to stand up. Everyone was more anxious than I was to get out of there and get to the first of what would likely be many parties for the weekend. While people excitedly shuffled out of the room, I took my time. It wasmore likely to guarantee that I missed an invite to a party I didn’t want to go to.
“Have a good weekend, Beth,” Professor Truman added when I finally stood up from the desk and walked out of the room. The hallways had already started to empty, and I followed the noise toward the quad.
I cradled the book in my hands, missing the step in front of me. My shoe caught the edge, and it was like I threw the book in slow motion. It flipped through the air, and pages fluttered before it landed on the hard tile floor. With a thud and an unflattering grunt, I landed on the tile next to it. As the contents of my bag spilled onto the floor, my cheeks warmed with the sudden awareness of everyone that was looking at me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded when a man I didn’t know reached his hand out to help me up. “Yeah, just clumsy. Uh, thank you.” He lifted me from the ground, bending back down to grab the book while I brushed my embarrassment off the front of my jeans.
“Have we met?” he asked, looking at me like he was trying to figure out where we had met.
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head.
“Well, then I guess it’s my lucky day.” He handed me my book, holding onto it even as I grabbed it. “I’m Ian.”
When he let go of the book, I tucked it in my bag. “I’m Beth.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Beth.” He smirked, tucking his hands in his pockets. “It’s good to see I’ve got you falling for me already.”
I chuckled, chewing nervously at my lip. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Listen, I don’t usually do this, but maybe I can take you out later.” Ian winked, and the butterflies in my stomach forgot about my nerves and danced toward my throat.
“Really?” Why was I questioning it?
He nodded. “Yeah, we could have a good time.” When he reached over and tucked a loose curl behind my ear, my chest fluttered. “Especially from what I hear.” His voice was husky and hinted at seduction, making my stomach sink.
