Page 2 of Love.V2
“Give her some space, guys. Back up.” I glared at a dude who was getting too close, and he stumbled backwards, probably already a few drinks deep. I reached for Tess’s elbow, guiding her through the packed bodies in the living room. The kitchen wasn’t much better, but at least it was just my brothers in there, and I could trust them not to trample her.
Her skin was silky under my fingertips, and I wanted to stroke her. I was pathetic. Two weeks ago, I’d sat behind her in English class andnoticed an incredible sketch of the quad poking out of her notebook. I’d leaned over to compliment the work and stopped dead in my tracks.
She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. Her light blonde hair, big blue eyes, and delicate features made her look like an actual angel, or a fairy, or something. That she was beautiful and possessed an incredible artistic talent was pretty much all I knew about her.
She was quiet, shy even. I’d resorted to befriending her roommate to get a little closer to her. And holy shit, the far-fetched plan had worked. Here she was in our frat house kitchen, clutching a keg tap like a lifeline.
“You’re a hero.” I gently squeezed her arm.
“Hardly. I just found this in the bushes out front. Figured you might need it.” She shoved the tap into my hands without meeting my eyes.
A pink blush spread across her peaches-and-cream cheeks, probably from all the attention. She hated being called on in class, curling up in her chair whenever our professor was about to ask a question. I always tried to answer before he could get to her. I was on track to receive a stellar participation grade in English.
“Beer Angel,” Mac whispered again, reaching over to grab the tap. The party surged closer at the promise of alcohol, pushing Tess into me. I dropped her arm to reach around her waist, pulling her out of the way of another party dude, glaring at him for good measure.
“Oh, um, excuse me,” Tess whispered, rigid.
“Sorry, it’s a little crazy in here. Don’t want you to get run over.”
“Thanks.” She finally looked up, her round, ocean eyes meeting mine like a clap of thunder. The corner of her pink lips curled upwards, and I realized I was staring.
“It won’t explode, right?” Michael’s uneasiness thankfully gave me something to look at other than her.
We all stared at the keg for a beat of silence. I was ninety-nine percent sure it wouldn’t explode, but I’d never tapped a keg before. Our older fraternity brothers usually did the honors.
“You guys don’t know how…?” Tess trailed off when we all looked at her. Her blush deepened. It would be weird to tell them all to look away, right?Yes.Right.
“I mean, we could probably figure it out?” Derrick looked about as confident as he sounded.
“I don’t know, man.Willit explode?” Mac asked Tess, like she had the answer. She paused, looking around, before sighing and reaching her hand out for the tap.
“Line the threads up here. Make sure this is released.” She did something with a lever, pointing to the top of the keg. After a quick twist, she straightened. “Done.”
I stared. Weallstared. Then Mac’s guttural cry of “BEER ANGELLLLLLLL!” rang out with ear-splitting volume. The rest of the party followed suit, flying into a frenzy with Tess at the center. When her shoulders hunched over, I gave into my baser instincts and pulled her closer.
“Here.” I took the red plastic cup from Mac’s hand when it was half-full. “You deserve the first cup.”
“FIRST CUP TO THE BEER ANGEL!”Mac roared.
“Alright.” I gave him a quelling look, which he read in the blink of an eye, turning to scream. “And next cup to someone else!”
Everyone’s focus shifted in an instant as my brothers rushed to hand out cups. Someone cranked up the volume on the speakers in the living room, and I felt a lifetime’s worth of pressure lift off my shoulders. We’d done it. Party in full swing. And it was all thanks to the Beer Angel in front of me.
She was staring at the cup in her hands, looking uneasy.
“Too much foam?”
“I have a confession,” she whispered, long lashes lowering.
“Your secret will be safe with me,” I whispered back, taking a half-step toward her and enjoying when she didn’t step away. In fact, she only craned closer, rising to her tip-toes and cupping her hand around my ear. Goosebumps erupted down my neck.Pitiful.
“I hate beer.”
Between my body’s ridiculous reaction to her closeness and the din of the kitchen, it took me a moment to understand what she’d just said. “You know how to tap a keg, but you don’t drink beer?”
She shrugged. “Is that weird?”
“Not weird,” I drawled, taking the plastic cup from her hands. In a way, it fit what I knew of her. Beautiful girl who recoiled from attention. Quiet student who created the most intricate and colorful art I’d ever seen. She seemed sheltered, naïve almost, but she rolled with Vanna, the most outspoken person in class. “Intriguing.”
