Page 23 of Things I Read About
“Hm? What?”
“What floor.”
“Twenty.”
He pushes the button.
I don’t know what to say. I can’t invite him into my room because Kat is surely up, waiting to pounce on me as soon as I open the door. Janie may still be up too. I also can’t quite tell if he would want me to invite him in or not.
He has flirted, definitely, but right now he seems… guarded.
“Room number?”
“Twenty Twenty-Seven.”
He sighs as he steps out of the elevator. “That was a test. You failed. Like the walking, talking safety hazard I could spot from three clicks away. You shouldn’t just give out your room numbers to strangers.”
“You’re not a stranger. You’re Nate.”
He stops at my door and sets me down.
I hold onto his massive arm for balance, and he grips my elbow. I look up at his big, dark eyes.
“Sorry I ruined our date.” I say softly.
“Yeah, well, I’m only here for a few more days. I don’t know what—you know—what you’re looking for.” He takes his hand off my elbow and rubs the back of his neck.
What am I looking for?
“Fun. An escape.”
He studies me again. “Escape from what?”
I chuckle.Med school, family expectations, pressure, stress, wanting to blend in, but also wanting to stand out for once…“Real life?”
“Huh.”
Kat was right, he is very hard to decipher. But I have thatsinking feeling, embarrassment and disappointment. Because he hasn’t said anything, which is rejection enough. I’ve already made my interest in him perfectly clear. I am the main character in this story, so I’m not going to beg.
“Well,” I say, pulling out my key card. “The girls and I will be around, just making all kinds of hazardous, terrible decisions. So, when you get off work, you know where to find me.” I swipe and push the door in. “Night, Nate!”
Then I hustle in and close the door on him, in what could probably be described as a panic. It was not a graceful exit, since I was hopping one foot. But I said my piece and left. I turn and look out the keyhole.
He’s just standing there, frozen. His brow is scrunched down deep over his eyes.
I think maybe I’m a mystery to him.
But I think he likes mysteries.
I guess tomorrow night I’ll find out.
7
“It’syour good girl vibes, I’m telling you,” Janie says before taking another sip of beer.
I throw my hands in the air. “I was wearing a skintight, leather mini dress!”
“Not enough. You’ve got innocent, little sister type written all over you. You should’ve borrowed something from Kat.”
