Page 8 of Kissing for Keeps
One of the guys I just bumped excuses himself to the girl he was talking to and steps toward me. His long, wavy hair is bleached blond, but by the sun rather than whoever did Justin Timberlake’s hair during his NSYNC days. He may as well have Surfer Dude tattooed across his tan forehead. He’s even wearing a shell necklace. “Hey, I’m Brad. I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Hey, Brad.” I can’t help giving him a once-over.So, this is what junior guys are like. I’m slightly disappointed because I’m getting some distinct smoothtalker vibes from him.“This isyourparty, then.” I vaguely remember the girl in World Civ mentioning Brad as the one hosting.
He grins like I gave him a compliment, then spreads his arms. “Welcome to my party…” He raises his brows, waiting for me to fill in the blank.
“Siena.” I feel eyes boring into me, so I glance at the girl he was just talking to.Yikes. If looks could kill, she’d be a sharpshooter. “Brad, I’m a little thirsty. Can you tell me where I can get a soda?”
“Just a soda? You sure?” If I hadn’t already been sure, the way his brow lifts provocatively decides things.
“Yup.”
“Okay,” he says like he sees regret in my future, “there should be a few sodas in the fridge. I can sho—”
I put up a hand to stop him, then immediately drop it from his chest. The last thing I need is for Annie Oakley over there to think I’m trying to steal what she sees as rightfully hers. I’m here to make friends, not enemies. “That’s really nice of you, but I think your friend is waiting to talk to you.”
He glances over at the girl, whose expression magically morphs into the intersection between sweet and sexy. Brad’s mouth quirks at the side at the same time as that rogue blond brow, confirming to me I’m just one of many balls he’s juggling tonight. Part of me wants to see them all come crashing down on him, but I resist since, again, I’m here to widen my social circle. Plenty of room there for the Brads of this world, as long as they keep a proper distance.
I can almost see it in his eyes, though:which ball is more fun? I’m tempted to unclip my hair extensions right in front of him just to see the look on his face.
“You sure?” he asks again.
“One hundred percent.” To make sure he believes me, I walk toward the kitchen. None of the lights are on except the one over the stove—I’m assuming the dark is to discourage nosy college students from ransacking the fridge for anything that doesn’t directly affect the functioning of their decision-making skills.
The fridge is to my left, and I pull the door open, letting the light from inside flood the dark space behind me. It’s slim pickins in here. Brad probably spent his entire food budget for the month on beer. There are a few cans of soda on the nearly empty shelves. Hopefully, he can survive on flirtatious smiles, or it looks like he may starve.
Luckily, I’m not picky, so I reach for a Dr Pepper.
“Can I help you?”
I whip around, exclaiming, “Holy cheese snips!” The can of soda drops to the floor, barely missing my foot. I hold my breath as I wait for it to explode or start spinning like the cheap ground fireworks we did as kids.
When it seems safe, I look up. After the relatively blinding light of the fridge, it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust enough to see the guy sitting at the kitchen table. The fridge light casts his face in a blue light, and he’s got a can of Sprite in front of him.
His mouth pulls up, and his eyes narrow slightly. “Did you sayholy Cheese Nips? Orholy cheese snips?”
“Holy cheesesnips,” I clarify, slightly breathless, with a hand to my chest. “Gosh, you look creepy.”
His mouth tilts up at the side. It’s oddly reassuring, countering the creep-in-the-dark-kitchen vibe with a look of genuine amusement. “Raiding my fridgeandinsulting me… bold move.” He reaches behind him and flips the light switch. “Is that better?”
Better is an understatement. He’s shed the Jason-from-Friday the 13thvibe completely, replacing it with brown hair that’s brushed up in the front, a five o’clock shadow the men of my freshmen class would kill for, and a pair of matching brown eyes with a glint of… fun? Mischief? The jury’s still out.
I take in a breath, hoping it’ll settle my heart, but it’s shaken up like the soda. “Um, yeah, much better, thanks.”
“Whatarecheese snips?” His voice is all curiosity.
“I don’t know. It’s what I thought Cheese Nips were called when I was little.” I narrow my eyes, registering what he said before. “This isyourfridge? Are you and Brad roommates?”
He nods once and gets up. “We’re fresh out of cheese snips tonight.”
I shoot him an unamused look, even though I secretly want to laugh. “Are you on graveyard shift for fridge guard duty or something?”
He lifts his can in acknowledgement. “You’re not the first person to get the munchies tonight.”
I let out a laugh that sounds suspiciously like a snort and look at the sparsely populated shelves. “Either those people have all been seriously disappointed by the selection, or you are the worst fridge security guard in history.” I turn to him just in time to see him pick up the soda at my feet.
“My tactics seemed to work just fine onyou.” He holds the can toward me.“Besides, it’s the beginning of the semester. Stocking the fridge is a work in progress.”
Eyes trained on the can, I back away slowly, hands up. “I don’t want anything to do with that can.”
