Page 5 of Keep Me Never
My cheeks start to pinken, as clearly that means he did—no wonder he didn’t bring his book; he likely assumed he’d remember enough to know the answers. I huff, scowling at the page. “I planned on it but then—” I cut myself off, huffing again. “Honestly, I am a serial skimmer. It helps that I have a knack for knowing what’s important and what’s not. My brain sort of auto-categorizes data. I think it’s the whole eight-count choreographer thing or something because it’s always been that way.”
“And then there’s me.” He glares at his notebook, flipping the pages to show dozens of notes, highlighted and underlined. “But I do remember what I read most of the time, so I’ve got a goodidea of the answers for half of these already. I just want to make sure. I need all the points I can get on the easy stuff in case I tank a test along the way.”
“You tell me what word to skim for and we’ll go from there?”
Chase gives a half smile, nodding, and we spend the next forty-five minutes with our heads together, finishing with ten minutes to spare.
We turn in our papers and walk out of the building, into the open quad area.
“Well, I guess I could have stopped for that dose of caffeine I was in desperate need of on my way here, after all.” I pause, telling myself just to ask. “Do you… Would you want to walk over and get one? The others won’t be headed toward the cafeteria for at least fifteen minutes.”
He’s glaring at his phone screen, but his eyes pop up to mine. “Uh…”
“It’s okay if not. I might still run over there, and I can just meet everyone in the dining hall if it takes longer.” I give a tight smile. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to save me a seat if I take a while.”
For a moment, there is complete silence between us, and I’m about to turn the color of a tomato, possibly even dash away, but then Chase shakes his head. “Yeah, no. I’ll walk you over.”
The frown on his face seems to deepen as he faces forward, stuffing his phone in his pocket, and when I don’t move to follow him, he glances at me over his shoulder.
“You really don’t have to walk with me. I’m happy to meet up with everyone in a bit. Honest.”
He curses lightly to himself and comes back this way, pausing in front of me. “Sorry, I’ve just… My head is a little busy right now. Come on.” He yanks his chin toward the café and slowly, I fall in step beside him. “Just smack me if you see me pull my phone out again, all right? Better yet.” He takes his phone from his pocket, powering it off, and swings his backpack around, stuffing the electronic in the small zipper pouch.
“You don’t have to do that on my account.”
“I won’t get a damn thing accomplished today if I don’t ignore it for at least a little while.” His shoulders tense, his eyes cutting my way as if he’s said too much when he’s said virtually nothing at all.
I want to ask him what’s been bothering him, as it’s obvious something has. He disappeared a lot this summer, backing out on some of the day-to-day plans we’d make at the last minute.
“I get it.” I level with him instead. “Trust me. My…grandfather…” I can’t help but chuckle. “God, I don’t think that will ever not be weird to say. Anyway, he’s sort of, I don’t know, needy? I don’t want to hurt his feelings because he’s trying and stuff. It’s all so new, so I haven’t really figured out how to go about things, basically making myself available when I’m not.”
“Sounds like a very Paige thing to do.”
I look up at him, wondering what that means.
Chase chuckles, seeing the question in my eyes, and faces ahead. “I don’t know, you’re like this…pretty little doll, all perfect and poised, always worrying about what other people think or need.”
My head snaps forward, and I go as far as to point my smile in the opposite direction of him to try to hide it, doing my best to rein myself in. The blood in my veins should not be dancing at his words, especially when he’s just being kind. I am far from perfect, and the poised thing is simply a result of a dancer’s posture—that and trying to appear a little taller than my five-foot frame. It’s sad really, maybe even a little pathetic, how nice it feels to hear him say that about me, but that’s me: starved for, I don’t know…something more, I guess.
Your secret billionaire grandfather is offering you an entirely new life. How much more could you possibly want, Paige?
“I’m sorry. If that sounded patronizing, that wasn’t?—”
I whip around, reaching up to grip his bicep. “No, no. It didn’t. Thank you for what you said, and it’s true. Well, the last part.” I laugh lightly, walking inside the café as he holds the door open. “Hence, why I’ve been late so much.”
“So it’s the grandfather keeping you busy, then? Not the repairs at your studio or a guy or somethin’?”
I peek over at him, and that little frown of his is back as he stares at the menu. Was thatanxiousnessin his tone?
I shake off the thought, trying to decide how to respond. I’m too embarrassed to tell him the “studio repairs” are nonexistent because I spent the rest of my dad’s life insurance money on the building, leaving nothing left to insure the actual building after paying my tuition fees for this year.
“It’s most definitely a man.” My eyes lock onto hazel ones. “A seventy-five-year-old man who is built like a boxer, who doesn’t look a day over fifty-five, who I’m expected to callGrandpa.”
Chase laughs loudly and I can’t help but smile. “Needy. Got it, makes sense now.”
We’re next in line so I glance up at him again. “Will you let me get you a coffee or something?” I haven’t even finished my sentence before he tries shuffling from the line, intent on declining. “It will make me feel better about you having to fight off the scary girl with dark hair at the end of our row. I know she wants that middle seat we’ve claimed.”
Chase’s lips hook up to one side. “Does she now?”
