Page 31 of Freshmeet
Why is he still holding me?
A big, shiny, black pickup honked, setting off a chain reaction of the other cars honking. The light turned red, and the catcalls started.
“Get a room!”
“Kiss her!”
“Hey, baby, you eighteen?”
Connor let out a deep sigh and let me go, much to the disappointment of our audience. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked through the booing.
The light turned green, and I waved as our fans pulled away. “The Gamma house on Davis. It’s an anything but clothes party,” I said, gesturing down to my little black trash bag number. “Itdoesn’t matter how many of these parties I go to, I always forget how sweaty these trash bag dresses get.” Connor’s eyes traveled down to the duct tape hem I’d added for a little flair. “But I guess it’s better than being sweaty and covered in ink. Last ABC party, I wore a cardboard box, and?—”
“I need to get to the Welkum,” Connor interrupted, glancing at his watch. Adjusting the worn black band, he looked over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Talk about whiplash.
When he started walking, I didn’t follow. He made it all the way to Kum & Go a block down before he noticed. Hands on his hips, he shouted, “Come on. I don’t want to be late for my shift.”
My feet moved without my permission. “What’s that have to do with me?” I said when I caught up, confused by his demanding tone.
Connor frowned, reaching his hand out only to let it drop to his side. “I don’t like the idea of you running around Kirksville in the dark.”
I rolled my eyes and walked past him. “It’s not like I’ll get lost.”
“Yeah, but you might not make it where you’re going alive.”
Stopping abruptly in front of the small house with an overgrown jungle for a yard on the corner of Jefferson and Main, I turned, running right into Connor’s hard chest. “Um,” I mumbled, taking a step back. “Was that a threat?”
He huffed out a laugh, gently guiding me to the side of the sidewalk so a group of guys could pass. “No. It’s just not safe for you to be walking around at night.” His piercing blue eyes studied my face, and he shook his head. “Sorry, I’m still a little messed up from the other morning.” When he started walking, I joined him.
“What happened?” I tried to adjust my bra, but only managed to stretch the black plastic.
He glanced at me, then back at the cracked sidewalk. “There was a dead body at one of the construction sites I work at.”
I grabbed his arm, bringing him closer. “What?”
“It was a girl I went to high school with.”
Looking down the empty street as if someone would jump out at us, I pressed myself into Connor’s side. “That’s terrifying.”
He cleared his throat, his arm tightening around mine. “Yeah. So that’s why I want to make sure you make it to your friends in one piece.”
Of course, he’s just being a good guy.
The heavy thump of bass got louder as we approached the run-down two-story house. A few people stood on the front porch, laughing and carrying on. I wondered where the girls were. As soon as I got inside, I needed to make sure we stuck together.
Connor brought us to a stop a few houses down, but didn’t drop my arm. “Are you going to be okay?”
I looked up at him, a smile playing on my lips. “I think so.”
He frowned and took out his phone. “Give me your number.”
“And why would I do that?” I dropped his arm, crossing mine in front of my chest.
“So, you can text me if you need a ride home.”
“We have DDs,” I said, pulling my phone from my tiny purse.
