Page 29 of Bad Crush
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” She smiles so that one of her dimples shows.
“Right, yeah. I meant outside of the dining hall. Not that this isn’t romantic.”
“I promised Dakota I’d go watch her play spikeball tonight.”
When a pang of disappointment hits at hearing she has plans, I realize that I may be more into this than I even realized.
“Then I guess dining hall date it is.”
* * *
Dinner goes way toofast and before I know it, we’re heading back to the apartment complex so she can get ready to meet up with Dakota.
Reagan’s somewhere between the talkative and outgoing girl she was last night and the quiet one I’ve known over the years, and I’m wondering if this is her—the version I never got to see.
I take her hand and walk her to her door across from mine. “What do you say, can I take you on a real first date another night?”
“I’d like that,” she says and then bites her bottom lip. “Are you sure? I don’t want to talk you out of it, but you were just telling me a couple of nights ago that you weren’t in a good place for dating.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I knewyouliked me. This changes everything.” I squeeze her hand and force myself to take a step back. “Later, Reagan.”
Ginny and Heath are in the living room cuddled up on the couch when I walk into the apartment.
“Dr. Scott!” Heath calls.
“How was it?” Ginny asks. “Did you get Rea’s problem solved?”
“Yes,” I say and check her expression.
She’s wearing this big, uncontained smile. Wait a minute.
“You knew!” I shake my finger at her. Of course, she knew. She and Reagan are close. I can’t believe she kept it from me. If your own sister won’t tell you when the hottest girl on campus is into you, who will?
“She told you then? Really?” Ginny sits up and her grin gets somehow bigger. “Ahh, I thought she’d chicken out again.”
“Yeah.” I drop into a chair. “Some sister you are, keeping something like that from me.”
“I’m a great sister, but I’m also a great friend. So…?”
“So?” Heath and I ask at the same time.
“Are you into her?” Her face pales. “Oh my gosh, do I need to go over there with ice cream and wine? If you broke her heart—”
“Chill. I admit I was surprised, but yeah, I think she’s awesome. We’re gonna go out. Good to see whose side you’re on though, sis.”
“I’d bring you ice cream and wine, too, if someone broke your heart. Back to last night, was it really that bad? She was petrified that she’d ruined everything for you with the fake fiancée thing.”
“Wait,” Heath says. “What fake fiancée thing?”
“I’ll fill you in later,” she promises.
I shake my head. “No way. The exact opposite. You should have seen her working the room. Even my hard-ass professors loved her. Oh, and get this, she knows Janine.”
“The chick that’s always making you look bad?” Heath asks.
