Chapter Three

It’s Friday evening and I’m meeting Grant for dinner as promised, although I’m dreading the questions he will have about Eve. He knew exactly what he was doing by sending her to my room. I’ll just have to play it cool, because with a twin brother, it’s useless trying to keep anything secret.

“Annie-are-you-okay!”

I roll my eyes at the yell from across the quad.

My hyperspacey brother goes through phases where he loves calling me by every nickname and pop culture reference he can come up with. I was “Annie-get-your-gun!” for almost the entire year we were fourteen because the high school had put on that musical.

I stop on the sidewalk and wait for Grant to catch up. It’s not worth ignoring him. He’ll just persist. Not that I usually want to ignore him anyway, but for someone as introverted as I am, he can be exhausting when he’s in a good mood.

He grins at me as he jogs up, his overly long red hair flopping over his forehead, his backpack bouncing where it hangs off one shoulder. “Dinner?”

“Starving.”

We start down the long, curving sidewalk toward the student union building, which houses all the food options as well as the bookstore and mail center.

“So, what do you think of Eve?”

I can hear the grin in his voice without looking. Grant already knows about my…interest in Eve, but he should also know that I’m not going to swoon over meeting her. He has met me.

“Seemed nice enough,” I say. “Technologically deficient, but I’m used to that. Keeps me in pocket money.”

Grant laughs, something he does a lot more now that he and Darryn are together. I can imagine how he’ll be once they finally stop sleeping in separate beds. Or actually, no. I don’t want to think too closely about that. The less detail I have about my twin brother’s sex life, the better. Especially since my own sex life is best described as “theoretical.”

“Eve’s cool,” Grant says. “I figured she’d have a big head about the whole softball star thing, but she’s pretty down to earth.” He nudges me with an elbow. “Pretty to look at, too.”

“I didn’t notice.” It’s a lie, and we both know it. Eve’s preternaturally beautiful face is imprinted on my brain like a flash burn. If she hadn’t been so gorgeous, I might have had a chance at having a normal conversation with her.

Okay, probably not. Conversation isn’t my strong suit. Hell, it isn’t even my weak suit. I can talk to people I know well, and I can talk about computers, and that’s about it. Part of the reason I’m at University of Atlanta is the school’s liberal policy on special accommodations. My anxiety qualifies for an exemption from most oral presentations and leniency on “participation” grades that require you to speak up in class.

The dining hall is less than half full when we walk in, which is still a lot more people than I like to be around. It could be worse though. I could be alone. But I’m not.

I follow Grant to the line. The food options aren’t great, but I find a premade chicken salad sandwich, a bowl of fruit that looks halfway decent, and a bottle of apple juice.

Grant’s waiting his turn at the hot food line, so I find a table for two off to one side, away from the crowd, and sit facing the wall. My unease with having people behind me is eclipsed by my need to not see them all staring at me.

“Is that all you’re eating?” The tray Grant sets down is full to overflowing with a large plate with two grilled chicken breasts and a small baked potato, separate small bowls of green beans and corn, a banana, a cup of yogurt, and a huge glass of tea.

I lift an eyebrow. “Unlike some people, I don’t burn off nine million calories a day in the gym.” I shrug. “Plus I’m not that hungry.”

Grant grins and picks up his fork. “Your loss.”

While I work on small bites of fruit, he packs away half of his meal in about five minutes before he slows down a little. That’s when he gets dangerous, because he has time to chat. I should have learned this by now.

“What was wrong with it?”

I know what he’s talking about. We are twins, after all, and despite our differences, our minds often follow the same tracks. Not to mention that I lived with him for eighteen years.

“Wrong with what?” Just because I know what he means doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy on him. Sibling’s rights.

“The laptop. Eve’s laptop,” he adds quickly, since of course he knows my next question would’ve been which laptop?

I shrug a shoulder and stab a wedge of pineapple with my fork. “Random glitchiness. Took out the battery, put it back in, and it worked fine. Next time she’ll know to do that herself.”

“Awww.” Grant peels his banana and bites off the end. “And here I was hoping to practice my awesome matchmaking skills.”

I almost tell him not to talk with his mouth full, but I know from experience that would only end with a close-up view of half-chewed food. “You spent a year pining away for your roommate,” I remind him. “Your ‘skills’ aren’t exactly legendary.”

He waves his fork. “Semantics. I totally hooked up Ricky and Wanda last semester of our senior year.”

I’d roll my eyes again, but they’re starting to ache. “Those two were practically joined at the hip before you met either of them. That was pure inevitability.”

Grant glares and stuffs another forkful of potato into his mouth. This time, he swallows before he replies. “Bet she asked you out.”

A heated flush rises on my face, but I ignore it. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Too late. “Then why are you blushing?”

Damn this pale skin anyway. “I’m not blushing.”

Grant simply stares.

I shake my head. “She offered to pay for the fix. I declined. End of story.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Grant lifts an eyebrow, gaze fixed on the demolished remains of his dinner. He pushes around his last piece of potato and then flicks his eyes up from behind the fall of his bangs.

“She’s pretty smart, you know. She’s probably at the top of our anatomy class. Snarky as hell, but not mean about it. Pretty, too.” He pauses. “If you’re into that whole gorgeous, blue-eyed, athletic body, goddess thing.”

I’m so into it. And my flushed face is totally giving me away. If it weren’t anatomically impossible, my face would have burst into flames by now.

Grant shoves a bite into his mouth and chews, eyes glinting with glee.

“Whatever.” I drop my fork and pick up my glass to drain it. “You headed home this weekend?”

Our parents live half an hour from campus in typical messy Atlanta traffic, and we generally take turns going back to visit every month or so.

Grant nods. “Just for dinner tomorrow night. Mom tempted us with cheesecake.”

“Ooo. Bring me back a slice. If Dad will let it out of the house.”

He snorts. “It’s cute that you think there’ll be any left after we’re done with it.”

“Make it happen, or I’ll break out every embarrassing story I know next time I’m around Darryn.” Grant growls, and I can’t resist a snicker as I push to my feet. “Gotta get going. See you later, bro. Give the ’rents my regards.”

He waves a middle finger, and I head for the tray return, secure in the knowledge that even if no one else gets me, my irritating, nosy, sometimes hot mess of a twin brother does.

As I walk back to the dorm, my mind won’t settle. I’m trying to plan out the rest of my week, classes and computer work and all, but my thoughts keep flitting off to land on Eve. What if her laptop craps out and she drops by my dorm room again? What if she drops by just to chat? Oh God, that’s going to keep me distracted.

I’m almost to the building and just about ready to tear my hair out when a voice calls out from my left and I turn to see the woman herself approaching.

Damn. I stop in my tracks before I trip over my own two feet. Also, because her walking toward me is a thing to pause and admire. As if her beautiful face weren’t enough, her body is pure perfection—from the soft curves of her hips and breasts to the lean muscle honed by hours on the field and in the gym. Even if I could tear my gaze away, I wouldn’t want to.

“Hi, Annie.” She smiles as she stops in front of me, looking a little unsure. “I wanted to find out if you’re free for dinner tomorrow night.”

I stare for a long moment before I manage a reply. “I’m sorry, what?”

Her smile drops a smidgen but doesn’t disappear. “Dinner. I promised you dinner for fixing my laptop and saving my bacon. I mean, you don’t have to.” She gives a sort of shrug. “But I thought it’d be nice.”

I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do now. The sum total of times I’ve been asked to dinner by anyone I’m not related to is…well, zero. And is she actually asking me out, like on a date, or just trying to pay back a favor?

Doesn’t matter.

I open my mouth to let out the panicked no I’ve been holding back, but then I remember what Mo said about actually looking for someone instead of waiting for them to magically appear. Although Eve did show up out of nowhere, I guess the point is I should try and follow up. I mean, when will I get the chance to go out with a hot athlete again? Never.

Besides, Eve’s preference is for casual hookups, so it’s not like I have to decide on anything serious. It’s just dinner.

Maybe…maybe I should just suck it up and go. Even if I’m terrified the whole time, even if I can’t talk or trip over my own two feet or have a panic attack in the restaurant, at least I could say I tried. That would make my mom happy, not to mention my therapist. Heck, I might even have a good time.

I close my mouth, swallow hard, and force out the words. “Sure. Sounds great.”

Eve’s grin is blinding. “Awesome! Pick you up at seven?”

I nod. “Okay.”

“Great!” She steps forward, and before I can flinch away, she kisses my cheek like she did before. “It’s a date.”

And she’s off and gone, disappearing around the corner of the building before I’ve taken another breath. After a couple of inhales and exhales, I move on autopilot, and it’s not until I’m closing my dorm room door behind me that it sinks in.

Oh, hell. I’ve gone and gotten myself a date with one of the hottest people on campus. Me, who can barely string sentences together around strangers, much less gorgeous crushes. That’s a recipe for so many disasters it could fill a cookbook.

I drop my forehead against the door.

Fuck. My. Life.