Chapter Nine

Ben

It’s been a week since the incident in Hannah’s dorm, and I still can’t get her face out of my mind. Truth is, I don’t even know what that was. I sort of guessed Hannah was into me, and yeah, she’s cute. Really cute. But that night last week when she leaned toward me, she wasn’t cute anymore— She was soft lips and fluttering eyelashes, and fuck, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her, press her back onto the bed, and do a whole lot more than kissing.

I freaked out, and I’ve spent all week figuring out what to do. But now I know. I just lost my focus; that’s all. Alex. Alex is the one I want. That’s the plan. It was always the plan.

Today is the day I refocus. It’s Alex’s birthday, and I’ve bought her a necklace—a delicate gold heart with a tiny diamond set in it. Definitely not a gift for a girl who’s just a friend. Giving her the necklace will make my intentions unmistakable.

“Ben?” Adele calls as she makes her way up the aisle. “I can’t find that copy of The Aeneid for the phone order that came in. Is it still in the computer?”

I tap a few keys as Adele leans onto the counter. “Inventory says it’s here. But there’s this other copy of The Aeneid that Elliot supposedly sold last week. I bet he clicked on the wrong copy. Idiot.”

“Can you email that nice lady back and tell her we don’t have it anymore?”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it.”

Her gaze falls on Alex’s present wrapped and ready to go on the counter, and she arches an eyebrow. “Oooh, what have you got here?”

“It’s for Alex. Today is her birthday.”

Adele tips her head to the side. It’s impossible to miss, based on the size and shape, that it’s a jewelry box. “I see.” She sighs, sounding disappointed. “Well, I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Adele drifts away, and I stare at her back. I haven’t missed that she’s been playing matchmaker with Hannah and me, but she should know better. I’ve felt this way about Alex since way before Hannah ever showed up. Maybe I was slow to make it happen, but today I’m going to fix that.

As soon as the clock hits two, which is when Alex’s shift starts today, I grab the present and head out to Coffee Oasis. I glance through the plate glass front window— Alex is tying her apron around her waist and laughing at something. When she laughs, she throws her head back and her whole body lights up; she’s absolutely gorgeous.

One deep breath and I push through the door. It’s mid-afternoon, so thankfully there aren’t a lot of customers. Marc is dealing with two girls at the counter while Alex refills a napkin dispenser.

“Hey.”

She looks up and smiles. “Hey, Ben.”

With no preamble, I pass the gift across the counter to her. “Happy birthday.”

Her smile fades as she takes it. “Wow. Did you—”

“Today’s your birthday, right?”

“Yeah, it is. I just… I can’t believe you got me something.”

“Of course I did.” I force a smile even though my body is thrumming with nerves. “Go ahead and open it.”

My stomach is in knots as she tears the paper off. She flips the top of the box, and her eyes go wide.

“Oh, wow, Ben… It’s way too much.”

“No such thing as too much for your birthday.”

She sighs and smiles at me. “That’s really sweet, Ben.”

My heart sinks. Sweet? Sweet is a guy saving a seat for you, or loaning you his lecture notes. How about “you know me so well” or “this is perfect and I love it.” She’s acting like I bought her a coffee or something. I swallow down my disappointment and push ahead with my plan.

“So, do you have any great plans for your birthday?” Because if you don’t, I’m giving you plans.

She smirks. “You mean besides making cappuccinos for other people all afternoon?”

“After that.”

“Actually, yeah. A friend of mine is having a party.”

I deflate inside. “Oh. They’re throwing you a party? That’s great.”

“No, it’s not for me. It’s a giant house party. Like a ‘it’s nearly Thanksgiving break so let’s all get wasted’ kind of thing. Hey, you should come.”

My breath catches— She’s inviting me? Maybe all isn’t lost, after all. “Really? You want me to come?”

“Sure. Hang on, I have the flyer somewhere.” She retrieves her huge bag from under the counter and digs through it endlessly, depositing two textbooks, her laptop, makeup, hair things, and all manner of stuff onto the counter. Finally, she produces a rumpled photocopy. “Got it! I knew it was in there. I never throw anything away.”

“Clearly,” I joke.

She shovels all the junk back into her bag without a single chuckle and thrusts the flyer at me. “Seriously, you should come. I bet you’ll have a great time.”

I hold back a long sigh. I don’t want to read too much into her not laughing at my joke, but shouldn’t there be some sort of spark here? Am I being that dumb guy who can’t read a girl’s signals?

She did give me this flyer, though. I look at it, all bold letters and exclamation points. It’s not the kind of party I’d ever go to on my own, but if she wants me there… “I’ll be there.”

“Great! So, you want a coffee? Birthday girl is treating.”

I’d rather have hot chocolate, but it’s not a big deal. I wave the flyer with a smile. “Sure. Looks like this’ll be a late night. I might need it.”