“So.”
Denton’s light blonde head turned to face me.
“So?” My brows lifted. He’d been acting fidgety since he sat down. Professor Wallaby was running late and his TA wasn’t in yet either. The whole class was watching the clock on the wall.
Ten minutes.
“There’s a thing…sort of like an event.” He smiled tentatively, his right hand rubbing the corner of his jaw.
“Hmm…sort of?”
“It’s kind of an important event,” he muttered, still rubbing his jaw.
Denton didn’t usually speak in Valley Girl code so this must be bothering him. In the past months, we’d gotten closer. Not in the way I’d originally thought it to be. We had become close friends though there were times when I’d catch him looking at me and he’d turn his head abruptly, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been.
“My mom’s being honored for some Woman of the Year award.” His lips turned up, his hands now busy with a pen, doodling on a blank piece of paper that I’d handed him earlier. He always forgot his notepad so I’d become his and Mario’s paper supplier.
“Wow that’s so great!” I exclaimed, reaching for the phone inside my book bag. I’d felt it vibrate against my leg.
“It is...” He nodded, pride visible on his face. “She’s a great lady. I’m biased cause she’s my mom, but she’s really worked hard to be where she’s at today.”
If there was a woman whose achievements merited the top awards, it would be Governor Shayla Holmes. She’s provided homes to women in crises, ensured that the homeless received food and lodging, and was a top advocate for climate change. She set the bar way high for legislators to uphold honor and integrity while serving the people. It wasn’t a mystery how she’d been voted for her second term by ninety percent of the population. Her work spoke for her. As Senate President pro tempore, her hands were always full so her sons got the least amount of time with her. Denton may have mentioned once or twice that he wished his mom would be around to watch more of his games, but his grumble was normal from the perspective of a son missing his mom.
The noise from the auditorium was getting louder as my classmates checked the clock again.
Twenty minutes.
“I need a plus one.” Denton’s eyes slid to the space beside me. It was as if he was almost too shy to ask.
Adorable.
“Okay,” I checked out the black and white plastic clock facing all of us. T-minus twenty-two. “I’m sure Mario would love to go.”
Denton fake-coughed then his shoulders shook, “I’m sure he would. He’d do anything for a free meal.”
Mario wasn’t in class today. He had a bad case of food poisoning that made him run to the bathroom every ten minutes. His last reply to our group text was a photo of him wrapped in a green blanket, sitting on his bathroom floor.
The poor guy had eaten one too many enchiladas from a street food vendor in downtown L.A. and twelve hours later he’d been a pukey mess.
“But I want you.” The words came out rapidly and I almost missed hearing them, what with the excited noise around us.
My gaze landed on his face.
Clean-cut.
Handsome.
Green eyes that could make any woman swoon and melt.
I could attest to that since I was one of those women who swayed under his stare.
Those greens focused on me and he said, “I want you to go with me. It would be an honor for me to have you as my date.”
No was on the tip of my tongue and the answer that my heart would agree with.
“It’s one night, A.” Sometimes he’d cut my name short to A. And those times were instances when I knew he really meant it. “I know you’re not into me…”
A brunette sitting two chairs down eyed me with curiosity. She was probably thinking, “Why wouldn’t you be into him? Are you blind?”
“I’m not this tough SEAL guy.” His green eyes dimmed and his shoulders sagged an inch, “I’m not abrasive, loud, or obnoxious. I’m barely keeping the B’s in my classes and I don’t even know if I’m going to the NBA.”
The banana muffin that I had for breakfast was now churning uncomfortably in my stomach. I wasn’t expecting a conversation like this before noon. Or anytime. At all.
He kept his eyes on me, refusing to let my gaze fall. “But I like you, A. And I think before he came into the picture, you liked me too – in that way. I’m sorry if I’m blindsided you like this. It’s just that I never get the chance to speak to you alone anymore. All I’m asking is for a night. A date.”
As soon as the clock hit the thirty-minute mark, the whole class fled the room.
It was extremely unusual for Professor Wallaby not to show up. Even his TA was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they were both okay. Maybe they got the food bug that Mario had. But the class syllabus explicitly stated that we could leave if the teacher did not show up thirty minutes after the class start time.
Denton remained in his seat, he didn’t look like he was planning to go anytime soon.
Webb as usual was waiting outside and he’d be coming in to check on me if I wasn’t out by the time my classmate, Ian, the guy with the red headphones and blue canvas bag, was out the door. He was the last person waiting patiently for everyone else to get through the door.
No would be my answer.
But as I looked into Denton’s eyes, I caught glimpses of myself before this whole thing with my dad happened.
Denton was right.
Before Webb entered my life, he was the guy I dreamed about.
The man I wanted to be with.
My feelings towards him might have changed, but it wasn’t his fault.
Nothing had changed with the way he looked, or the way he acted, or even the way he smiled.
It could possibly be true that he’s not the tough Navy guy, but he was tough in his own ways. He was the coolest guy under a tremendous amount of pressure to produce outstanding results on the basketball floor.
And right now, he was asking me for a night out.
A date.
Maybe a chance to feel normal again in the midst of the situation that I had been unintentionally put in.
How –
How can I say no?
“Is it a black tie event?” I asked before I could think more about it.
His eyes lit up in a way that blinded me. He was prepared for me to say no and I was too.
So the next words that came out of me shocked us both. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
He quickly stood up from his chair and raised his hands up in the air, yelling, “Yeah!”
My face heated up as Ian, who was a few steps from the door, glanced back with a shake of his head.
I stood up to hush Denton and instead I was engulfed in big, strong arms.
Arms that had the strength to defend himself against top-caliber guards.
Arms that offered the warmth of friendship and more if I wanted it. He said something to the effect of no worries, I got you covered then he raised me, lifting my feet off the ground. I gave him a big smile and put my hands on his blonde head.
And it was in that position that Webb found us.
Denton’s back was towards Webb so he didn’t see the myriad of emotions that were mirrored on Webb’s face.
Surprise.
Anger.
Sadness.
I’d made no promises to Denton, I was giving him one night out of the many nights in my life.
I turned my eyes away from Webb, refusing to see the hurt bouncing off of him.
There was no doubt that my heart beat for him.
But a long time ago, I promised a ten-year-old boy named Kyle that I would shower the world with smiles and love.
Denton reminded me so much of Kyle.
And if I could give the man holding me in his arms one of the highlights of his college life, why not?
I just wished that the man who carried the weight of my world and my father’s burden would understand.
Because if not…then I wouldn’t know what to do.