“Oh my gosh, Todd!” I lunge toward the counter to help him clean the spreading coffee spill that’s about to ruin a stack of brand new books that are right beside him.

“It’s okay,” he says, unraveling a roll of paper towels. “I’ve got this.” Reaching for the paper towels, I tear a few off the roll and wipe under the register before the sticky liquid runs too much more. “Thanks,” he mutters.

Our faces are only a few inches apart as we both work to clean up the spill. My hand almost touches his, causing me to pause and move to another section of the counter. I’ve never been this close to him but now that I am, I can feel my cheeks heating up. There’s something about him that makes me feel nervous and self-conscious even though I don’t have a reason to be but I can’t help it.

“What can I do for you today?” He asks after we discard the soaking towels in the trash can beside the register.

“I was wondering if you could make some copies of these flyers for me,” I say, showing him the graphics that I printed in my dorm room before I made my way across campus.

They’re not supposed to make mass copies of things like this at the campus bookstore, but Todd’s always willing to bend the rules for me when I come in. Sometimes I feel like I’m taking advantage of him but I try to justify it by reminding myself that it’s all for a good cause. It’s not like I’m asking for party flyers for the latest beer pong competition.

“What do you have there?” He asks, reading them as he takes them from my hand. “A haunted house? Sounds like a lot of fun.”

I smile because it will be a lot of fun. We’re using the old spooky mansion that Stacy’s parents own. She’s our sorority president and it’s often referred to as ‘The Shackleford Mansion’. Just the looks of it are enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine and it’s well known, so I’m hoping it will be a hit. Of course, these flyers will help spread the word since they’re going to help advertise it and, hopefully, increase ticket sales.

“I know,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear. I always get so nervous around him because he’s drop dead gorgeous. He’s almost a foot taller than me and his t-shirts cling to his muscles, showing off his biceps and pecs; I can only imagine what his abs look like. Todd’s the quiet type, which is the exact opposite of me, so I always feel awkward talking to him. I often feel like I just ramble when I’m around him but he doesn’t seem to mind. “I’m super excited about this because all of the benefits will go toward the Oakridge Children’s Hospital.”

“You normally work with them, right?” He asks.

My jaw drops open and I quickly remind myself to close it before I catch a fly. “Yes! I do,” I smile, nodding like an idiot. I’m shocked that he remembers. I may have mentioned it in the past but I honestly didn’t think he was paying attention.

The Oakridge Children’s Hospital means so much to me and my medical research. I never thought I’d be studying chemistry, biology, and physics but creating cures and vaccines to treat and prevent illnesses has become my number one priority.

I owe it all to my nephew who was born with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. My sister wasn’t initially aware that he was born with SMA until she noticed his inability to crawl. He had other symptoms prior to crawling such as trouble breathing and swallowing, but his doctor couldn’t pinpoint the diagnosis until he was closer to eight months old. It’s a hell of a disease that attacks nerve cells in the spinal cord which will ultimately cause neurons to die and weaken.

Todd flashes a sly grin and says, “I pay attention.” Leaning closer to the counter he lowers his voice, drawing me closer to him and all I can concentrate on in his gorgeous smile and intoxicating cologne. “You know you’re the only one I do this for but I don’t mind because you’re always helping those who need it most.”

My cheeks flush a brighter shade of crimson and I can feel my face becoming warm. “Thank you, it really means a lot to me. I wouldn’t ask but money’s kind of tight; otherwise, I’d run these down to Kinko’s.”

Him helping me with my flyers has saved me tons of money and I want him to know that I appreciate it because I do. He doesn’t have to do this. It’s not like he owes me any favors. If anything, I owe him. Big time.

“Think nothing of it,” he says. “How many of these do you need?”

“Could you print a hundred of them? If it’s not too much trouble,” I add.

“Sure,” he says, punching the numbers into the copy machine. “You know, helping children is very inspiring and, believe it or not, it means a lot to me—helping kids, I mean. If you need any help or anything with setting up the haunted house or if you need actors, I’m all in.”

“Really?” I giggle. “That would be great. I’m not sure what I could have you do, but if you really mean it, I’m sure I can find something. We always need a ton of help.”

“Just let me know and I’ll be there.”

The sincerity in his voice is sexy as hell. How is he so damn good looking, smart, sexy, and sweet? I wonder if he has a girlfriend but I’d never ask—not in a million years. Guys like Todd are probably one in a million and I doubt I’d ever have a shot with someone like him. He probably doesn’t even notice girls like me.

Even though I belong to the Mi Alpha Alpha sorority, I’m as plain as they come. My sorority sisters would probably die if they knew this but I buy all of my clothes from the thrift store and from secondhand shops. I hate going to the mall with them while they fill their bags with hundred dollar blue jeans and eighty dollar sweaters. It always ends the same: I tell them I’m saving money for something when they question why I didn’t buy anything.

The truth is, I’m lucky if I can afford to buy name brand clothes from the thrift store. I try to go on Wednesday’s when I shop because that’s half-price day, and sometimes I have trouble buying clothes then.

I know I shouldn’t be ashamed but I am. The hospital where I work pays decent but I give a lot of my money to charities or buy gifts for some of the patients who don’t have family to help cheer them up. Right now I work with the geriatric patients who’ve broken hips or just had surgery, but when I graduate I’ll be working with babies and children. My plan is once I have my degree, I’m going to apply at the Oakridge Children’s Hospital for a full-time position on their research team. Hopefully, my charity work with them will help me gain secure a job there in the future. They’re one of the best children’s hospitals in the US to work for, and I want to be in a place where I’ll be the best asset to kids like my nephew and many others.

He turns his attention back to the copy machine which has finished running off the last of the flyers. He bends over, taking them from the printer tray and I can’t look away no matter how hard I try. His ass looks amazing in those jeans. They’re a dark denim with a perfect wear pattern along the butt and legs. I quickly look away as he stands back up before he turns around. “Here you go,” he straightens them before handing them to me. “Can I keep one? I’ll hang it on the bulletin board.”

“Sure, thanks! That’d be great,” I say.

He takes the top copy before giving me the stack. “And I mean what I said. Let me know how I can help. Okay?”

I nod, timidly taking them from him before my sorority sister, Ava, walks up to the counter. She completely ignores the fact that the two of us were in the middle of a conversation and blurts out, “Hey Todd, can you point me in the direction of the new foreign language books? Specifically, Russian.”

She’s not interrupting on purpose. If she didn’t have her nose shoved in a book—like she always does—she probably would’ve noticed that Todd and I were in the middle of…something. What? I’m not sure but whatever it was is now over. I’m not mad at her. How could I be? She’s a sweetheart and I love her to death.

Todd offers me an apologetic smile as I casually wave a low-key goodbye before I shuffle out of the library before anyone else stops me. I have to get to my biology class on time or Professor Martin will have my head. He’s such a stickler on attendance.

Now all I can do is try to figure out how to incorporate Todd into the fundraiser so I can have some one-on-one time with him.