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“So what? You remember how we became friends.”
Yeah, I do.
It was the first week of classes, and I was eating alone at the dining hall. My weekly planner was open, a green pen poised in my hand to begin transcribing all the assignments I had to keep track of for a semester, when I heard a loud click. Raising my head, I found a gorgeous brunette with torn-up jeans and a T-shirt with Calvin and Hobbes on the front, aiming a fancy camera at me. After snapping another shot, she put her camera on the table next to my notebooks and told me to watch it while she went to grab a plate of food.
“What if I had stolen it?” I asked when she got back to the table.
“Then, I would’ve chased you down and busted your kneecaps. But you didn’t. Good job on passing the decent-human-being test. I’m Terra Donovan.” She offered me her hand.
“Holly Foster.” I took the proffered hand.
“Nice to meet ya, Holly. Wanna have a sleepover this weekend?”
“Yeah, you invited me to a sleepover like we were in seventh grade.”
“And you accepted. That was after knowing me for less than five minutes. Now, we’re permanent fixtures in each other’s lives. So, is it really that strange that you care about a guy even if you’ve known him only for a little bit?”
“It’s just not how I operate.”
“Don’t even get me started on how you operate. I’ll be late for class.”
“You don’t have class today.”
“Exactly.”
I stick my tongue out at her, and she grins in response.
“Okay, then give me the CliffsNotes.”
Terra clutches her chest, eyes wide. “Did I hear that right? Holly Foster wants to use CliffsNotes?”
I fling a pillow at her head, but she dodges it, pretending to fan herself.
“Oh, shush up.”
“Language!” Terra mock scolds me, and I chuckle. Then, the humorous smile she wears fades into a sad one. “It’s just that … I get you don’t trust easily. And I’m not saying that you need to have hordes of friends. But I hate to see you wanting to connect with someone but holding yourself back out of fear. I think you should try hanging out with Ben again.”
“I told you—”
“I’m not saying, date him! Of course, I’m also not saying, don’t date him. But just consider that, sometimes, attraction is temporary. You could find that, in a few weeks, you don’t feel that crush anymore, but maybe you have a new friend. Not a new best friend though. That job is taken.” She rocks both thumbs at herself, emphasizing the gesture with a smirk.
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter as I consider her point.
I’m not unaware of my distancing tendencies. But the part about attraction fading into friendship is a new concept I haven’t considered. Maybe that could work.
“I see the wheels turning in your head. I’ll leave you to it.”
She disappears, and I lie back down in my pile of notes, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on my ceiling.
Friends with Ben.
That’s what my original plan was. Then, my fluttering chest and heating panties got in the way. But those distractions could be temporary. I can tamp down those responses until they disappear. All it’ll take is a bit of self-control.
Question is, does Ben still want anything to do with me?
BEN
“If you keep up this moping bullshit, I’m gonna stick your head in a toilet, so you really have something to be upset about.” Jasper’s exasperated voice drags me out of my self-contemplation.
