Page 76 of Autumn on My Mind

Me

Calling your attention, please.

Dominic

Hit me with it.

Me

As per our agreement, Operation A-on-the-Midterm is now in action. I need to focus. I will therefore be cutting our library study sessions to only once a week.

Dominic

…I’m not sure you know how studying works, Berkeley.

Me

BECAUSE I don’t study as well with you!

You’re always right there, smelling good. The girls that walk past giggle when they see you, and while you never seem to notice, I find it very distracting.

Dominic

Now you know how I feel when guys walk past and check you out.

It’s a heavy burden to bear.

I stare at my phone, my brow furrowing as I read Dominic’s words. Then, without a second thought, I pull up his number—even though Intro to Engineering starts in fifteen minutes, so I probably could wait to talk to him then.

He answers after one ring.

“That doesn’t happen,” I say before he can speak.

“What,” he says, “guys checking you out as they walk past?”

“Yeah.”

A little puff of laughter filters down the line. “Of course it does,” he replies, sounding distracted. “Hey—do you have my green notebook?” The faint noise of shuffling papers reaches me. “I’m looking, but I can’t find it.”

I shift in my poorly padded auditorium seat, staring aimlessly around the mostly empty room and thinking back to yesterday. “The math one?”

He hums his assent as the shuffling sound continues.

“Check in your expanding folder,” I say, trying to remember. “I kind of think you put it in there.”

“Did I?” There’s a brief pause, until—“Oh! Here it is. Good catch.” Then, a second later, he returns. “Are you really ditching our library dates?”

“If you think those were dates, you need some practice.”

A beat of silence. “I could practice.”

His voice is normal, but the words send a spike of adrenaline through my veins—maybe even because he sounds so casual.

“Well, yes,” I say, clearing my throat. “You should do that.”

With me, my traitorous mind adds. You should practice dating with me.

“Anyway,” I go on. “Because you are mildly distracting, I need to study alone.”