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Mourning the loss of his bare chest, I follow him to a red vinyl booth in the back. He waits while I slide in before taking the seat across from me.
I flip open the plastic-coated menu and skim over the specials. “What’s good?”
“Everything.”
“You did promise me a greasy burger and a chocolate malt. I guess I’ll have that.”
He grins and waves the waitress over. “Hey, June.”
“Jordan! Good to see you, sweetheart.” The silver-haired waitress places two glasses of room temperature water in front of us, then rests her hip against the side of the booth. “And who’s your friend?”
“Kennedy,” I introduce myself.
“Nice to meet you, honey.”
“You, too.”
“What’ll you two have?” June’s pen hovers over her stained notepad.
“Two cheeseburgers and two chocolate malts.” Jordan orders for both of us.
“Fries?” June asks.
Before I can decline, he answers for me. “Kennedy doesn’t eat fries.”
“All righty then.” June jots everything down with a smile. “Comin’ right up.”
“How’d you know?” I ask after June walks away.
He raises his eyebrows. “About the fries? Or the bowling alley?”
His question catches me off guard, and I pick at the corner of one of my bandages. “Either. Both.”
“You never touch your fries at lunch.” A slow grin curves his lips as if he’s reliving a favorite memory. “Not even the skinny shoestring kind they bring out for special occasions. You always let Nicole drown them in ketchup and, uh . . .” He lowers his gaze, focusing on some imaginary spot on the table and sits straighter, exhaling a long breath. “You have no idea how hard this is for me.”
“What?”
He lifts his eyes again, and the heat in his gaze sears my very soul.
“When you and Nicole didn’t show up at Fun Junction . . . I can’t explain it, but I knew something was wrong. I felt it . . . in here.” He takes my hand and brings it to his chest.
His heart thunders beneath my palm, making my own pulse race.
“I asked Jeremy if he’d heard from Nicole, and he said her phone was rolling straight to voicemail. I was going out of my mind. I had no idea where to search, and I couldn’t call you. I don’t have your number.” He glances at my phone on the Formica table beside me. “Then one of the guys cracked a joke about Nicole being too prissy for the meth heads at Twilight Lanes, and it clicked. I grabbed Jeremy, and we left without telling anyone where we were going.”
My fingers twitch against his chest, and he releases my hand. “You got all that because I was late?”
His gaze locks on mine. “You’re never late.”
“How do you know so much about me?” I lean back against the bench. “I dated Lucas for over a year, and he still has no clue.”
He shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I pay attention. You’re always hurrying to class, but you’re never the last one in the building. And when I see you at the dining hall, you’re always waiting for Nicole, which tells me either you got there early or she was late.”
“Observant.” I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I’ve been watching him lately, but his confession makes me brave. “I’ve paid attention, too, you know. I’m not exactly familiar with your eating habits, but I do know you’re not nearly as stupid as you clearly want people to think you are. Your classes are almost all in the math and science buildings.”
Despite what Nicole believes, I’m certain Jordan is destined for greatness.
He laughs, and the sound does things to my insides. “Stalker.”
