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Holly shifted away from the conversation and looked out the window. It wasn’t that she didn’t have an opinion—because she did—and she absolutely could confirm the quietest building on campus was indeed not the main campus library, but the Cazier Science Library, but she’d much rather listen to everyone else’s thoughts. Ever since she could remember, she had always been like that. Listening instead of sharing. Maybe it was because her parents had ignored her thoughts for so many years that she just stopped sharing them. Or maybe... she preferred to hear others talk.
Once they went inside the grocery store, Holly broke away from the group, preferring to buy her things in private. There were still three weeks left in the semester, minus the break, and she had to stretch the remaining one-hundred-odd dollars in her spending account. Since her parents gave her zero help, she lived primarily on money earned from her summer job and her scholarship.
She stuck to the basics—bread, the cheap brand of cereal, and noodles. Most of her other meals were covered through her dining card, but since she’d taken advantage of eating three meals a day, instead of the recommended two, she’d run out of money by the time it was Halloween.
Thankfully, her roommates had asked her to cook more and more recently, and she was happy to oblige. Standing at the stove helped her unwind after a long day of studying, though it was surprising that she even wanted to be near a stove. Since it was an electric and had the wonderful absence of a flame, it didn’t give her the chills near as much.
She grabbed a loaf of bread, a package of value noodles, and the cheap cereal that became soggy if it sat too long.
“There you are,” someone called just as she headed for the register to check out. She turned to see Eric a few feet behind her. “The girls wanna know what you need for the noodles and stir fry.”
“I got enough noodles, but let me think.” She hated suggesting things for others to buy. “Tell them I need sesame seeds for the noodles, and they can pick out whatever vegetables they’d like for the stir fry.”
“And the meat?”
Oh, the meat. She usually went without. Meat was usually too expensive to splurge on. “Whatever they feel like. Chicken, beef, anything really. I can make it work.”
He smiled brightly at her, showing off his crooked smile. She wasn’t used to being alone with him, but she was surprised to find she didn’t mind. “High yield, low maintenance. I like it. Okay, I’ll go and find them.” His eyes swept over the three things in her hands, and she felt like hiding them behind her back.
“Do you want a basket? I can go get—”
“Nope,” she said, keeping her tone light. “I don’t need much.” When he frowned, she felt the need to explain. “You know—because I’m always cooking for Aimee and Diane.”
He snapped his finger loudly. “Ah, understood. A wise shopper. I like it.”
Her unscarred cheek burned at his words of approval. She opened her mouth to speak, but he’d already turned down another aisle.
She held the packages to her chest and continued to the front. By the time her friends were ready to go, she’d been sitting on the bench in front of the registers for over thirty minutes. She hadn’t minded. She kept her head down and played a game on her phone. It relaxed her in a store full of strangers.
“Ready to go?” Eric tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked up to see her roommates already heading for the exit. “Some friends they are,” she said jokingly.
Eric smiled widely, and instead of running to catch up with them, stayed by her side all the way to the car. “Let me get that for you,” he said when she reached for the door handle. She moved her hand in time for him to open it. When had he ever been so attentive? She thanked him before sitting down and pulling her bag closer.
Was Eric interested in her?
No, that was crazy. They were all just friends.
He slid into the cab next to Aimee and tugged on one of Aimee’s curls, making her squeal.
“Start the car,” he teased her.
No, his attention was just friendly. Frequently her mind tried to revert to the time before her accident, when guys asked her out every week, and even when she was too young, her parents didn’t care how late she stayed out. It had taken her a while to turn off the crush-alert in her mind. She hadn’t had feelings for a guy in years, and she wasn’t going to start now.
Even if Eric was the handsomest man she’d ever met.
2
Eric
You’re leaving?” Aimee asked.
Eric grabbed his backpack by the door and yawned. “Yeah, I have to get some studying in. Thanks for making me dinner.”
“They were Holly’s leftovers.”
“Fine, thank Holly for me,” he said. Aimee pouted out her bottom lip, and he tapped the top of her head. “I’ll come visit tomorrow. Maybe we can go sledding in the afternoon.”
Aimee’s face brightened. “Yes! Let’s do that. Girls, do you wanna?”
