She raises her brows at me, unimpressed. She’s put up with Logan’s shit too long to be waylaid by outbursts. “All I’m saying is it’s okay to date someone different than you’re used to. Look outside the box for a girl with some substance.”
“Aren’t you a feminist? Why are you tearing down the girls I’ve been with in the past?”
She rolls her eyes. “I can be a feminist and still annoyed when someone can’t answer basic Jeopardy questions.”
I let out a snort. “I can’t answer those.”
“Well, you will now that Eden’s tutoring you.”
I zip up my bag to leave, but she stops me before I go. “Hey, I’m not trying to bust your balls. It’s just, you had this look in your eye when you said Eden’s name. One that you didn’t have the first time when you mentioned you were getting a tutor for Bio. And then you sounded genuinely interested in her when you said how smart she is.”
I stay silent for a moment, processing her words. “She’s a cool girl,” I finally settle on. “But that’s all, there’s nothing more. The same way you and I hang out as friends, but it’s not anything more.”
“Okay,” she agrees easily, letting me go.
But knowing her, I doubt it’s the last I’ll hear of it.
“SO FLIRTING DOESN’T really seem to be working out,” I tell Eden as gently as I can after her latest failed attempt at responding to my suggestion. “Maybe it’s just not your thing.”
“Obviously,” she mutters, rubbing at her forehead. “What am I doing wrong?”
Around us, the library isn’t as full as it normally is, so I lower my voice a little more.
“Well for one, you’re taking everything too literally. Flirting’s about being loose, open to what comes next, playing off the other person’s responses.”
“I don’t like the unknown,” she states baldly. “I like facts, not being all loosey goosey.”
I turn to the side, hiding a smile. Who the hell says loosey goosey? “How about we go back to making a plan then?”
“Yes, plans. I like plans.” She pulls a notebook out of the depths of her backpack and flips to an already partially filled page. “So previously we spoke about asking him for class notes-”
I pull the notebook toward me, reading over the step-by-step list she’s made for approaching this guy. “Did you seriously make a bulleted checklist for borrowing his notes?”
“Yes,” she says, defensive as she moves it back in front of her. “I like to know what to expect. That’s the whole reason I’m here. To be prepared.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Geez, talk about shooting myself in the foot. If she didn’t have the driving need for preparation, I wouldn’t be getting tutored in not one, but two classes now. If I play my cards right, maybe she’ll end up helping me with every class.
“Anyway, so now I need something to say to him upon a second meeting.” She taps her pen rapidly against the page. “I was thinking of asking him about what field he plans on going into after graduation.”
“Uh, okay.” Not exactly a conversation starter in my opinion, but these science majors must think differently. “You could then tie it into what you’re doing after you graduate too.”
“Good idea,” she says, writing it down like what I’m saying is the gospel.
“What is it you plan on doing?”
She continues jotting down notes, looking over her paper while answering me distractedly. “I’d like to do something in research, probably at a university. I’ve been eyeing the Molecular Medicine graduate program here at Suncoast, but I’m still debating if I should just do the Master’s or go for the Ph.D. I’m applying for an internship in the Molecular Biology department this summer, which should give me a better idea of what I’d like more.”
“Oh, um, cool.” Wow, that is... so far beyond my level of comprehension. “So if you guys are the same major, you could ask him if he’s taken any of the classes you’re taking now. See if he has any pointers for you.”
She pauses in her writing to look up at me. “I wish I was as good at coming up with ideas like that as you are,” she says softly, wistfulness in her voice.
I stare back at her. “It’s nothing. Seriously. I’d rather understand the school stuff.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t realize how lucky you are. To be able to talk to someone on the spot and not get all tongue-tied. I’d kill for that.”
“I-” I’ve never really thought about it before. Never considered it a necessarily positive trait. It’s just my norm. “Well, I’m glad I can help you with it.”
“Oh, this is gold,” she says, continuing to write. “Do you have any more ideas?”
We brainstorm a few more topics she could safely bring up without feeling like she’s out of her element, then she switches to a fresh page. “So let’s say Michael agrees to a date with me. What then?”
“How about dinner?” I suggest, the answer obvious.
“Yes. Dinner.” She actually writes it down, as if she won’t remember it on her own, but the idea of a date seems to overwhelm her so much, I think it’s more just a way to organize her thoughts. “I eat. He eats. There’s no way he can say no to that, right?”
She looks over at me, a little manic, and I instinctively wrap my arm around her shoulder. “Eden, what’s wrong?”
She slumps down in her seat, letting out a lengthy sigh. “I’m realizing how many factors go into this, how involved it all actually is.”
“Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. I know that brain of yours is working overtime twenty-four-seven,” I tap the side of her head, “but it doesn’t need to. If you have a connection, the date will be easy. The conversation will flow, trust me.”
“What if we don’t have a connection?” she asks in a small voice. “What if I’ve pinned all my hopes on something that doesn’t actually exist?”
My mind races for a way to make her feel better. “Would it help if you went on a practice date?”
She stills, glancing over at me, something about the action reminding me of prey who has just spotted a predator. “A practice date? With whom?”
“With me.”
6
Eden
“What?”
“Come on. We’ll go out to eat so you can get a feel for what it’s like. I need to eat, you need to eat. It’s a win-win,” he smiles charmingly.
How does he do that so easily?
“I- you-” He would actually want to be seen out in public with me? The library is one thing. All sorts of group projects go on here, and unlikely pairings of classmates abound. But out at a restaurant? People might see us, think there’s something going on.
No, the chances of someone mistaking us for a couple are slim to none. They’d probably assume I’m some charity case, a blind date he’s itching to get out of as soon as possible-