“Here, let’s get a gelato. I love this place.” He led her across the street.
Emily reached into her pocket for money, but Spencer objected. “I’ll get it. It was my idea.”
“No! You can’t buy me anything.”
“Why not? Not even an ice cream?”
“No. If you pay for something, it’s a date.”
“Says who?”
“It’s our rules—me and my sister and my mom—the Best Dating Rules. It’s an official date if the guy pays for something for you or if he...” Her voice trailed off and she felt her face flushing.
“If he what?”
“Nothing. But you can’t buy me anything. Okay?”
“Whatever you say. So... Let’s go hike the AT this weekend. There’s a group going; it’s an intermediate hike, about thirteen miles.”
“Uhmm—“
He grinned as he opened the door to the gelato shop. “Okay. So we’re officially not dating. Awesome.”
“Yeah, great.” What had just happened? It seemed they were in an official relationship, albeit non-dating.
*****
Spencer strolled down the corridor toward the break room to grab a cup of water. As he passed Emily’s desk, he watched from the corner of his eye, but she never even glanced his direction. His shoulders slumped. He’d employed every possible excuse to walk past her cubicle, but she remained intent on her work. He was so full of water and coffee he was about to bust.
Leave it to him to fall for a workaholic. But really, it was better this way. She thought he was a player—what a joke. She’d be shocked to know he’d never even kissed a girl, though not for lack of opportunity. But he had this weird thing about wanting his first kiss to be special, and no one had seemed special enough.
He had a lot of female friends, but he’d always made sure he was never alone with them. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten his reputation as a playboy of sorts, but all the girls seemed to believe it. They made suggestive comments and dressed in low cut shirts and flirted audaciously. For his part, he appreciated the scenery, but he’d had no trouble turning down what was offered. Until he met Emily.
She was different from all the other girls. She was beautiful, no doubt. She was taller than most girls, and she had long sleek muscles. She didn’t look as if she starved herself to be thin. Her hair was dark brown and shiny, always in a long neat braid. And her eyes—they were the most beautiful he’d ever seen, blue with little gold flecks in them. Her skin was amazing, and the most incredible thing was he didn’t think she wore a speck of makeup. She was naturally beautiful without any adornment.
But it wasn’t her looks that captured his attention. It was... It was... What was it? Her brains? Her wit? Her accomplishments? No, it was her smile. The first time he’d spoken to her and she’d rewarded him with that genuine smile, he’d melted inside. He knew he’d do anything to make it happen again. He could happily spend the rest of his l
ife simply making her smile. Not that he was in love or anything. He merely liked her. Well… He liked her a lot.
It’s a good thing she doesn’t want to date. If she ever kissed me she’d be disappointed. She thinks I’m an experienced lover. Ha! What a joke. It would probably be the worst kiss of her life. But what can I do about it now. I read one time you could practice on a coke bottle—maybe I can try that. But I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, since I can’t even get her to notice me when I walk by.
He finally gave up on his waiting game, stopping to peek over her cubicle wall.
“Hi, Emily.”
She glanced up, rather dazed.
“Hi, Spencer. I was just, uhmm... I’m having trouble with my computer.”
“Want me to take a look?”
“Sure, I guess. It’s probably me. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong.”
Spencer leaned over her to examine her work. He reached out to access the keyboard and brushed against her shoulder. She jumped as if he’d burned her, and his heart fell. She didn’t even want him to touch her. He’d thought she at least liked him a little. No wonder she’d ignored him. He might as well give up on ever dating Emily Best.
“Look, you’re just in the wrong entry mode.” He tapped on her keyboard. “That should fix it. All you have to do is choose this option.”
“Thanks. I didn’t want to ask anyone because I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. But, I’ve been wasting the whole morning trying to make this work.”