“Fuck yeah,” he said with relief in his tone as the box offered us a momentary reprieve.
“Where are you off to now?” I asked as we stepped toward the crosswalk.
“I was headed to the library to study before my next class.”
“What a coincidence,” I deadpanned. “Me too. Got a quiz coming up.”
Maclain threw me some major side-eye. “I was planning to stop for a caffeine fix first.”
“I could use one too,” I replied, guiding him in the direction of the campus café, stepping around puddles and people. “Let me guess, they serve fountain soda?”
“Bingo,” he replied. “Gemma would be proud.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know. You’ve apparently become one of her favorite people,” I teased. “It’s Maclain this and Maclain that, all because—well, she’s sort of boy crazy right now—but you had to go and charm her at the bowling alley.”
“Pretty sure I don’t charm anyone,” he scoffed.
My feet faltered at the bald honesty. This was the real Maclain, not the one who joked about how big his package was in front of the team.
“What?” Maclain asked, holding the door open.
“It’s just…nothing,” I replied, my cheeks heating. “Never mind.”
“Tell me,” he said as we stepped in line, and I could hear the curiosity in his voice.
I shrugged. “You act all self-assured, but underneath you’re really not.”
“Gee, thanks,” Maclain grumbled.
“You might think that’s a bad thing, but it’s one of your better qualities,” I said, and he shook his head as we stepped to the counter to order a soda and an iced coffee.
“I got this.” He waved me off as I was pulling out my wallet to pay. “I’d be soaked through right now without your umbrella service. You can get it next time.”
“Next time, huh?” I grabbed a stirrer and a napkin at the service station. “What makes you so sure I’d share with your grouchy ass again?”
“Because you’re too good a person.” He looked away as he removed the straw from the wrapper. “You’d feel bad for me again. Must be my charm rubbing off.”
I could see a trace of a smile as I followed him toward the exit. He was enjoying our banter as much as I was, but would never admit it.
The rain hadn’t let up, so we picked up the soggy cardboard we’d left under the awning and headed toward the library.
Once there, we took the stairs to the second-floor study section and quickly realized how crowded the place was. Must’ve been because of the storm. There wasn’t a single seat open at any of the tables, and groups of students were sitting on the floor with books spread all around them.
“Maybe there’s a private room available,” I said, heading toward the back where the library kept a long row of study rooms behind glass doors to offer a quieter place to study.
“Looks like they’re all taken,” Maclain said in a defeated tone.
Right then a nerdy-looking guy with glasses emerged from one of the rooms, and I grappled for the door handle before it shut behind him. “Perfect timing.”
I slipped into the small room and sank down in one of the two plastic chairs sitting side by side in front of a slim table built into the wall. There was barely enough room for Maclain to squeeze by me to the other seat, and I tried to ignore his hesitation. I could feel it as he gripped the chair, likely considering his options.
I set my bag down on the floor and pulled out my notebook, intent on studying despite any hang-ups Maclain had about being alone with me in this room. Unless there was another reason.
“You suffer from claustrophobia or something?” I asked over my shoulder.
That seemed to jar him out of his reluctance, and he sank down beside me. “Nope.”
When his thigh brushed mine, I held my breath and pretended not to hear his quick intake of air.
I paged through my book, absently reading the familiar concepts while savoring having him so near. He smelled like rain and a spicy scent I’d noticed a couple of times before in the locker room. I briefly considered what it might be like to inspect him closer, where the fragrance would be most potent—his neck, maybe, or his hair. I quickly thrust the thought aside before I did something stupid like popping a boner.
As he reached down to retrieve a textbook from his bag, our elbows connected, and the hairs on my arm stood on end. I had no clue why this guy made me feel this way, but I sure wished I could get it all out in the open right the fuck now.
Dumb idea. He might flee the room and become even more reserved. I could live with this tension for a few more months, even if it was eating me alive.
Maclain opened to a page in his notebook, and his eyes appeared to be reading the notations, but I never saw him flip the page. For my part, I was pretending as well, while admiring the doodles in his notebook’s side margins. Tiny stick figures with dialogue boxes, one that said boring in bold letters. Another little detail about him that I’d keep tucked away.