After a half hour, I sat up straighter in my chair and stretched. I scanned the room and caught the eye of a young woman sitting at a table about twelve feet away. She was perhaps a few years younger than me and had shoulder-length blonde hair that was so light it was almost platinum. When she saw me looking her way, she hastily looked down, and I thought nothing of it.
Except the next time I took a break and looked around, she was looking our way again. Probably that was to be expected. I was sitting next to a very good-looking man. I often saw women eyeing him in the cafeteria when we ate together. But this young woman seemed to be looking at me as often as him, which seemed strange. Maybe she knew him and was jealous that I was with him?
After a while, my curiosity got the better of me. I leaned over and whispered, “There’s a woman over there who keeps staring at you.”
Mason smirked, more than willing to believe that a random female found him attractive. As subtly as possible, I pointed in her direction, and Mason swiveled his head. I expected him to smile at her or wave or maybe even go over and flirt, but instead, he immediately turned back and scowled.
“What?” I whispered. “She’s cute.”
“No she’s not.”
It was my turn to frown. She was a very pretty young woman—the type it seemed like Mason would be eager to impress. Maybe she was his ex? “Do you know her?”
“No,” Mason said, suddenly engrossed in something on his laptop.
“I don’t believe you.”
He looked over and rolled his eyes. “So now I’m a liar?”
“About this, yes. I think you know her.”
“It’s not a big deal, okay? She’s just… she’s my sister.”
“What?” My voice was louder than I’d meant it to be, and several people looked around in annoyance. “What?” I repeated in a whisper.
“Half-sister,” he clarified, his eyes glued to his computer.
“Your sister goes to this school and you never thought to mention it?”
“We’re not close.”
That much was clear. I snuck a peek at his sister and she was openly watching us now. “Aren’t you going to say hi?”
“No.”
What the hell? Who didn’t say hi to a family member? “All right, then I will.” I started to push up from my seat.
“What?” Mason’s hand clamped down on my arm before I could rise. “No you’re not.”
I tried to wiggle free, but his grip was like iron. “Why wouldn’t I? My roommate’s sister is right over there, so why wouldn’t I talk to her?”
“Because she has nothing to do with you.”
“But she’s supposed to have something to do with you,” I said. All my life I’d wanted a sister, and here he had one and wouldn't even go talk to her. “When’s the last time you saw her?”
“Over the summer.” He let go of my arm but kept his fingers close to it.
“Even though you go to the same school?”
“It’s a big campus.”
“Introduce me to her.”
Mason stared at me. “Could you lower your voice? This is a library.”
“If you won’t do it, I’ll go introduce myself.”
His fingers twitched as if he was ready to grab my arm again. “Just drop it.”
As if resigned, I let my gaze fall to my books. But a moment later, I jerked upright, staring over his shoulder. “Who’s that big guy talking to her?”
Mason’s head flew around and I hopped out of my seat, laughing silently as I made my way around the table. I glanced back to see the murderous glare on Mason’s face as he realized my lie. It felt good to get one over on him.
The young woman smiled as I approached. “Hi,” I said.
Before she could say more than ‘hi’ back, Mason appeared at my side. “Hey,” he said gruffly. “This is Kylie, my—”
I knew that roommate was on the tip of his tongue, so I quickly said, “Friend.”
But at the exact same moment, he seemed to realize his error and changed course. “My girlfriend,” he said.
What?
The young blonde looked surprised at that news but her smile widened as she held out her hand to me. “It’s so nice to meet you, Kylie. I’m Alyssa.”
On the walk back to Henderson, I couldn’t help but grin as I looked up at Mason. “So, I’m your girlfriend now? Shouldn’t you be carrying my books?”
“Stop.” His normally smug face showed a hint of embarrassment.
“She seems nice.”
Mason’s gaze was on the wet cement beneath our feet. “She is.”
“Why don’t you see her more often?” I’d learned a lot about Alyssa during our short conversation. She was in her senior year of a four-year engineering degree and would be graduating in December. I wondered if she’d gone into engineering because of Mason?
“We’re just not close.” He still wasn’t looking at me. “We didn’t grow up together.”