Hold the Forevers

“Fine, but if I fold under pressure, it’ll be you suppressing my powers.”

“Fair.”

Our feta fries showed up first, and my mouth watered at the sight of white cheese sauce drizzled all over the double-battered French fries. I dipped the fry in more sauce and then took my first bite. My eyes rolled into the back of my head.

“Oh my God,” I groaned. “Why have I never had these before?”

“Exactly,” he said, pointing a fry at me. “These are to die for.”

And they were. I gobbled up half the tray without pause. I was almost full by the time my pancakes showed up. And though I did try to eat some of the meal, I was too focused on Cole. I’d thought that this would be awkward. First dates were always awkward. Or…the entire two first dates I’d ever been on since Ash were so unbelievably awkward that I’d really never wanted to do them again.

But hanging out with Cole, it felt like I’d known him my entire life. As if he just somehow … fit.

“Let’s take the milkshakes to go. I have an idea,” he said with a gleam in those baby blues.

Once our milkshakes were properly put into giant Styrofoam cups with thick straws, Cole paid for us both, despite my protest, and we headed back out onto the Athens streets. Downtown Athens was a five-by-six block of bars, restaurants, and shopping. It was the heart of the city. And The Grill was directly across Broad Street from North Campus, where the arch stood as a proud symbol of the university.

We waited at the corner, sipping our milkshakes. The city was busier than normal due to the spring game tomorrow. During game weekends, half of Atlanta flooded the small town, burgeoning from a hundred thousand people to three to five hundred thousand overnight.

And Cole was entirely recognizable. In the minute we waited, about a dozen girls ogled Cole as they walked past.

“Do people always act like this?” I asked.

“Like what?”

I shot him a look of disbelief. “Stare at you?”

He looked behind him, confusion clearly on his face. “Were people looking? Sorry. I know it can be weird. I don’t even see it.”

He was serious. He hadn’t even noticed that girls were eyeing him and fans were snapping pictures. That he was a celebrity to them. But he was just a normal guy.

“You really don’t?”

“Nah. I’m used to it, because of my dad. You know my dad’s a Falcons coach?”

“Everyone who listens to ESPN is well aware.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, probs. Well, people would approach my dad some when I was younger, and I thought it was so cool. But he always remained firmly humble. Talent doesn’t make you special. It just means you have a different skill than someone else.”

“That’s actually a great way to look at it.”

Cole shot me that megawatt smile as we crossed the street and approached the arch. He nudged me in front of one of the openings. I gasped and pushed him back.

“Stop trying to bring me bad luck!”

He chuckled. “Afraid you’re not going to graduate?”

As the superstition went, if you walked through the arch before graduation, you wouldn’t graduate. It was a big deal at graduation to get that first walk through, and people lined up for hours to get that special moment photographed. I certainly wasn’t planning to ruin it.

“I have no fears of that, but gah!”

“I wouldn’t actually do that to you,” he said as we slipped past the arch and onto North Campus. “You seem like the smart, studious type.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“You sit at the front of class.”

“Lots of people do.”

“And don’t bring your laptop.”

“So?”

“Because you’re actually taking notes,” he said. “And you answer half of Professor McConnell’s questions.”

“Only because no one else ever speaks up and I cannot handle awkward silence.”

Cole chuckled, draining the last of his milkshake and tossing it in a nearby trash can. “See … smart, studious type.”

“Fine, I like school. Sue me.”

“Nah, I like it.” He flushed slightly, running his hand back into his gelled hair and cursing under his breath as he remembered it. “I was actually … nervous to ask you out.”

I snorted. “Why? You’re Cole Davis.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. And anyway … you’re intimidating.”

“Am I?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“Well, not now that I know you, but yeah, you kind of are.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

His eyes were so bright when he looked over at me that my heart practically stopped. He reached out and took my hand in his. Our fingers threaded together. I could feel my heartbeat everywhere at once. That one easy movement changed everything. Now … we were holding hands. And he just smiled.

“It’s a compliment, Delilah.”

I swallowed and looked up into his face. He tugged me toward an admin building.

“Come on.”

“What are you doing? Everything is locked.”