He looked at her as if he was undressing her, looking down his nose at her. Son of a bitch.
I was just about to walk up to them when I heard her say, “Is it filled with air?” Her voice sounded sweet.
My eyes narrowed, watching her with rapt attention. She only sounded sweet when she was going to deliver a blow.
The guy, clueless, took it as an invitation. He smiled at her and stepped closer. “What’s filled with air?” he asked.
“Your brain. I don’t want to look at you all day. Can you move?”
The guy glared at her but backed off.
Coward.
That’s right. Move aside, I thought, watching the guy slink off. You’re not the one for her.
“And you are?” I heard Levi say. I scowled at him, found him flirting with a girl. For a moment, I’d thought the question was for me.
And you are…the one for her?
Am I?
I watched her fill her water bottle from the fountain.
She’d bulldozed a guy who wouldn’t stand up to her. She could be blatantly rude, and her jagged edges could cut like a chainsaw to wood.
She wouldn’t want a gentle or weak man who capitulated to her every whim. She’d get bored with him easily. She needed a guy who could match her temper, who could take her sharp jabs and see them for what they really were. They were her line of defense. Her thorns. Her walls.
I knew firsthand how high and thick those walls were. And I also knew that if I kept hacking at them, she’d put her defenses down and let me in. She’d already done it a few times. She’d put them back up quickly, but she’d let me take a peek.
She presented a tough exterior to the world. She had to, but I knew what she was hiding, what she was protecting so fiercely was her soft heart.
I saw her glance at the bench where I was sitting yesterday. She craned her neck to see inside the other lecture halls, almost hitting a trash can in front of her.
My smile felt huge on my face as I walked to her.
“Looking for me?” I asked.
“Oh shit.”
She jumped, backing up a step, her hand flying to her chest. She looked guilty—like a little girl caught trying to sneak a little kitten into her room.
“Why would I look for you?” She sounded embarrassed. “I don’t even know if your classes are in these lecture halls. I’m looking for my friend.”
“Uh-huh.” I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “You’re definitely looking for me.”
She ignored me, walking faster. I followed her. My teammates were looking at us weirdly. They hadn’t seen me show this much interest in a girl before.
“Where are you headed?” I asked.
“Why? You want me to drive you to your next class too?”
“Well, you didn’t drive me yesterday. Or this morning.”
She kept going, kept ignoring me.
“At least you’re not talking about me today. Yet.”
She glared at me over her shoulder, but her eyes were smiling. She kept walking.