“Just staying here,” I said, and then added my ready made excuse. “It’s just too far to travel for four days.”
“Understandable.” She picked up a rolled up napkin and tossed it at Jacob’s back, but he was in way too deep with his zombie/vampire fetish. “I’m leaving after my last class today.” She rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Me too.”
“You’ll be bereft without me.”
“I know.”
She sat up, eyes glimmering with excitement. “You know, you could always come home with me.”
“Oh, Brit…” I wanted to hug the girl or cry. The offer seriously meant a lot to me. “Thank you, but that’s your time with your family and stuff.”
“Well, think about it. If you change your mind between now and three, text me and I’ll zip you away.” She took a drink of her soda. “What’s Cam doing? Is he going home?”
Good question. Before I could respond, Jacob whipped around like someone had yelled his name. “What about my fantasy husband?”
Brit laughed. “I was asking Avery if he was going home for break.”
“Is he?” he asked.
Tucking my hair back, I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Jacob’s brows lowered. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“Um, I just don’t know. He hasn’t brought it up.”
The two of them exchanged a look and Brit said, “I’m kind of surprised he hasn’t said anything to you about it.”
Confusion rose. “Why are you surprised.”
Jacob shot me a duh look. “You guys are like attached at the hip—”
“No, we’re not.” I frowned. Were we? “No.”
“Okay, do I need to list how often you guys are together?” Jacob raised his brows. “I think it would be safe to assume that you knew about his plans and the size of his cock by now.”
“Oh my God.” I dropped my face into my hands.
Brit giggled. “You’re making Avery blush.”
He was.
Jacob snickered. “I think you’re having a closet relationship with him.”
“What?” Lifting my head, I stared at him. “I am not having a closet relationship with him. Trust me, he’s asked me—” I cut myself off. “We’re not.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Jacob practically fell over. “He’s asked you what?”
“Nothing.” I sat back, crossing my arms. “He hasn’t asked me anything.”
Jacob looked at Brit. “Is it just me or is she just not that smooth to pull off a lie?”
“Not that smooth,” Brit commented, twisting toward me. “What has he asked you?”
“Nothing!”
“Bull poop!” She punched me in the arm. “You’re lying!”
“Ouch! I—”
Jacob shook his head, looking like he was seconds from falling on the floor. “We are your friends. It is the law of friendship that you tell us things you don’t want to tell us.”
My mouth dropped open. “What? That makes no sense.”
“It is the law.” Brittany nodded solemnly.
“What has he asked you?” Jacob persisted. “Did he ask to eat more of his cookies? Did he ask you to be his baby mama? How about marry him? Or to just warm his bed every morning, afternoon, and evening? Did he—?”
“Oh my God!” There was no way out of this. I knew Jacob. He’d just keep going until the whole Den thought I was getting married and having baby. “Okay. I’ll tell you if you promise not to freak out and scream.”
Jacob made a face. “Ah, I don’t know.”
“He promises!” Brit shot him a glare. “Or I will physically maim him.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
I exhaled harshly. “Okay. It’s not a big deal. Let’s get that established first. Everyone understand? Good. Alright, so Cam has kind of been asking me out—”
“What?” Jacob screeched, and several heads turned.
My shoulders slumped. “You promised.”
“Sorry.” He crossed his heart. “I just… wow. Got excited.”
“I can tell,” I said wryly.
Brit’s hands were clasped in front of her chest. “He’s been asking you out, like in the plural sense?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve said no each and every time.”
“You’ve said no?” he shouted, and I shot up and smacked his arm. He gave me a bright smile. “Sorry. Sorry. Don’t hit. Bitches be scary when they hit.”
Sitting back down, I eyed him. “Yes. I’ve said no.”
“Why?” he demanded.
“And he keeps asking?” asked Brit at the same time.
“Yes, he keeps asking, but it’s like a… running joke between us. He’s not serious.”
Brit tugged at her hair like I was stressing her out or something. “How do you know he’s not being serious?”
“Come on.” I raised my hands. “He’s not serious.”
“Why?” Jacob was stunned apparently. “You’re a smart and funny girl. You don’t like to party, but you’re hot, and that kind of makes up for that.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“What I’m trying to say is how do you know he hasn’t been serious?”
I shook my head. “He’s not.”
“Get back to the important question,” Brit said. “Why would you tell him no?”
“Why would I say yes?” Could a hole open up and swallow me? Please? “We barely know each other.”
“Oh, what the fuck? You guys are like soul twins right now. And what do you think the purpose of going out on a date with someone is all about?” Jacob rolled his eyes. “It’s about getting to know someone. And you do know him, so that’s a lame excuse.”
It was a lame excuse, but it was the best I had. “How do you really ever truly know someone?”
Brit smacked her hands to her cheeks and she shook his head. “He’s not a serial killer.”
“Speaking of serial killers, everyone thought Ted Bundy was a really charming, handsome man. And look how he turned out. Psycho.”
Jacob stared at me, jaw slightly unhinged. “He’s not Ted Bundy.”
“I don’t understand,” Brit whispered. “It’s like someone saying that Earth is flat. Cam is like one of the most eligible bachelors on this campus, probably in this county and state.”
I said nothing.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve been stunned speechless.” Brit shook her head slowly. “I’m absolutely speechless. Someone capture this with a picture.”
“Ha.” Jacob’s grin made my anxiety rise. “Here comes Cam. What a coinkidink.”
I face planted the table and groaned as Brit started giggling. Under the table, Jacob kicked my leg and two seconds later, I felt Cam before he even spoke a word. I also caught his fresh scent. Was it weird that I knew him by his smell? That did sound weird. It was weird.
“Uh, what are you doing, Avery?”
In my head, I strung together as many fuck bombs as I could come up with, because I knew—oh, I knew—that Jacob would not keep quiet. “Napping.”
“Napping?”
“Yeah.”
Cam tugged on the back of my cardigan. “Why do I think that’s not what you’re doing?”
I gave an awkward shrug.
He sat beside me, his hand on my lower back, and my clothes must’ve gotten thinner, because I could really feel his hand. “Are you sick?”
“Aw, he’s so concerned!” Jacob exclaimed. “Avery, you’re such a bitch.”
Cam stiffened and his tone was low and something I never heard from him before. “Excuse me?”
I lifted my head, eyes narrowed at Jacob. “I’m not sick.”
“Okay.” Cam glanced around, and Brit broke out into a fit of giggles. “What’s going on?”
Before they answered, I jumped in. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
He frowned. “Class was let out early. Don’t change the subject.”
I opened my mouth, but freaking Jacob swept in. “Avery has just informed us that you’ve been asking her out and she’s been saying no, and we’ve been explaining to her that she’s insane.”
“Well then.” The hard look slipped off his face, and I wanted to slide under the table. “I like this conversation.”
Ugh.
“So it’s true?” Jacob asked, plopping his elbows on the table. “You’ve been asking her out?”
Cam cast me a sideway glance. “I have been, almost every day since the end of August.”
On the other side of me, Brit squealed like she was a plush toy that was squeezed. “Since August?”
He nodded.
Brit turned wide eyes on me. “And you haven’t said a word?”
“I’m sort of offended,” Cam commented.
I elbowed him in the side. “No, you’re not. And it’s not like it’s everyone’s business.”
“But we’re your friends,” Jacob sounded so pitiful that I started to feel bad. He turned to Cam. “We totally support her going out with you.”
Okay. I didn’t feel bad for him.
“I like your friends, Avery.” Cam grinned at my arched look.
“Oh, we think she should,” Jacob said. “Like she should do it right now.
“We also told her you weren’t a serial killer,” Brit interjected.
Cam nodded. “That’s a glowing recommendation. Hey, at least he’s not a serial killer. I’m going to put that on my Facebook profile.”
I smirked.
Jacob was positively glowing. “And she compared you to Ted Bundy.”
“I hate you,” I muttered, pushing my hair back from my face. “I didn’t compare you to Ted Bundy. I just said that you never really know a person. Everyone thought Ted Bundy was a pretty cool guy.”
Cam stared at me, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Wow. This just keeps getting better.”
“Sorry?” I said, fighting a grin.
He sighed, turning back to my friends. “She keeps turning me down. Breaks my little heart.”
I sighed. “He’s not being serious.”
“He looks serious,” Brit said, all doe-eyed as she stared at Cam. He’d roped her in, dammit.
Cam made the most pitiful sound known to man, and I rolled my eyes. “And now she thinks I’m the next Ted Bundy.”
“I don’t think you’re the next Ted Bundy.”
“Besides, she has the wrong hair color for Ted Bundy,” Brit said. We all looked at her. “What? Ted Bundy liked girls with brown hair parted down the middle. Avery’s hair is pretty red.”
“Am I the only person who finds it disturbing that you know that?” Jacob asked.
Brit’s lips pursed. “I’m a psych major. I know these kinds of things.”