You've Found Oliver (You've Reached Sam, #2)(23)

“Oliver.”

“I’m going to, okay? Give me a break. I had a busy weekend.”

“What were you up to?”

I was waiting for us to get to this. Julie usually knows everything that’s going on in my life, so I can’t keep this secret for long.

“That’s actually what I wanted to tell you. I sort of met someone.”

“As in, a boy?”

“Maybe.”

“What’s his name?”

“It’s Ben.”

“Ben,” she repeats. “Does he go to our school or…”

“No. Thank god.”

“How did you two meet?”

I obviously can’t tell the truth. “We met on an app.”

“Oh…”

“Not that one!”

“I wouldn’t judge you if it was.”

“Well it wasn’t, okay?”

Julie chuckles. “Well, tell me about him. Is he cute?”

“Of course he is.”

“How long have you guys been talking?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I wasn’t sure what the vibe was,” I say, sitting up again. “And we’ve only met up once. Just a couple days ago.”

“How was it?”

I tell her about our dinner, the conversation we had, the questions I asked him. How he waited at the bus stop with me afterwards. “And we text each other every day, which is a good sign.”

“Does that mean you like him?”

“Maybe. But I don’t want to jinx it.”

There’s a pause before Julie says, “I think that’s a good approach. Especially after what happened with you-know-who. But don’t let that hold you back from opening up more. When are you going to see him again?”

I sigh. “One thing I haven’t mentioned yet—he lives in Seattle.”

“Oh…that’s not ideal.”

“I know…”

“I’m sure you could make it work,” she says.

Navigating a long-distance relationship is something I’ve been thinking about. But I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself. After all, we’ve only met up once. “Maybe it wasn’t even a real date. For all I know, he just wants to be friends.”

“Would you be okay with that?”

I think about it. “I guess so.”

“Good. Because I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“I’ll be fine.”

After all, we’re still getting to know each other. How could I possibly get hurt if nothing’s happened? And it’s not like he lives in Copenhagen or something. We can always continue meeting in the middle. I appreciate Julie’s concern, though.

We stay on the phone for another hour or so. I could honestly talk with her for hours, asking questions about her daily life, the restaurants she’s been to. But eventually I have to let her go.

“I have to hop in the shower and get ready for bed,” she says.

“Alrighty. Have a good night.”

“I’ll text you in the morning.”

I hang up and stretch my arms. I don’t have to be in class for a few hours. But maybe I should learn to start my day sooner. Ben is probably in the lab right now. He texted me a couple hours ago.

Morning.



Hope you have a good start to your day



It’s nice having something to wake up to. It’s nice having someone to wake up to.

I’m still thinking about the question Julie asked me. Of course I would stay friends with him. Why would I want to lose someone like Ben?



* * *





The school week goes by slowly, but working the circulation desk is a nice break from my classes. Rami is really growing on me. We’ll often have lunch together now. He showed me the secret staff lounge with an espresso machine.

“Why didn’t you bring me here sooner?” I ask.

“I didn’t know if I could trust you yet.”

Even better, he’s also a musical theater person. We listen to the Wicked soundtrack while we’re working the desk together. Usually, I stay in the library for a few hours after my shifts. But I can’t find an open table this afternoon. Maybe I’ll head to the dining hall or something. I could use a snack anyway.

As I’m cutting through the quad, I spot him immediately.

Nolan is sitting in the grass with some friends. Those bleach blond waves always stick out in a crowd. It’s been a few weeks since he showed up at my dorm. Thankfully, he hasn’t made a second visit. Then, I notice someone else. Connor is sitting right beside him. The same Connor that Nolan cheated on me with. What are they even doing together? Nolan told me he was never going to speak to him again. That liar. I should walk over there and confront him about it. But Nolan and I aren’t together anymore. So this shouldn’t bother me. I turn around before either of them sees me standing here.

I wish I could teleport to Copenhagen. Julie would be able to talk me through this. Who cares if they’re sitting together? Maybe they deserve each other anyway. I push them out of my mind as I head toward the student center. The second floor is usually less crowded. I find an empty table by the window.