揥hich was your favorite??she asks.
揢h厰 He looks between us.
揝he means the dresses,?I explain.
揙h.?He grins. 揟hey were all pretty awesome.?
Violet would never give up that easily. She keeps staring at him expectantly.
揟he red one was my favorite.?He glances at me as he says it.
My stomach does a thousand somersaults. Rationally I tell myself it抯 probably the only one he remembers, or he抯 just guessing, but there抯 something about the way he抯 looking at me that makes my heart race.
揟hat is some of my best work.?Violet leans back, satisfied with his answer.
揌ow was the rest of your weekend??he asks me.
揊ine. Yours??
揋ood. We got in last night and went out for a bit. Any more drinking and dressing up??He smiles at me. Jordan Thatcher is freaking smiling at me.
I shake my head. I抦 a mess, heart racing, palms sweaty, stomach still doing flips. And then there抯 Jordan. He always looks so comfortable, so relaxed. Then again, he wasn抰 the one that got drunk and sent sexy pictures.
To be fair, I wasn抰 trying to be sexy. Or maybe I was. The dresses are sexy, and I felt good wearing them. Some part of me wanted his approval. I can抰 quite wrap my brain around that. Sober, I can see how it came off, but drunk, I just wanted to be noticed. I wanted Jordan to notice me.
He sits forward. Violet抯 gone back to her homework, or at least she抯 pretending not to be listening as Jordan says, 揑抦 glad I ran into you.?
揧ou are??
揑 didn抰 know how to say this over email, still don抰。？He rubs his jaw and looks more unsure than I抳e ever seen him. I didn抰 know he was even capable of that look.
揙-kay.?
揓ust say it,?Violet pipes in, still not looking up. 揃ecause right now, she抯 going through every worst-case scenario in her head.?
She抯 absolutely right about that.
A small chuckle leaves his mouth. 揕iam抯 a good guy.?
Of all the places I thought this conversation was going, this wasn抰 anywhere on the list. I wait for him to continue.
揌e抯 a little slow to pick up the vibe when someone抯 into him.?
揑 don抰 understand what you抮e saying.?
He gets to his feet and shoots a grin right at me. 揑抦 saying, if you like him, ask him out.?
Ask him out? Just like that. Is he crazy?
揃ut I don抰棓 My voice breaks off. Denying seems stupid. And even if I could get up the courage, I抎 never be able to face Liam again if he said no. Lab would be unbearable, and I joke, but I can抰 drop it. I need that class.
Jordan takes a step away, and his smile gets softer. 揌e won抰 say no. See you Tuesday.?
I spend the next two days thinking about the weird interaction with Jordan, and playing scenarios in my head where I do what he suggested. Even in my daydreams, I can抰 say the words without blushing a hideous shade of red.
I hate that my crush on Liam was so easy for him to see. Okay, fine, he抎 have to be an idiot not to notice. And Jordan isn抰 an idiot. I haven抰 totally figured him out, but an idiot he is not.
Tuesday afternoon during our lunch break, Violet corners me in the kitchen as I抦 packing up for my final classes of the day.
揌ave you decided what you抮e going to do??
揑抦 not asking him out.?I抳e told her as much the other ten times she抯 asked.
揧ou heard Jordan; he won抰 say no!?
My heart is galloping in my chest. 揙h, well, Jordan said it, so it must be true.?
揑 don抰 think he would steer you wrong. Which is odd because I never thought Jordan Thatcher would be the type of guy to come over and tell you to ask out a guy.?She shrugs. 揟here was something about the way he said it. He likes you.?
揕iam??
揘o, Jordan.?
揙h yeah, that抯 why he told me to ask out someone else. Why are you pushing me to go out with Liam anyway? You hate jocks.?
Violet fidgets. She doesn抰 really hate Liam or Jordan or anyone that I know of, except maybe our neighbor Gavin （they have history）， but she抎 never approve of me dating a popular jock. When it was theoretical, she played along but now?
揑t抯 what you want, and at least Liam is a decent one.?
I grab my backpack off the chair and start for the door. 揑 will see you later.?
揌e won抰 say no,?she yells after me.
I抦 usually the first person to physics lab, but today I walk so slowly that at three minutes until class starts, I realize at this rate I抦 going to be late and have to book it the rest of the way across campus. Professor Green is beginning his lecture when I open the classroom door. All eyes are on me as I slip inside.
揝orry,?I tell him as I go to my table.
Liam pulls out the extra stool next to him.
揟hanks,?I whisper.
For the twenty-five minutes that Professor Green covers today抯 lab, all I can do is focus on breathing. Frantic energy flows through my veins, and as the seconds tick by, I recognize it as adrenaline. The dangerous kind that makes you do things that shouldn抰 be physically possible, like lift a car or ask out your crush.
揧ou may get started,?Professor Green says.
Liam angles his body toward me and smiles, then starts setting up the lab. I look at Jordan for reassurance. He meets my gaze with an intensity that makes my chest tighten. Oh god. He better be right.
10
JORDAN
I can practically see Daisy抯 thoughts over her head like a thought bubble. She and Liam are working through the lab while I lead us through the instructions, per the usual.
She hasn抰 stopped blushing since she walked in late. Today she抯 wearing jeans and this oversized sweatshirt that hangs off one shoulder. It抯 even sexier to see her like this, knowing what she looks like all dressed up.
Tapping my pencil on the paper, I redirect my gaze to the table. She抯 never going to ask if I keep staring at her. And I need her to ask. Then the two of them can go out, just like they both want, and I can stop thinking about her.
The number of times I looked at her in that red dress is too many to count.
揓ordan??
My head pops up at my name, and Liam抯 eyes narrow in confusion. 揈verything okay??
揧ep. Great.?
揅an you read the next step then??
I clear my throat and adjust the hat on my head. 揜ight.?
For the rest of the class, I focus only on the handout in front of me. Well, that and Daisy抯 soft voice as she and Liam talk through their work. I抦 no help at all. I have visions of drunk Daisy in that sexy, red dress and an irrational burn in my chest to stop her from asking out Liam and ask her out myself.
揑 think that抯 it,?Daisy says.
揥e抮e a good team.?Liam holds up his hand, and she presses her much smaller palm against it lightly.
I pack up quickly and wait for Liam. He抯 still chatting with Daisy, taking his sweet time. We don抰 have class together after this, so I don抰 need to wait for him, but I want to see if Daisy works up the courage to ask him out. He抯 obviously not going to. Which is why I told her she should ask him.
I wasn抰 lying. He won抰 say no. I don抰 know if he抯 hesitated because of what I said, or maybe he抯 just taking his damn time, but I decided to give them a little push.
I抦 seriously regretting that now as she fiddles with the straps of her backpack. This is fucking painful.
揥hat time are you done with classes and everything today??she asks him. It抯 her in. I can see the breadcrumbs she抯 laying out and smile to myself.
揟his is my last class.?
揥here are you headed next??
揚robably just head back to the dorm. You??
揑抦 done for the day, too.?