Except, even sitting on our couch, shoes kicked off, legs crossed and a laptop resting on her knees, I have images of doing very dirty things to this sweet human.
揌ow can I help??she asks. 揥hat don抰 you feel like you have down for your test tomorrow??
I take a seat next to her with my iPad and a notebook. 揑 feel pretty good. I thought I could work through all the problems in the chapter again.?
揧eah. Okay.?
She goes to close her laptop, but I stop her. 揇on抰 you have homework or something you should be working on, too??
I drop my gaze to her mouth. She抯 wearing this pink lipstick that shines. I want to run my finger along her bottom lip to see what it feels like. And glide my tongue along it to see what it tastes like.
揑 can work on it later.?
揘ah. I can do this on my own.?
揟hen why am I here??
Because I can抰 get enough of you.
I knock my leg against hers. 揗oral support. And in case I get stuck.?
She doesn抰 look convinced.
揑抳e got this,?I say as Liam walks in. He抯 got a freaking towel around his waist and no shirt. Yep, I should have picked the bedroom.
揇aisy!?Liam greets her with his usual smile.
Daisy抯 eyes widen a fraction at his half-naked state. 揌i.?
He goes straight to his room but leaves the door open. Is she thinking about him naked? I grimace. Fuck, now I抦 imagining him naked.
He comes out in shorts and a T-shirt and sits in the empty chair. 揥hat are you guys working on??
揝tats,?I say.
We both look at Daisy, who says, 揑 was just about to start reading for American Lit class.?
揅ool.?Liam drags his backpack from beside the chair to between his feet. 揑 need to do a little studying myself.?
I turn on some music, and we all get to it. See? I can do this. Studying with Daisy and Liam, and I am absolutely not going to kiss her. Or even think about kissing her.
Daisy leans over. Her hair falls onto my arm, and her pink lips open as she speaks, 揅an we listen to something else? Something not so?angry.?
Well, there went not thinking about kissing her. Not that I ever really stopped.
揋ot a problem with my music??
揘ot if I抦 jamming out in the car, but for reading Thoreau, it抯 a bit much.?
I pick up my phone, unlock it, and hand it to her. 揧ou pick.?
She hesitates but eventually does take it.
揥hat type of music do you listen to??I ask as she scrolls through my playlists.
揥hatever is on.?She hits me with a shy smile. 揑 usually just go for the daily top hits.?
She selects a new playlist, and an Ed Sheeran song plays.
揊avorite singer or band??
She thinks for a second. 揇on抰 laugh.?
揑 would never.?
She doesn抰 look like she believes me, but she finally says, 揝hawn Mendes. He抯 so hot.?
Liam busts up laughing, and she blushes.
揗endes is great,?he says. 揑抦 laughing because Jordan got stopped once in the airport on the way to a game and asked if he was Shawn Mendes.?
The girl was maybe fourteen and near hysterics. The guys are never going to let me live it down.
Daisy stares at me, and those pink lips fall open. 揧ou do kind of look like him. I never noticed.?
揌e can抰 sing for shit,?Liam says.
揙h, like you can??I fire back.
Daisy laughs as she hands my phone back. I tap out a text to her, So you think I抦 hot? ;） She checks her phone, smiling when she realizes it抯 from me. I don抰 think I said that, she replies.
That抯 what I heard, I reply.
She looks up and smiles at me. Neither of us looks away for several seconds. I lean forward a fraction and freeze. She抯 holding her breath like she抯 waiting for me to close the distance between us and isn抰 sure if she wants me to or not.
I don抰， but damn, I really, really want to.
Tuesday afternoon lab we抮e in our usual setup with Liam sitting between us. They work through the lab with me guiding them, and it抯 all just like it抯 been every other time, but different too.
I catch Daisy抯 stare over her worksheet. She smiles tentatively and presses her lips together like she抯 fighting a smile.
This fucking girl. Why are all her little mannerisms so fucking adorable?
At the end of class, Daisy grabs her backpack and comes over to stand next to me.
I bump my elbow against hers. 揌ey.?
揌ey,?she replies quietly. 揌ow was your test this morning??
揂ced it. Thanks to you.?
揑 didn抰 really do anything.?
揝ure you did.?She did, too. I would have passed on my own, but I did so well the professor is probably wondering who I cheated off of. 揅elebrate with me tonight.?
Liam hovers nearby.
揥ith us,?I correct.
揑t抯 a Tuesday night.?Light laughter follows her reply.
揇rinking on school nights is allowed,?I whisper playfully. 揂nd, I promise to look out for you just like last time.?
Her gaze darts to my mouth. 揙kay.?
I look at Liam. 揂re you in??
He smiles. 揝ure, why not.?
I pick up Daisy, and we get to McCallum抯 apartment just after ten. Liam hung back at the dorm and said he抎 meet up with us, so I have some time with Daisy all to myself.
She doesn抰 ask about him, so I put my buddy out of mind, at least for now.
Only a few guys are here already, but the ones that are, are drunk and at the dining room table playing cards. I grab Daisy and me a beer and lead her to one end.
She leans in, her blonde hair tickling my face as she whispers, 揥hat are we playing??
I pull her chair against mine. 揟he game is Fuck the Dealer.?
揑 know this one!?She laughs. 揃ut it抯 been a while.?
揥e抣l do a practice round.?I motion for McCallum to give me the deck, and I deal her three cards as practice. 揥hat抯 your wager, sweet Daisy??
She blushes at the nickname. 揟hree seconds.?
If she were anyone else, I抎 call her on such a low wager, but three seconds of chugging her beer, and she抣l be halfway to tipsy land.
I rest my fingers along the edge of the first card. 揝uit??
揇iamonds.?
I flip over a spade, and she frowns.
揤alue??I tap the second card.
揢mm厰 She bites the corner of her bottom lip, drawing attention to her pouty mouth. I should have just invited her over to my dorm to celebrate so I could kiss her all night instead of playing games.
揟hree.?
A cute groan slips from her lips at the sight of the eight of spades.
揕ast chance.?I drop one hand to her knee.
Her breathing picks up. She licks her lips and stares at the last card on the table. 揌igher.?
I flip a deuce and smile. 揝orry.?
Her eyes narrow in a playful glare. She lifts her beer and starts drinking.
I count. Slowly. I reach three as she looks like she can抰 swallow another drop.
With a grimace, she sets the can down. I pass the cards back to McCallum, and the rest of the table joins back in.
揌ow many nights a week do you go out??
I shrug. 揇epends, I guess.?
揙n homework and stuff??
揙n what抯 happening that week,?I say.
She laughs at my answer.
My friends and teammates are important to me. Losing Mark put things in perspective.
揑 could get better grades, but after graduation, am I really going to care if I got an A instead of a C??
揢mm厰 She holds back more laughter as she considers my question. 揑抦 not sure. I抳e never thought about it like that, I guess.?
揥ere you always super into school??I ask.
She gets a slight blush to her cheeks. 揧es.?
揘o shame in being smart.?
揑 know, but it isn抰 like I set out to be super smart. I was just bored enough that it was something to do.?