from my waist with my thumbs. “This is hers,” I say. “I hate to admit it, but I didn’t even know what it was when she showed it to me. I had some pretty scary thoughts, though,” I add with a smile.
Chris laughs. “I think I can imagine at least one of them. Might not be a bad idea.”
“Bite your tongue,” I tell him, laughing.
“We’d better get going,” Chris says. “Open mic doesn’t start ‘til eight, but sometimes it gets crowded.”
“I’m ready,” I say. I turn to Marissa. “See you later.”
“Have fun, kids,” she says. She grins at me. “You behave yourself, Heather.”
“Yes, Mom,” I say. “I’ll try.”
“You sure you don’t want to join us?” Chris asks her. “It’s usually pretty fun.”
“No thanks, I’m good,” she replies. “It’s nice to have a night off for a change.”
Marissa isn’t kidding. She has no problem finding dates—she just hasn’t found a guy she’s wanted to see more than once yet. A couple of the guys she’s gone out with are still pestering her for second dates, but she says she can tell from one date whether a guy is a keeper or not. So far, I’ve been afraid to ask her what the qualifications are.
Chapter 14
Outside, the sun is vanishing behind the deep green hills to the west of campus, leaving behind a blazing palette of pinks, golds, oranges and purples. It’s literally breathtaking.
“Wow! How nice is that?” Chris says.
“It’s beautiful,” I say. “Just beautiful.”
“Yes,” Chris says. “Very beautiful.”
I turn my head and see he’s looking at me now, not the sky. Here comes the blushing again. I’m afraid to meet his eyes, so I look back at the sunset. I’ve never been very comfortable with flattery.
“It’s so nice out, how about we walk to The Joint?” Chris asks.
It really is nice out. The air is pleasantly warm, with just the barest hint of a breeze. Birds are chirping their merry evening songs, and I can smell fresh cut grass from somewhere. The Joint is less than a mile from my dorm, so walking is a great idea.
“Yeah, let’s walk. That’ll be great.”
Chris takes my hand, and we head down the street to the west, directly into the sunset. It’s so gorgeous, it’s almost like walking into a painting. Chris and I reached the hand holding stage over a week ago, but I still get a little thrill every time his fingers touch mine, especially when he gives me that quick squeeze he always does when our hands first touch. If this were a movie, this would be the closing shot—two young lovers strolling off into the sunset, hand in hand. Remember, I believe in fairy tales—I’m just really careful about letting myself think I’ll ever be part of one. But who knows?
Walking with Chris like this is so awesome I wish The Joint were farther away, but we’re there in less than twenty minutes. The bright colors of the sunset are now only a narrow band above the horizon, with the rest of the sky a mixture of dark grays and purples. The smell of hamburgers and grilled onions has replaced the fragrance of cut grass—still appealing, but in a less romantic way.
The Joint is a small, very casual restaurant that has operated on campus for decades. It’s one of the few places to eat on campus not run by the college. It has no liquor license, but since most students aren’t old enough to legally drink, that’s not a problem. Besides, there are plenty of places for kids to drink illegally, if they want. The Joint serves a simple menu of hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as hot and cold sandwiches. Along with soft drinks, you can get energy drinks, several different coffees and fruit smoothies. Chris tells me that a few years ago, someone had the idea to host an open mic night, and the place has become more popular than ever.
There’s no line outside, so after Chris pays the cover charge to a good-looking blond guy seated on a wooden stool next to the door, we’re able to go right in.
We step through
Chris laughs. “I think I can imagine at least one of them. Might not be a bad idea.”
“Bite your tongue,” I tell him, laughing.
“We’d better get going,” Chris says. “Open mic doesn’t start ‘til eight, but sometimes it gets crowded.”
“I’m ready,” I say. I turn to Marissa. “See you later.”
“Have fun, kids,” she says. She grins at me. “You behave yourself, Heather.”
“Yes, Mom,” I say. “I’ll try.”
“You sure you don’t want to join us?” Chris asks her. “It’s usually pretty fun.”
“No thanks, I’m good,” she replies. “It’s nice to have a night off for a change.”
Marissa isn’t kidding. She has no problem finding dates—she just hasn’t found a guy she’s wanted to see more than once yet. A couple of the guys she’s gone out with are still pestering her for second dates, but she says she can tell from one date whether a guy is a keeper or not. So far, I’ve been afraid to ask her what the qualifications are.
Chapter 14
Outside, the sun is vanishing behind the deep green hills to the west of campus, leaving behind a blazing palette of pinks, golds, oranges and purples. It’s literally breathtaking.
“Wow! How nice is that?” Chris says.
“It’s beautiful,” I say. “Just beautiful.”
“Yes,” Chris says. “Very beautiful.”
I turn my head and see he’s looking at me now, not the sky. Here comes the blushing again. I’m afraid to meet his eyes, so I look back at the sunset. I’ve never been very comfortable with flattery.
“It’s so nice out, how about we walk to The Joint?” Chris asks.
It really is nice out. The air is pleasantly warm, with just the barest hint of a breeze. Birds are chirping their merry evening songs, and I can smell fresh cut grass from somewhere. The Joint is less than a mile from my dorm, so walking is a great idea.
“Yeah, let’s walk. That’ll be great.”
Chris takes my hand, and we head down the street to the west, directly into the sunset. It’s so gorgeous, it’s almost like walking into a painting. Chris and I reached the hand holding stage over a week ago, but I still get a little thrill every time his fingers touch mine, especially when he gives me that quick squeeze he always does when our hands first touch. If this were a movie, this would be the closing shot—two young lovers strolling off into the sunset, hand in hand. Remember, I believe in fairy tales—I’m just really careful about letting myself think I’ll ever be part of one. But who knows?
Walking with Chris like this is so awesome I wish The Joint were farther away, but we’re there in less than twenty minutes. The bright colors of the sunset are now only a narrow band above the horizon, with the rest of the sky a mixture of dark grays and purples. The smell of hamburgers and grilled onions has replaced the fragrance of cut grass—still appealing, but in a less romantic way.
The Joint is a small, very casual restaurant that has operated on campus for decades. It’s one of the few places to eat on campus not run by the college. It has no liquor license, but since most students aren’t old enough to legally drink, that’s not a problem. Besides, there are plenty of places for kids to drink illegally, if they want. The Joint serves a simple menu of hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as hot and cold sandwiches. Along with soft drinks, you can get energy drinks, several different coffees and fruit smoothies. Chris tells me that a few years ago, someone had the idea to host an open mic night, and the place has become more popular than ever.
There’s no line outside, so after Chris pays the cover charge to a good-looking blond guy seated on a wooden stool next to the door, we’re able to go right in.
We step through
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