I’m not interested in you in that way.
“I’ve shocked you,” he said.
“You’re full of surprises, I’ll say that.”
He grinned again. “So, what do you need from me?” His smile fell. “Better not tell my mother you’re about to be homeless. She’ll put you in my sister’s room.”
“Not unless she has a gun,” she said. “I just need you to teach me HTML. I’ve got a job starting Monday.”
“HTML? Monday?”
“It’s just for the week.”
“That doesn’t sound right.” He shook his head. “Besides, I can’t teach you HTML. That’s not my thing. And three days isn’t enough time to learn anything.”
“I just need to know enough to fake it. I can fake anything for a week.”
He laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“Look, learning a little code can’t be that hard. I’ve known some pretty dumb web developers.”
“It’s not hard at all,” he said. “At least not the code part.”
“There you go.”
“You’d have better luck with a book than with me.”
“You’re a professional teacher, right? You’re perfect.” She indulged in touching his arm again. What had he said? The first girl I’ve been able to talk to since…
Since who?
“All right,” he said. “But don’t blame me when they fire you.”
* * *
An hour later Mark snuck out of the house with a couple of books and a laptop shoved in his backpack. He got in his car, hoping Rose would be quick. Within minutes, his mom would sense something was up and look out the window. If she saw Mark and Rose driving off together in his Jetta, she’d put fresh sheets on his bed and a fresh box of condoms on the pillow.
Rose popped open the door and climbed in. “Let’s get out of here before Blair gets back from work. I don’t want her getting the wrong idea.”
He backed up into the road, careful not to spin the tires on the gravel, enjoying the adrenaline rush of the escape and then chiding himself for being thrilled to drive away from home at the age of twenty-nine in a late-model Volkswagen without getting in trouble with his mommy.
“I really need to get out more,” he mumbled.
Her hand patted his thigh. “Workin’ on it.”
He thought about telling her it was all right to leave her hand where it was, but he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.
The right idea.
He glanced at her. What would she be like in bed?
No. Don’t think about that. At least, not right now.
“Which café do you want to go to?” he asked.
“You’re the native. Where can we work without being interrupted?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been the type to hang out in cafés.”
He decided on College Avenue, close to the Berkeley campus. They managed to find a table in the middle of the crowded space, students already camped out in most of them with laptops, books, tablets, and drinks over every surface. Original art hung on the walls with immodest subject matter but modest price tags, mostly naked women, some men. Mark found it distracting, but was grateful none of the guys were full-frontal. At least none in the main seating area.
“It’s like being in college again,” Rose said, peeking around them.
“Is that good?”
Her tongue darted out between glossy rosebud lips to lap at the foam on her cappuccino. Mark stared, mesmerized, as those lips curled into a smile. “Oh, yeah.”
I went to the wrong college.
She took the book he had next to him and flipped through it. “Don’t you have something a little more general? Like Websites for Dumbshits or something?”
“Nope. Maybe you should’ve asked a dumbshit to help you. I buy the books for smart people.”
“Pfft. They’re great for learning something new.” She smiled at him over her cappuccino. A dab of foam clung to her upper lip. “I’ll get you the one for social skills.”
He reached over, swiped the foam away with a fingertip. “It wouldn’t help. Book learnin’ only goes so far.”
She’d frozen in place when he touched her and now
“I’ve shocked you,” he said.
“You’re full of surprises, I’ll say that.”
He grinned again. “So, what do you need from me?” His smile fell. “Better not tell my mother you’re about to be homeless. She’ll put you in my sister’s room.”
“Not unless she has a gun,” she said. “I just need you to teach me HTML. I’ve got a job starting Monday.”
“HTML? Monday?”
“It’s just for the week.”
“That doesn’t sound right.” He shook his head. “Besides, I can’t teach you HTML. That’s not my thing. And three days isn’t enough time to learn anything.”
“I just need to know enough to fake it. I can fake anything for a week.”
He laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“Look, learning a little code can’t be that hard. I’ve known some pretty dumb web developers.”
“It’s not hard at all,” he said. “At least not the code part.”
“There you go.”
“You’d have better luck with a book than with me.”
“You’re a professional teacher, right? You’re perfect.” She indulged in touching his arm again. What had he said? The first girl I’ve been able to talk to since…
Since who?
“All right,” he said. “But don’t blame me when they fire you.”
* * *
An hour later Mark snuck out of the house with a couple of books and a laptop shoved in his backpack. He got in his car, hoping Rose would be quick. Within minutes, his mom would sense something was up and look out the window. If she saw Mark and Rose driving off together in his Jetta, she’d put fresh sheets on his bed and a fresh box of condoms on the pillow.
Rose popped open the door and climbed in. “Let’s get out of here before Blair gets back from work. I don’t want her getting the wrong idea.”
He backed up into the road, careful not to spin the tires on the gravel, enjoying the adrenaline rush of the escape and then chiding himself for being thrilled to drive away from home at the age of twenty-nine in a late-model Volkswagen without getting in trouble with his mommy.
“I really need to get out more,” he mumbled.
Her hand patted his thigh. “Workin’ on it.”
He thought about telling her it was all right to leave her hand where it was, but he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.
The right idea.
He glanced at her. What would she be like in bed?
No. Don’t think about that. At least, not right now.
“Which café do you want to go to?” he asked.
“You’re the native. Where can we work without being interrupted?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been the type to hang out in cafés.”
He decided on College Avenue, close to the Berkeley campus. They managed to find a table in the middle of the crowded space, students already camped out in most of them with laptops, books, tablets, and drinks over every surface. Original art hung on the walls with immodest subject matter but modest price tags, mostly naked women, some men. Mark found it distracting, but was grateful none of the guys were full-frontal. At least none in the main seating area.
“It’s like being in college again,” Rose said, peeking around them.
“Is that good?”
Her tongue darted out between glossy rosebud lips to lap at the foam on her cappuccino. Mark stared, mesmerized, as those lips curled into a smile. “Oh, yeah.”
I went to the wrong college.
She took the book he had next to him and flipped through it. “Don’t you have something a little more general? Like Websites for Dumbshits or something?”
“Nope. Maybe you should’ve asked a dumbshit to help you. I buy the books for smart people.”
“Pfft. They’re great for learning something new.” She smiled at him over her cappuccino. A dab of foam clung to her upper lip. “I’ll get you the one for social skills.”
He reached over, swiped the foam away with a fingertip. “It wouldn’t help. Book learnin’ only goes so far.”
She’d frozen in place when he touched her and now
Similar Books
