different ways this could come back and bite me in the ass.
“Hey, Drew…” she says.
“Yes?”
Heidi smirks, briefly chewing on the edge of her cheek. “Would you say that this is, like… a secret fling?”
“I think that’s exactly what you’d say this is, yes.”
She hums. “Interesting…”
“What is?”
“Nothing. Jenna wins again, that’s all.”
I tilt my head. She waves her hand.
“Forget about it,” she says as she takes a sip from her coffee. “It’s not important.”
I flash a devious smile. “Does seven tonight work for you?” I ask.
Heidi nods. “Yeah,” she answers. “Seven works fine.”
Chapter 19
Heidi
“This is not fine.”
I focus on Jenna’s reflection in the mirror in front of me. She sulks behind me on the edge of my bed with her arms tightly crossed as I button up my blouse.
“It’s not?” I ask, glancing at my reflection again. “You said the blue brought out my eyes…”
“No, not the shirt. The shirt is fine. You’re more than fine. You’re adorable.”
I smile. “Then, what’s not fine?”
“Nothing.” She exhales hard. “Only the fact that this is the first Saturday night ever where you have a date and I don’t.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And it’s a secret date. The whole bloody system is out of whack!”
“You’re jelly.”
Her jaw drops. “No, I’m not.”
“You’re jellier than a slice of toast.”
“Ugh, don’t mention carbs right now. I’m in a very weak state.”
I chuckle. “Okay.”
She lounges on her elbow. “But since we’re already there, where’s he taking you for dinner?” she asks.
“Well, we talked about that.” I forcefully pivot to the side to check the sway of my knee-length skirt. “We wanted somewhere nice, but casual, with a semi-romantic atmosphere, but not too quiet so we can comfortably talk, and delicious food, but not too messy or filling.”
“And?” Jenna asks, already bored.
“Sushi.”
She perks up. “Ah!”
“Drew knows a place with one of those cute floating sushi bars. A real hole-in-the-wall hidden gem, he says.”
“With bonus points for being far from campus, I assume?”
“Completely out of range of Seth, who is confirmed going to be at the Beta Kappa party tonight, so we should be all clear.”
Jenna smirks. “Look at you. Look at you.”
I blush. “Stop it.”
“Getting a taste of that sweet, delicious karma.”
“This isn’t about that,” I say. “I really like Drew.”
“Who wouldn’t? He’s hot.”
“The last thing we want is for anyone to get hurt.”
“Noble.”
“That’s why we’re taking this slow,” I say. “A super casual first date where we can talk and see if there’s anything there. If there’s not, then no harm done. Easy exit routes for all.”
“But if there is something there?”
“Then…” I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“I do!”
“You do?”
“Then, it’s the good stuff.”
“The good stuff?” I repeat.
“It’s sneaking a kiss when you think no one’s looking,” she says. “It’s keeping the back door unlocked for easy access when he parks two blocks away and sneaks through backyards to get to you under cover of darkness.” She shudders. “I should call Embry.”
“Please don’t do that.”
“What are you doing after dinner?” she asks, living vicariously. “Is he coming back here?”
“Not sure. We didn’t really talk about that.”
Her eyes flash with sexy mischief. “But he’s coming back here, right?”
I pause. “I… don’t know. Why?”
“Heidi…” She frowns. “Please tell me you’re not going out on a secret date with a hot frat boy without plans to put out afterward.”
“We’re getting to know each other, Jenna,” I say. “Isn’t that what dating is?”
“No. Dating is the chip.”
“The what?”
“It’s the chip! Or the pretzel or the carrot stick. It’s just a tool used to transfer a sinful amount of hummus into your mouth.”
I wince. “Hummus is sex in this analogy, isn’t it?”
“Or salsa. Or creamy ranch.” She tilts her head and smirks. “That’s honestly a better example visually now that I think about it.”
“Jenna.” I stand my ground. “Drew and I don’t need or want… creamy ranch right now. We’re fine with chips.”
“You’re fine with chips,” she says. “Drew is not.”
I scoff. “Oh, come on. You don’t know that.”
“He’s Delta Xi, Heidi.”
“So?”
“So…” She sits up on the bed and puts on her serious face. “It’s Saturday night. If he doesn’t get it from you, then he will get it from one of the dozens of girls lined up on the Delta Xi front porch right now. Do you want that to happen?”
I shift on my toes. “No…”
There’s a knock at the back door. I flinch.
Jenna stands up. “Just think about it,” she says. “But don’t over-think about it. You’ll only drive yourself crazy.”
“Wouldn’t want that,” I squeak.
“I’ll get the door. Wait sixty seconds and then make your