her, but the awards dinner is tonight, and I have papers I still haven’t signed for the Combine. I go for it anyway. “Let me come. I can hang out in the hotel while you go to dinner. We can talk—”
Her face is tight. “No. I need space from…this.”
Space? After everything I just wrote?
I feel winded. “I see.”
“Good.” She turns to walk away, and I grab her elbow.
“Charm, we need to figure us out. I want to,” I say, digging in, getting braver by the minute, even though it’s making me queasy, my stomach jumping.
She takes her glasses off and rubs her eyes. “Can it wait until I get back? I need to go now.”
“Sure,” I say coolly, my pride rearing up.
I chased her out of class and I get “space”.
“When?” I ask.
She looks at me and her voice is toneless, blank. “Whenever. And it’s just talking.”
My hands tap my legs. “Fine. My dorm. Eight o’clock. Three days from now. Is that enough time for you?”
“Yes.”
She turns and walks away, her shoulders hunched. Part of me is tempted to follow her, to just say fuck it and demand she take me with her, but responsibilities pull at me—and fear.
I turn and walk back to class.
20
The sound of music meets my ears when I reach the door of The Purple Iris, a downtown bar near campus. The place has a stage for bands, a nice menu, and the clientele is a mix of townies and students. I sigh, not really wanting to go in.
It’s been a long two days. First, I had the interview in Nashville, and it went well. Then, I came home today and ran around trying to catch up on the classes I missed with my migraine and going out of town.
Laughter drifts through the air as people walk out the door.
I don’t come here much, mostly because it has a rep as a date place—but that’s my purpose tonight: a blind date, one I set up two weeks ago. I wanted to cancel, and perhaps I should have, but I hate to disappoint Dr. A. Plus, I don’t know where Blaze and I stand. He walked out on me, and I can’t let it go. Penelope let it slip that he and Dillon were covered in jersey girls at Cadillac’s after he got his Combine invite, and that is fine. We aren’t together. He wants to talk tomorrow, but I know it will just be more of the same with him. One step forward and two steps back.
My fingers toy with my tight black sweater—no mohair tonight—adjusting the neckline. On my legs are dark gray skinny jeans and three-inch ankle boots with fringe. My hair is straight and sleek, pulled back with two jeweled bobby pins on either side.
The place is dimly lit and purple smoke swirls around the muted ceiling lights, giving the place a romantic vibe. I’m turned off already.
A tall guy leans against the paneled wall in a small foyer, straightening when I walk in.
“Charisma?” he asks, a broad grin on his clean-shaven face as he takes me in.
I nod.
Okay, okay. Not bad. With a headful of wavy sandy hair and hazel eyes, he’s handsome—better than any of the other dates Dr. Alfonsi has set me up with.
Verdict is still out on this one, but as far as looks go, he’s handsome in a boy-next-door kind of way.
He takes my small hand in his. “I’m Mike. Great to meet you. Dr. A talks about you all the time. You look nice.”
He keeps his eyes above my chest. Point one for Mike.
I mumble a thank you and return the compliment. He’s wearing slacks and a nice sports coat, and I do a double take. I’m used to laidback guys, but I get the feeling Med School Mike is all business. He’s also got broad shoulders that taper to a trim waist and a New York accent. Ma would faint, wake up, plan our wedding, and then start on the baby shower.
This place is not fancy enough for a hostess, so we seat ourselves at a dark booth that’s back from the stage by a couple of rows. We’re surrounded by booths on either side, and near the front are several larger tables for groups. There’s a small area for dancing, but right now, there’s no band and…I look around. Dang, the place is rather empty. I wince but try not to feel bad about asking him to meet with the early-bird crowd. I want to