“Yeah, just . . . dusty out here.” She dabs at her eyes again. “I’m fine.” She crosses her arms and stares at the ground. “What’s up?”
Dusty?
I glance around at the never-ending expanse of grass that surrounds us, not an ounce of dust in sight. I step forward and tip her chin so I can see past those big glasses of hers.
“What’s really going on, Milly? Did Jason and Romeo say something? Did I do something?”
She glances to the side, unable to look me in the eyes. “No, it’s fine. Okay? Just let me go.”
Her body is pleading to leave, pushing forward, and I know she wants to be left alone, but deep down, I can’t do that. I can’t in good conscience leave her, so I step to the side, letting her walk to her dorm, but follow closely.
It takes her a few steps to realize I’m right next to her and when she does, she sighs. “Carson, I’m fine.”
“Okay,” I answer casually and continue walking at her side.
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, I know.”
We fall in step together and when we reach her dorm, she finally faces me and says, “Then why are you following me?”
“Oh, I’m not following you. I’m actually going to visit someone in the dorms.”
“Really?” Her brow pinches together. “Oh, okay.” She presses her key card to the scanner and I follow her in. We reach the elevator and when we get in, she presses the button for the fourth floor and then asks which floor I need to go to.
“Four as well.”
Her frown deepens. “You’re visiting someone on the fourth floor? That’s a girl floor.”
“Is that a problem?” I ask, one single brow raised.
“What?” she asks, stuttering. “No, I mean . . . no.” She shakes her head. “That’s not a problem.” She crosses her arms and stares at the elevator buttons. “Not a problem at all.”
You would think four floors were one hundred with how excruciatingly long it takes to climb, and the deafening silence from Milly doesn’t help. Wait. Does she think I’m visiting a girl on the fourth floor? As in, not her? She looks pissed off now.
Milly couldn’t possibly be jealous, could she?
Her body language speaks of jealousy, but I can’t get too excited about it because I could be wrong, I’ve been wrong about Milly before, and the last thing I want to do is jump to conclusions and scare her away . . . again.
She’s skittish and unsure and . . . did my arm over her chair really drive her away? I would love to ask her but even if I did, I believe I wouldn’t get the truth. Possibly a scone to the mouth before I could finish my sentence.
Finally, the elevators pop open and Milly steps out first, I follow closely behind.
“Well, have a good night,” she says, walking a little faster. I stay in pace.
“Yeah, you too,” I reply as she stops at a door and holds out a key card.
Completely oblivious—or possibly ignoring me to the best of her ability—she opens her door and I follow her inside. It isn’t until she tries to shut the door that she realizes I’m right behind her.
“Oh my God,” she shouts, bringing her hand to her chest. “You scared me. What are you doing?”
I plaster a smile on my face and say, “Visiting a friend.” I take in her small, one-person dorm.
The first thing I notice are the baseball-themed decorations on the walls, from posters to framed pictures, to pennants. Legends live on her walls, men I’ve looked up to almost all my life—at least most of it. There are some newer players on her wall like Dustin Garnett and Cory Potter. The two pennants hung above her desk are the Bobcats and the Storm. Interesting choices. Then again, she does have a Cory Potter poster.
On her shelf, there are a few signed baseballs, but I’m just far enough away where I can’t see who signed them. There’s a picture of her with Cory Potter—I think we have a superfan—and there’s a Bobcat blanket draped over the back of her desk chair.
But then there are feminine touches like her bed. Pure white and fluffy as fuck, it looks like her own personal oasis. Bottles of lotion and perfume are stacked together on her dresser. Colorful notebooks and binders lay on her desk next to a pink desk lamp and matching stapler. To the left is a small kitchenette with a microwave and a mini fridge with