without breaking into a cold sweat.
“Exactly.” Becca scooted closer, wrapped her arms around me, and rested her cheek on my chest. I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. “They already love you, just like I do.”
Despite my newly realized anxiety, I smiled. “You love me?”
“I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I’ve waited for you for years. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you.”
“Why?” The question just slipped out.
She sighed. “I wish you could see yourself like I do.”
I was never one to look at the world, much less myself, through rose-colored glasses. I knew what I was—good-looking, a solid football player, and fun to be around—but I also knew what I wasn’t, and that list was so much longer. But I was selfish enough to ignore the fact that I could never be half the man Becca deserved. I was going to love her as long as she would let me. With any luck, she would never come to her senses.
But I wasn’t counting on it. Becca was a smart girl.
CHAPTER 17
Becca
“OPEN UP!” CAME a muffled voice from outside my apartment.
With quizzical glance at Nicole, I went to the front door and peered through the peephole. All I could see was a huge cardboard box, but since I recognized Hanima’s voice, I opened the door.
She immediately shoved a box into my arms. “I’ll go help Courtney with the rest of it.” She trotted off down the steps.
I deposited the box on the kitchen counter. “What is all this stuff?”
Nicole shrugged as if she didn’t know, but it was unconvincing. Before I could grill her further, Courtney stumbled in the front door I’d left open, carrying two huge shopping bags. She dropped them in the living room and collapsed on the couch. “Remind me to tell Hanima no the next time she asks me to help her carry a few things.”
“What is all this stuff?” I asked again, hoping to get an answer this time.
Before Courtney could respond, Hanima strode in the door, kicking it closed behind her. “Your campaign.”
“Excuse me?”
“Those sorority girls have posters all over campus.”
“I’ve noticed.” At the homecoming court meeting, the chairperson made it sound like campaigning was almost discouraged. Or perhaps I’d simply interpreted her comments to suit my own needs. “But I hadn’t planned to campaign.” It just felt weird putting myself front and center like that, essentially demanding that people pay attention to me. I was more comfortable behind the scenes.
“That doesn’t mean you get to spoil our fun,” Nicole chimed in. “You don’t even have to participate if you don’t want.”
“I’m the one on the court,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that the exact definition of participating?”
Pursing her lips, Nicole shot me an annoyed look. “You know what I mean.”
Hanima pulled a stack of thick photo paper out of a box, and I saw a flash of my own face. Cheese on a cracker. “What is that?”
Smiling smugly, Hanima held one of them out. In a three-inch circle was my picture and the slogan, “Becca Zizzo supports Women in STEM. Do you? Vote Becca!”
I gaped at it. “Where did you get that picture?” When I’d spoken at the education conference last year, I’d had to supply a headshot for the program, so I’d gotten a photography student to take it. I hadn’t been wild about the end result, but I’d put it off for so long that I hadn’t had any other options. Now it looked like the entire campus would see it. Ugh.
“Lucy helped us,” Nicole said. “By the way, you really should update your password on your computer.”
“Believe me, I will.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn’t know why I was getting upset. If anything, I should have been grateful. It just bothered me that they’d gone behind my back to plan all this. Then again, if they would have asked me, I would have told them no. Nicole had said this was fun for them, and I had to admit, they looked like they were enjoying the whole charade. Heck, I would’ve been more likely to enjoy it if one of them were in the spotlight.
“The pictures will be used with these.” Hanima fished in the box and came up with a plastic bag full of buttons. “There wasn’t enough time to send them out, so we’re going to have to put them together ourselves.”
“Please tell me we don’t have to cut out all those circles,” Nicole said.
Hanima snorted. “Do you think I’m an