band he was in was called Ten Speed.”
I made a face, and Noah laughed. “I know. I kept telling Adam that he couldn’t be in a band called Ten Speed and still hold his head up.”
The waitress brought our breakfast, and I watched Noah surreptitiously. I realized that I didn’t know until now whether he was right or left-handed. I knew a lot of other things about Noah, like that he and Bo had been friends since the seventh grade, when they got into a fight and were sent to detention together. Noah hated his father and loved tart things like Starbursts and Skittles, but he wasn’t much of a chocolate fan.
Four years of letters can make you think you knew someone really well. Sitting across from him for the first time watching him eat bland wheat toast, I wondered if my collection of facts stood for actual parts of the whole or simply random tidbits I could trot out if I was playing Noah Jackson Trivial Pursuit.
“What are you doing after breakfast?” Noah asked.
“I’m taking a picture of the Alpha Phis for a rush invitation.”
“Is that a regular photo or one of your special ones?”
“Well, it’s a miniature one, if that’s what you mean. It’s not like I invented the technique.”
“Are you going to show me how you do one of those?”
I shrugged slightly. “I guess, if you want.”
“I want.” He looked at me as if waiting for something.
“Like today?”
“Such an enthusiastic invitation.” He made a tsking sound. “Why yes, Grace, I’d love to come and be your assistant today.”
“I actually already have one—it’s Lana.”
“Isn’t she a member of that house?”
“Yes, but she’s a bad member who’s using me as an excuse to get out of her rush duties.”
“You know, if you weren’t doing it for them, they’d have to pay someone,” Noah said.
“Yeah but I’m happy to do it as a gift.”
“They think it’s good enough to put on their stuff.”
“I get that I can make money off of it. I just don’t want to.”
“I’m just trying to point out that what you do has value.”
“Got it.” I picked up my toast and bit down hard.
“So, are you seeing anyone?” Noah asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“What?” I choked in surprise on my toast and swallowed an unchewed piece in order to avoid spitting it all out on the table.
“Seeing someone. Dating. Hooking up. Hanging out?”
I wished I could say that I had found someone really wonderful, and that he’d come all the way to Central for nothing. I didn’t think my old line about being a cranky cat spinster was going to work for me here. Instead, I asked him, “Are you?”
“Nope. And I haven’t been for a long time.”
“Since like when?” He was sharing, so I might as well take advantage. I ignored the rest of my breakfast. I was hungry for information. What had he been doing for the last couple of years?
“Since high school.”
I sat back, stunned. He hadn’t dated anyone since high school. That seemed preposterous, and I told him so. “I don’t believe you.”
He wasn’t offended by this, but instead gave me a half smile that hinted at something more. “Truth. Ask Bo.”
He pulled out his phone and shoved it toward me. Handing someone your phone was like giving them the Pulp Fiction briefcase. You couldn’t take it and not look inside. I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready to view the contents of his phone, no matter how tempting. With great effort, I pushed the phone away.
“Like no dates, hookups, hangouts at all?”
“Like no serious girlfriend since high school. It’s not easy to maintain a relationship while deployed, and I didn’t have anyone I cared about enough to make that effort before I left.”
“You wrote to me for four years,” I pointed out.
“I can make an effort when I want to.” He looked at me like this was important, but I couldn’t get past the idea that Noah hadn’t dated anyone seriously since high school.
“But since you’ve been out?” I pressed.
“Not everyone can just get into Central, Grace. I was busy studying, taking practice tests, and trying to make myself into an interesting candidate for admission. Girls were the last things on my mind.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed his almost spotless plate away. “But you haven’t answered my question.”
I didn’t want to make it seem like I was sitting around waiting for him, even though I had been. In a moment of panic and stupidity, I lied.
“I’m