Bender (The Core Four #1)(24)
Sarah has been over at least a dozen times. She seemed to be adjusting well to the change, and she loved coming here. As long as she was happy, I was happy. There was one particular day when Dodger was around that he asked her if she had a boyfriend. She blushed and said, “Yes.” My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. But what entertained me was Dodger’s response. At some point since meeting her, he’d taken on a protector role with her. He gave her a level stare after grilling her about this boy’s name, age, how tall he was, if he had any prior felonies…? To which she replied in a very Sarah like fashion, “He’s eight. What’s he gonna get arrested for, stealing Spiderman underwear?” He explained that with boys you never know, and then he proceeded to tell her that she was not allowed to kiss anybody until she was married. Dodge said, “You’re the best kind of girl out there, Sarah. You make sure you find a boyfriend that cherishes every single one of your smiles and laughs, treats you like a princess, and gives you everything you could ever want.” Then he followed it up with, “Things like diamonds, a castle, and a Ferrari, so I can drive it and make sure it’s safe.” I laughed at him. Sarah smacked him on the arm and said kissing was gross then returned to playing with her dolls. Dodger was sweet to take her under his wing. She lacked a male role model in her life. He was good to her, and I approved of the time they spent together.
Luke and I have gone out a couple of times since he asked me for my number. I remembered walking through campus while eating some Whoppers when my cell phone rang, and I saw Luke’s name flashing on my screen. I inhaled my chocolate ball whole and started choking. Thank God for passersby who knew the Heimlich maneuver. What a sad, and yet wonderful, way to die…death by candy. Anyway, after my near death experience, I got the courage to call him back. He asked if I wanted to go grab a bite to eat and see a movie. I said yes, and now here we are.
He’s been very nice, and I was certainly attracted to him. Luke has this carefree look about him. He had longer blond hair that was tasseled like he’d just gotten out of the ocean and let it air dry. His arms were very tan, and I could only assume that the rest of him was just as dark. Luke’s body was long and lean. Not like Camden’s bulky muscled look, but one that showed clear lines and ridges of abs and arms without it being too much. My favorite part of Luke, though, was his smile. It was so easy and warm. His perfectly straight and white teeth stood out each time his face lit up at something I’d say. I found myself on numerous occasions leaning into him when he directed his grin at me. Yeah, I was definitely attracted.
My cell was vibrating and dancing across the table I’d set it on. I was at the library studying for my next A&P test. I’d managed to pull off a B on the last pop quiz, but again, it wasn’t enough. I had to push harder if I stood a chance at making it into the nursing program.
Picking up my cell, I propped it between my ear and shoulder while I shuffled some books around. “Hello?”
“Hey beautiful, what’re you doing?” Luke’s pleasant voice traveled through the phone.
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “I’m at the library studying. How about yourself?”
“I was just at the grocery store picking up some things for the house. Those guys eat at least twenty-five pounds of food a day.” I giggled. “If you think I’m joking, you should come watch them sometime. If there’s food in the house, they are all like a bunch of bloodhounds sniffing out their next meal. If I was like this at all when I hit puberty, I totally owe my mom for keeping me well-fed.” I could hear the lighthearted tone in his voice. Luke lived in the same frat house that Dodger had invited me to for the Halloween party.
“Sounds pretty typical. Aren’t y’all still growing boys?”
His voice deepened. “Depends on what you’re referring to that’s growing.” I bit my lip, and I could hear his throaty chuckle. “I swear I can practically hear you blushing through the phone.”
“Shut up,” was all I retorted with.
“Alright, alright, well I’m calling because I wanted to see if you would like to come out to the park with me. I could pack us a picnic and bring a Frisbee or a kite. What do ya say?”
He sounded so hopeful. It still amazed me that I was seeing someone like Luke. People like him never happened to people like me. I must have been quiet, because he said my name. “Oh sorry, I got distracted. Yes, I’d love to, that sounds fun. What time?”
“I’ll be there around six.”
“Sounds good, see ya then.”
We both hung up, and I gathered all of my things, looking at the time. Crap, I had two hours to get ready. I still needed to head home to take a shower and pick out what to wear. Slinging my bag over my shoulder I headed to the elevators.
When I got to the apartment, Camden was sitting on the couch. I wasn’t expecting him to be home so soon. He was always at the gym, working until at least seven. It still made me slightly nervous to be alone with him in the same space. Shrugging it off, I came in, took my shoes off, and set my bag on the loveseat.
“Hey, you’re home early,” I stated simply.
He looked over at me from the television. He was watching some show about muscle cars, figures. “Yeah, I was teaching a class to the seniors when one of the granny’s started to go down. I thought she was having a heart attack but turned out she just can’t seem to lift the free weights and step up on the platforms.” He sighed. “I ended up pulling my quad trying to get to her before she hit the floor.”