Blind Kiss(12)

“I’ll have a green tea.”

“Ahh, she’s healthy, too. I’ll take a large quadruple caramel macchiato with whole milk,” he said to the cashier, and then looked at me and smirked. “It’s like liquid crack. I’m gonna be so high at dance practice.”

“Wait, what?”

“Come sit,” he said, changing the subject.

I noticed the design on his T-shirt for the first time. It was orange with an illustration of a pickle wearing sunglasses. Underneath the pickle were the words Dill With It.

I laughed as I sat down beside him. “What are you laughing about?” he asked.

“Your T-shirt’s funny.”

“Thanks.” He took my hands and held them across the table. It felt like we were on a real date, which was giving me whiplash. I’d known him for less than an hour. I slipped my hands out of his grasp and clasped them in my lap.

“Penny, we practically had sex with our mouths while wearing blindfolds. I mean, baby, you did not hold back.”

“Neither did you.”

“You know I knew you were pretty before I agreed to do the experiment, right? Tracy told me so.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, but I had no idea you’d be so uniquely beautiful. You’re transcendent. You really are.”

My stomach did a somersault. “Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled. Gavin had a childlike quality about him. I liked the way he lied about not being nervous, and then easily admitted he was. He wasn’t afraid to tell the truth, and he didn’t seem to get embarrassed easily.

“I don’t think coming to dance practice will be very exciting for you.”

“I do,” he fired back.

“Well, um—”

“Please?”

“Um . . . okay, but no critiquing me.”

“You’re my best friend, I would never insult you,” he said with a serious look.

“Ha! Funny.”

“It’s true. At the moment, you’re my best friend in the world.”

“You’re an interesting guy, Gavin.”

“Interesting in a handsome and charming kind of way?”

“Yes.” The truth serum was still in effect. Maybe it always would be with him. Why was I thinking of always? “How old are you?” I asked.

“Twenty-three. Don’t say it! I’ll do it for you. Yes, I’m on the five-year plan. This is my last year but I did change my major three times, so you know . . . that kind of extended my glorious time here.”

“What came before engineering?”

“Ahh, you were listening. English, then music.”

“Wow, you’re all over the place.”

“Thank you, Penny. You’re not the first to say so.” He shook his head in mock irritation.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“I’m kidding. I don’t get offended by it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes me. I’m an only child, and the first of all my cousins to go to college, so I get points for that.”

“Actually, I’m all over the place, too. I’m conflicted about dance and how I’ll turn it into a career.”

Gavin took a sip of his coffee and started to choke. “There are a lot of ways to make a career out of dance.”

“I’ve done ballet and contemporary dance my whole life, but my parents . . . well, my mom actually wanted me to have a degree in something more solid. And maybe . . . probably I’m not good enough to be a professional dancer.”

“Why do you have such a low opinion of yourself?”

“I don’t. I mean, I don’t know.”

He shook his head and then looked at the clock. “Shit, it’s almost four. We gotta go,” he said. I liked how he said we. I liked his concern for me.

He grabbed my hand. “Let’s walk and talk. So where do you live, Penny?”

“Five minutes away . . . with my parents.”

That didn’t seem to faze him. “Yeah, my dad lives in town, too. I used to live with him but couldn’t stand it, so now I share an apartment off-campus with my friend, Mike.”

“How do you pay for rent?”

“I work at Pete’s, that gas station garage in town. I work on cars and do oil changes and pump gas and stuff, mostly at night. It pays the bills.”

“I wish I could work, but practice is too demanding.”

We were walking into the performance hall. Professor Douglas was talking to Joey at the front of the stage.

Gavin and I walked down the aisle toward them. “Hey guys,” I said. “This is my friend, Gavin. He’s gonna stay to watch practice so he can give me a ride home. My car’s still broken down.”

Gavin looked at me and squinted. I guess I had surprised him with that.

Joey rolled his eyes. “Now you’re bringing boyfriends to practice?”

“He’s just a friend—”

“Yes,” Gavin said. “She is.”

Professor Douglas turned his attention to Gavin. “Welcome. Have a seat anywhere you’d like.”

“Does this mean I can bring friends to practice, too?” Joey asked.

“She needs a ride home,” P-Doug argued.