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‘You look sad. I wanted to cheer you up,’ she said.

‘You noticed that?’

The girl leant into her ear and spoke quietly but intensely. ‘You can’t miss it.’ Her breath in Leigh’s ear caused her to feel an electric charge run up the entirety of her spine.

‘I’m Leigh,’ she said, pulled in despite her apprehension.

‘Alex. Let’s get that drink. But not here. It’s way too loud.’

Leigh let herself be led out.

They headed to a bar down the street that offered cheap student deals. Alex did the ordering, Leigh watching in slight amazement. She still didn’t quite understand what was happening. Was this girl just trying to make friends? Leigh wasn’t convinced of that. She wouldn’t have needed to. Her confidence and magnetism were off the charts.

Which left the other option. Leigh was getting pulled. A hot, confident girl had found her alone and miserable and decided to try and sleep with her. Leigh could only pray she was about to get sexually used. The possibility of more didn’t exist to her.

Alex handed her a drink. ‘You look kind of familiar. You at Medford?’

‘Yeah, business and marketing.’

Alex looked surprised. ‘What year?’

‘First.’

‘I’m on that course, too. Third year.’

Leigh was shocked. ‘We must have seen each other around.’

Alex shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I don’t always notice what’s going on around me.’

‘You noticed me tonight, though,’ Leigh said. The second it came out, she thought,Oh no, you cocky idiot.

But Alex smiled at her. ‘I did.’

Leigh felt hopeful and then slightly panicked. ‘Whatisthis?’ she found herself asking.

‘I don’t know, exactly,’ Alex said.

‘I guess I want to know if you’re trying to…’ Leigh felt too nervous to finish the sentence.

‘Yes, I’m trying to chat you up,’ Alex replied easily. ‘But you knew that. So what are you really asking?’

Leigh was taken aback. It was true. Shehadknown. It was just insecurity standing in the way. Of course, that was what this was. ‘I guess I just want to know what you want. Like,exactly.’

Alex nodded and smiled. ‘That’s a fair question. Am I trying to get you into bed and then sneak out tomorrow morning? Or am I gonna walk out of here in twenty minutes because I was offered a safer bet? Maybe I’m just looking to get my ego stroked by pulling the best-looking person in that club. Maybe I won’t even want anything to happen if I know I’ve hooked you,’ she half-smiled. ‘Am I looking to use you? Or do I want to connect? That’s what you’re asking, right?’

‘I wasn’t the best-looking person in the club,’ Leigh said with a laugh.

‘Well, if someone had you beat, I never saw her,’ Alex said.

Leigh moved around that, still not buying it. ‘Look, I’m not… Yeah, I guess I’m trying to…’ Leigh finally stumbled into what she wanted to say. ‘I don’t do one-night stands,’ she declared.

That was true, but only on a technicality. The chance hadn’t come up yet. She’d had one sexual partner, a proper girlfriend, Mara. It had ended when they’d left school, and Leigh had been a bit relieved. Mara was sweet but not exactly the love of her life. Even so, Leigh hadn’t felt ready for anything since. Well, until tonight.

Alex nodded. ‘Look, I saw you and…’ She stopped and pondered it, in no particular hurry, it seemed. Then she looked Leigh in the eye very directly. ‘I just saw you, and something happened to me. I was pulled to you. It was like you were a north magnet, and I was a south magnet.’ Alex grinned. ‘You need to know; I don’t normally talk like this.’

Leigh still felt very unsure. But Alex’s words and her way of expressing them were compelling. And it had to be said, Leigh had felt something happen the moment she looked up to find Alex in front of her. Was she right? Was this how it happened? Could this be how love at first sight felt? Were they magnets?

It was a lovely idea. That Leigh would have had this terrible, shitty year and find herself at her lowest, and then someone would say, ‘Hey, it’s me. I’m finally here. You’re not alone anymore.’ Leigh wanted to believe.