Page 22 of Choosing Hope

At the end of that lecture, I couldn’t have told you what our professor was talking about. I spent the entire two-hour lecture staring at her. It sounds creepy now, but I was trying to summon the courage to speak to her.

Her friend saw and whispered something to Sophie, making her glance at me.

Rupert and I got out of the room as fast as we could. Rupert had the hots for Nicky, so he was more than happy to wait for their exit with me.

When they came out, they seemed to be aware we were there and bustled in the opposite direction, as if they hoped to escape without speaking to us.

Her need to escape shattered my confidence, but Rupert pushed his shoulder into mine, urging me forward and whispering that he’d back me up.

“Hey, sunny girls’,” I called, cringing at my terrible first line to a girl who was probably used to a far smoother delivery.

I heard her groan under her breath, “Fuck my life.”

Taking large strides, I easily caught them.

They spun around as one, with elegance, a clear display of their dance experience. Sophie’s pretty face marred by a bored expression.

“Original,” she blurted out.

Her clipped rudeness only made my smile grow wider.

“Where did you go last night?” I asked.

We glanced at each other, and I could tell my intrusive question intrigued her.

Nicky responded before Sophie had the chance.

“The Oxford Press had a karaoke night,” she said, sliding her arm through Sophie’s as if she needed the support. “Apparently, we can sing when we’ve had a skinful.”

She finished her sentence with a cute shrug.

Rupert sidled up next to me, blatantly checking Nicky out.

“I wish I’d seen that,” Rupert muttered.

He directed his remark straight at Nicky.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Sophie. Up close, she was even more beautiful. The blue of her irises were ringed with a much darker blue that was almost black. Somehow, the contrast seemed to make the color pop, and in that moment, I never wanted her to look away from me.

She chewed on the inside of her plump bottom lip, and my eyes uncontrollably followed the movement.

“Come down to The Bridge tomorrow night,” I ordered.

I didn’t intend to be so bossy. My nerves just took over. I tried to cover my command by filling the silence.

“One of our friend’s band’s is playing down there. It promises to be a good night.”

Sophie seemed to flinch. I glanced down to see Nicky was gripping firmly onto Sophie’s arm. I wasn’t a hundred percent certain what that meant, but I took the gesture as hopeful.

Until she wrinkled her nose at my invitation. She inhaled deeply, stealing all the breath from my own lungs.

“Thanks, but right now, the thought of more alcohol doesn’t fill me with joy.”

Unable to give up so easily now that I’d come this far, I stepped forward, getting so close that her delicious feminine scent surrounded me.

She looked so exhausted, I could see it was taking everything she had just to stay on her feet.

I gently slid the books that she’d tucked under her arm into my hand, my fingers brushing the skin on her forearm when I did. The contact made a tingle I’d never experienced before shoot up my hand.