Page 10 of Ripple Effect

Leaving my spot at the sink, I enter the doorway between the two rooms. “I look forward to it, Cal.”

“Me too. Sam, you ready?”

Sam groans. “Yeah.” He grins at Iris, whose face just melts in pleasure. “Tomorrow night?”

“Absolutely,” she agrees.

Well, well, well, I think smugly.

Cal’s arm slides around my waist and squeezes. I tip my head back and smile. “Thank you for everything.”

“Yeah, thanks, Libby,” Sam chimes in before he ducks out the door.

With a quick squeeze, Cal follows him.

After the door closes, Iris and I give it to the count of ten before we both shriek, “I have a date!”

Then we shout, “You have a date?”

That’s when we jump into each other’s arms and hug the hell out of each other.

Elizabeth

Fifteen Years Ago from Present Day

“I’m not sure if I agreed to go out on this date because Cal gave me sunflowers or because he smiled at me,” I say to Iris.

“Calhoun Sullivan doesn’t smile, Libs,” she scoffs. “Despite your verbal confirmation of it.”

“It’s happened more than once.” I stroke the petals of the blooms now sitting in a variety of bud vases we’d collected over the years in our off-campus rental. “It was…”

“What?” She leans her elbows on the island dividing us.

“Disarming. He comes off as this tough broody guy, completely not my type.”

Iris snorts. “Not everyone is straight out of a fairy tale.”

My fingers are flirting with the edges of the flower. “I didn’t say they had to be. What I meant was I like someone who will talk with me. On the other hand, Cal doesn’t strike me as the type to lay it all out there over a couple of beers. I mean, really, personal choice aside, is a first date the right time to announce you just got pierced?” I’m still bewildered by the conversation gambit of the blind date I went on last weekend.

Iris’s laughter rings out. “You mean like…”

I nod furiously. “Oh, yes. Matt said something about too much grain in the punch at the Delta Sig party, and the next thing he knew, he woke up with a ladder.” Over the screeching sounds being made, I try to retain my composure. “My question to him was, ‘Are you drinking it now? Is this why you’re telling me?’”

We’re both past the point of no return laughing when there’s a knock at our door. I’m still giggling as I cross the room toward it. “I mean, is this what I should expect when I go out tonight with…Cal.” I breathe his name when I open the door.

“No, Libs, I don’t think this is what you have to…umph!” I jam my elbow into Iris’s stomach. “Oh, hey, Cal.” She gives him a weak wave.

“Iris.” Is it wrong that I love how he acknowledges my gorgeous best friend with only a nod all while his eyes never leave my face? “Hey, Libby. Busy?”

“We were just…” I step back to let him inside but find myself backing into my best friend.

“Doing absolutely nothing. In fact, we were doing so much nothing, I was thinking about studying for that poli-sci test you said we’re going to have, Cal.”

His dark eyes flick over to her for just a moment. “You mean the one you took Friday?” He arches a brow.

I want to smack my face into the palm of my hand at Iris’s obvious behavior. I limit myself to just a small sigh that can either be interpreted as “You’re a moron,” “I can’t believe he’s here early!” or maybe, “What are you still doing here?”

Then again, it could be all three.