Page 23 of Things I Read About

“Hm? What?”

“What floor.”

“Twenty.”

He pushes the button.

I don’t know what to say. I can’t invite him into my room because Kat is surely up, waiting to pounce on me as soon as I open the door. Janie may still be up too. I also can’t quite tell if he would want me to invite him in or not.

He has flirted, definitely, but right now he seems… guarded.

“Room number?”

“Twenty Twenty-Seven.”

He sighs as he steps out of the elevator. “That was a test. You failed. Like the walking, talking safety hazard I could spot from three clicks away. You shouldn’t just give out your room numbers to strangers.”

“You’re not a stranger. You’re Nate.”

He stops at my door and sets me down.

I hold onto his massive arm for balance, and he grips my elbow. I look up at his big, dark eyes.

“Sorry I ruined our date.” I say softly.

“Yeah, well, I’m only here for a few more days. I don’t know what—you know—what you’re looking for.” He takes his hand off my elbow and rubs the back of his neck.

What am I looking for?

“Fun. An escape.”

He studies me again. “Escape from what?”

I chuckle.Med school, family expectations, pressure, stress, wanting to blend in, but also wanting to stand out for once…“Real life?”

“Huh.”

Kat was right, he is very hard to decipher. But I have thatsinking feeling, embarrassment and disappointment. Because he hasn’t said anything, which is rejection enough. I’ve already made my interest in him perfectly clear. I am the main character in this story, so I’m not going to beg.

“Well,” I say, pulling out my key card. “The girls and I will be around, just making all kinds of hazardous, terrible decisions. So, when you get off work, you know where to find me.” I swipe and push the door in. “Night, Nate!”

Then I hustle in and close the door on him, in what could probably be described as a panic. It was not a graceful exit, since I was hopping one foot. But I said my piece and left. I turn and look out the keyhole.

He’s just standing there, frozen. His brow is scrunched down deep over his eyes.

I think maybe I’m a mystery to him.

But I think he likes mysteries.

I guess tomorrow night I’ll find out.

7

“It’syour good girl vibes, I’m telling you,” Janie says before taking another sip of beer.

I throw my hands in the air. “I was wearing a skintight, leather mini dress!”

“Not enough. You’ve got innocent, little sister type written all over you. You should’ve borrowed something from Kat.”