Written in the Stars
Page 23
A boyish grin cracked along Collin’s perfect lips and his body started shaking from suppressed laughter.
“Anytime,” he chuckled.
My inner nerd was proud of the physics reference but the rest of me was mortified that I’d tried to use it as a means to flirt. Though, in a weird way, I’d enjoyed our inadvertent romp, I wrung my hands and peaked over Collin’s broad shoulders to see if the bus was on its way. I could only handle so much embarrassing myself in front of a hot guy for one day. Maybe if I left now, he’d forget about our little incident and in some distant future, we could meet again, laugh about it and start afresh. Mercifully, the bus was rounding the corner, brakes squealing as the driver barely slowed down to make the turn.
“Are you a musician then?” Collin broke the silence as the bus slammed to a stop. I nodded, tucking the music safely into a notebook. “I’m not musical myself, but it looks like you're quite talented.”
A sudden burst of boldness momentarily overtook me and I teased, “If you’re not a musician, then how would you know?”
Collin gave me a hearty laugh as I stepped onto the bus, swiping my student pass. He did the same and we filed to the middle of the bus to the only two free spots, where I took the window seat and Collin sat down next to me, pressing his shoulder against mine. My heart did acrobatics again and I forced myself to take in a few quiet, deep breaths.
“It looks complex to me. All of those notes and lyrics you have written on the page. Most people think rocket science is difficult but music—and poetry to go along with it—is like a foreign language.”
What began as a hopelessly awkward introduction turned into an easy conversation that, if overheard, could have mistaken us as lifelong friends. Collin was hilarious, brilliant, and humble. Where I would have been content with listening to his stories, he kept herding the conversation back to me. Before I knew it, I was spilling my deepest, darkest secrets of wanting to be a songwriter, with my words being warbled out by famous singers over the radio.
“So, you perform, too? But you don’t want to be a rock star?”
I shrugged. “Not particularly. I don’t care for the spotlight like some do but for now, I have to perform my work to get my name out there. Usually, my roommate helps me out. She’s got a beautiful voice and an, uh, how should I say it? An engaging stage presence.”
“I’m sure your voice is just as angelic,” Collin interjected, causing heat to prickle under my scarf and creep up my neck.
“Maybe, but when I say ‘engaging stage presence’, I mean she’s a diva.”
Collin roared with laughter. “What does she think of you calling her that?”
I smiled sweetly and let myself look innocently into his gorgeous blue eyes. “She’s the one who announced it when we first became roommates, so I think she’s okay with it.”
The bus was nearly empty and the driver slammed abruptly on the brakes stopping in front of my apartment complex. I rubbed my forehead where I’d knocked it into the window. It seemed like my clumsiness was on overdrive.
Gathering up my things, I asked, “How much further to your place?”
Sheepishly, Collin grinned and admitted, “I don't live this way. I'm just a couple blocks from campus. I was hoping to get to talk with you a little more, and this seemed like the way to do it.”
Stunned, I blushed. “Well, that would explain why you aren’t wearing a coat when it’s only forty degrees out.”
“Have to take opportunities as they come,” Collin said as he scooted out of the way for me. “See you around, then?”
Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I agreed, “I’d like that.”
As I stepped away, he gently grabbed me by the cuff of my jacket. “Wait a minute. I know your career goals, the name of your family’s dog, and your true feelings about physics but you haven't told me your name yet.”
Playfully, I smirked, “You didn’t ask.”
Grinning in return, he said in his best English accent, “Then what, pray tell, is your name, good lady?”
“Kind sir, thou mayest call me...” I snorted out a giggle. I could have died of embarrassment but it was fun to be silly and harmlessly flirt. “Ruby.”
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About Rachael
Rachael Eliker is an avid reader and author with eclectic tastes, a life-long horse fanatic, and self-taught home renovator (a skill which has been tested on every home she’s ever owned). She forces herself to nurture her love/hate relationship with running by jogging along lonely stretches of country road with her cowardly dog who would leave her for dead should anything ever happen. Married to her very own absentminded rocket scientist, together they have more kids than most people can comprehend. When she’s not writing, she enjoys mucking stalls, riding her geriatric horse, milking their ornery Jersey cow, and wondering what life would be like as a celebrity if she wasn’t content being an introvert.
Learn more about Rachael Eliker by visiting https://rachaeleliker.com
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Also by Rachael Eliker
A Kiss at Town Square
April Showers: A Seasonal Romance Anthology
Pop Stars Romantic Comedy Series
When a Star Falls
How a Star Shines
See a Star Rise
Shoot for the Stars
Written in the Stars
Other Works
Headed for the Win
Road to the Regalia
The Midnight Slaves