by Kelly Oram
I was relieved that she was taking me seriously, because she needed to understand that she had the power to hurt me. “I’m sure.”
“Fair enough, Coffee Man.” A pout spread across her face, and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. Sure enough, she tugged me close again. “But maybe just one more before you cut me off?”
Laughing softly, I leaned in, unable to completely refuse her. I couldn’t give her the kiss she wanted, though, because if I went there again, there’s no way I could stop myself a second time. So I pressed my lips gently to her cheek and whispered, “Good night, Libby.”
I took a moment to enjoy her expression, then got out of there before she could crumble my will power.
Libby
The Science Squad was talking to me again—thank drunken wish faeries everywhere—and they even let me back into science club just in time to help plan the end-of-the-year party. Not that I’d been much help today; I was too distracted.
Adam’s kiss had given me Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis. I was quite certain. I waited all night for my brain to literally explode. When it didn’t and I had to get up and go to school after getting zero sleep, I had to wear my Grumpy Cat shirt. It was only fitting. I was horny, exhausted, frustrated, and horny. Did I say horny twice? Well, I should have said confused twice. Actually, I should have said confused like five times.
I mean, seriously, what the crap? We have this amazing day together and at the end of it he lays that epic kiss on me and admits that he’s in serious like with me, but then he says he’s not going to do it again because I’m getting over Owen? Ugh. Boys are supposed to be easy. Owen was super easy. Sex and basketball. That was all he needed. Adam was clearly a lot more complicated.
“Libby.” Brandon waved his hand in front of my face, startling me so badly I nearly fell out of my chair. “End-of-the-year party next Wednesday in the Chem Cave in place of normal study group. Can you bring the music?”
My mind immediately went to my room with Adam, when I’d danced to Marvin Gaye for him. I thought of our kiss again and then replayed that day in my room with a much different outcome. A much hotter outcome. Man, I really needed to figure out a way to convince the Coffee Man I was over Owen.
“Libby!”
I shook myself from my beyond-sexy daydream. “Music. Sure. I’ve got it covered. You can count on me.” At their skeptical looks, I crossed my heart. “I promise. I’m done letting you guys down, remember?”
“If you say so,” Aiden muttered.
Ugh. I could not wait until the day Aiden left for college. Thankfully, the jerk decided he was too good for UVU and will not be attending the same college as me next year. He’ll be up in the dorms at the University of Utah—far enough away that he won’t come home very often. It’s going to be bliss.
Of course it was Avery who jumped in to defend me from her idiot best friend. “We believe you,” she said to me, after shooting Aiden a scolding look. “And we’re happy to have you back.”
“Speaking of having you back,” Brandon said, “do I need to add two to our dinner reservation Saturday night?”
“Oh, yes!” Tara clapped her hands. “Come to prom with us! It’s going to be so much fun!”
I was torn. All of my friends were going to prom together. They all had dates. Even Aiden was going with some girl in his journalism class. I was the only one who would miss the awesomeness that is THE PROM.
“It’s okay if you don’t have a date,” Avery said. “We’ll all share ours.”
For a split second, I considered it. I mean, it was the prom. I really, really didn’t want to miss it. But Adam’s kiss was now imprinted in my brain forever, and his very cool alternative had slightly more appeal than going stag to the dance.
I thought for a moment and finally made an executive decision. “Sorry, guys, as much as I appreciate the invitation to join your fun-filled evening of dinner and dancing, I will not be accompanying you. I actually have a date that night. The Coffee Man invited me to have an alterna-prom with him instead.”
Avery’s eyes grew to the size of grapefruits. “Adam asked you out?”
She seemed so shocked by this that I felt stupid for mentioning it. Yeah, I was surprised that someone as cool as him would waste his time with me, but it hurt that Avery couldn’t believe it. “Whatever. It’s not a big deal. We’re just going to watch movies about prom, and he said I could wear my dress.”
Detecting my hurt, Avery shook her head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. Of course Adam sees how amazing you are. It’s just that, because of the Kate thing, Adam doesn’t date. Like ever.”
Her face exploded into butterflies and rainbows and quadratic equations and all things joyful and sparkly, while she jumped up and down and squealed, “Oh, my heck! Oh, my heck! Oh, my heck! Oh, my heck! Adam must really like you, Libby!” She threw her arms around me in a choking hug. “Oh, my heck! I’m so happy! This is perfect! Tell me everything!”
I hadn’t seen her this excited since those students at Johns Hopkins University recreated that synthetic chromosome of yeast from scratch.
We were interrupted with a series of groans from the boys, and they began packing up their stuff as quickly as possible. “Meeting adjourned,” Aiden said. “Quick! Let’s get out of here before she starts describing his dazzling eyes and amazing smell and the way he caressed her face as he whispered softly to her…”
Avery snorted. “How eloquent. Are you sure the journalism major isn’t a cover-up for your secret career writing steamy romance novels?”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “You spend too much time with my brother.”
Avery grinned at him. “You still love me.”
Aiden sighed and shook his head, chuckling to himself as he left the room with the rest of the Science Squad. He actually still did love Avery. Very much. In fact, I had my suspicions that he chose a different college because he needed some space from her and Grayson because he was in love with her. I’d never tell Avery that because if she suspected his real feelings for her, she’d feel terrible. I loved to see him tortured by unrequited love—it’s only fair since he tortured Avery with it their whole lives—but I also loved the fact that he cared about her. It’s his only good quality, if you ask me.
After everyone left, Avery immediately started in on the interrogation. “So…? What happened? How did it come up? I can’t believe he asked you out!”
“Okay, I will give you all the sexy details—and trust me, they get very sexy—if you explain to me what you meant by the ‘Kate thing.’”
Avery took a deep breath and opened her mouth to begin a long story, but quickly popped it shut again. “Ride to the coffee shop with me, then. I’m meeting Kate for tutoring. We can swap stories on the way.”
Ride to the one place where it’s almost guaranteed that I will see a sexy, brooding coffee man and I’m likely to get a free caramel apple cider? Yes, please. “Sure. I need to see the Coffee Man anyway. But hang on one second. I just have to talk to Mr. Walden real fast.”
The physics teacher in question looked up at the mention of his name. “What’s up, Libby? Are you finally tired of wasting your free period helping me?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it. I’m fine with helping you the rest of the year if you have stuff you need me to do. Until I have to cram for finals, anyway.”
Mr. Walden sagged in relief. The poor guy had really gotten used to having an unofficial teacher’s assistant. “You’re the best, Libby.”
“That I am.” I grinned at him as I pulled a huge bag of coffee beans—Jo’s best brand—out of my bag. “As a token of my appreciation for being the awesomest teacher slash club advisor ever, and my personal favorite in my entire academic career, I present you with this most exquisite gift. May you never drink the school’s sludge ever again.”
Mr. Walden’s eye’s sparkled. “You are a true gift from God, Libby.”
I sighed. “I know.”
Mr. Walden opened the bag and took a dee
p breath, inhaling the rich scent. The coffee junkie’s eyes glazed over, and he smiled up at me from his desk chair. “Thank you, Libby. This is the best gift I’ve ever received from a student.”
“You just remember that come report cards,” I teased, saluting him as I walked out the door.
The second we were out the door, Avery started grilling me again. “So…? What happened? How did he ask you out?”
“Nu-uh. You first. What Kate thing?”
. . . . .
I gave Avery the lowdown on my Adam adventures all the way to the coffee shop after she gave me the dirt on the Kate situation. The truth rocked my world. Adam was Kate’s guardian? It explained so much about Adam. He wasn’t just mature, or an old soul—he was practically a parent. He did so much and worked so hard. He’d sacrificed so much.
I didn’t need to make amends with Adam, but I wanted to do something for him. After hearing Avery talk about him, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
When Avery and I walked into the shop, sure enough, Kate was sitting at a table with her books spread out, while Adam was rocking the sexy barista look behind the counter. He had customers, so I waited until the crowd cleared and happily used the time watching him do his thing. It’s amazing how he can make working in a coffee shop so entertaining. How did I order my cider from him for so long without noticing him? When it was finally calm, I stepped up to the counter with my best flirty smile in place. “Hey, Coffee Man. Can I get my cider fix today, or am I still banned from the shop?”
Smirking, Adam handed me a cup of cider already prepared in a paper cup with a lid—just the way I always ask for it. (I’m not a fan of cider in a mug.) “You’re still banned. And you suck at it.”
And there was a perfect opening if I wanted to get him thinking dirty. Which I did, of course. I matched his smile with a wicked one of my own. “Sucking is a talent of mine, if you know what I mean. Maybe you want to reconsider that no-kissing thing again?”
I brought my cup to my lips, only to have Adam promptly rip it away. “Don’t do that,” he scolded.
Mr. Grumpy Pants had arrived and was glaring at me. I was at a loss. “Don’t drink apple cider?”
Face flashing red, Adam placed his hands down on the counter and leaned toward me. “Don’t cheapen yourself with hooker talk.”
Indignation flared in me the way it did the first time we met. I opened my mouth to argue, but didn’t get the chance. Mr. Holier Than Thou lunged into a lecture without ever taking a breath. “That’s one of the things you need to work on that you didn’t put on your personal inventory.” He leaned back up to his full height and pushed the cider back to me. “Have some self-respect. And demand it from others. Get a guy to like you for who you are, not what you can do for him, or you’ll just end up with another Owen.”
I told myself not to be offended. He was trying to help me. I even appreciated his blunt style. But his words cut deep. His face softened and he pushed the cider back to me. It lessened the sting a little. The anger left his voice, and he looked like my understanding, sympathetic mentor again. “Your relationship with Owen was all physical. If you offer it up like that all the time, guys will take it without taking anything else. Make us work for it, Libby. Only offer up the naughty stuff after we’ve fallen for everything else first. That’s how you earn respect. And how you find a decent guy worth being with.”
I took a long sip of my cider to give myself time to settle down. Why did he have to be so darn good with the lectures? Why did he always have to make so much sense that you couldn’t argue with him? Still, I had to try. My pride demanded it. “Easier said than done when you look like me. What guy is going to take the time to get to know me if he’s not getting something out of it?”
Adam’s look clearly said, I would. He made me so frustrated sometimes. How could he be so sexy and so nice and practically perfect, yet make me feel so small sometimes? Did I even dare try to get into a relationship with him? He was likely to turn me into an emotional basket case. I wasn’t ready to give him his way yet. “I don’t care what you say. Any relationship, even if it isn’t perfect, is better than no relationship. So what if it was just sex? It was really good sex.”
Adam immediately shook his head. “You think the sex was good, but Owen didn’t respect you. He used you. Once you’re with someone who really cares about you, you’ll understand what you were missing out on. Owen was gas station coffee. What you really want is that.”
He pointed at the cup in my hand. I smiled down at it, no longer angry. He’s got a talent for making me feel better as much as he does for pissing me off. “Are you saying you’d be my apple cider?”
Adam shook his head again and met my gaze with one of his award-winning stares. He was in full intensity mode again, and it made me shiver. “You like cider, Libby,” he said, low and confident. “And you like cats. I’d be your season lift ticket. Someplace where it snows year-round.”
I gulped. Audibly. Adam held his stare. Avery cleared her throat, breaking up the moment. I could have kissed her for it. And kicked her. She pointed to the bag at my feet. Oh, right.
I took a big breath as I grabbed the bag I’d brought with me today and put it on the counter between us. “What’s this?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It’s for you.”
He frowned. “What do you mean? What is it?”
“It’s a present, silly. Open it.”
Okay, I knew it was a little random, but Adam was so shocked he froze. “Hey, Coffee Man, you okay?”
He snapped himself out of whatever brain fart he was experiencing and turned to the other person behind the counter. “Imani, I’m going to take ten.”
The woman smiled. “Sure thing, Adam.”
Adam nodded for me to meet him at the end of the counter, and then he led me back to the infamous break room.
Libby
I set his gift on the table and waited for him to say something. At my expectant look, his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Sorry. You just reminded me that I have something for you, too.”
I was sure that wasn’t the reason he’d blushed, but I couldn’t figure out what was up with him. He’d freaked out at the sight of that gift. Was it really so strange? He didn’t even know what was in it. He was acting weird.
After fishing through his locker, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “Here. This is the money from selling your earrings.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Just seeing that money left a sour taste in my mouth. My heart still hurt a little knowing I’d given up those earrings. But my heart hurt a lot knowing that Owen could buy me diamonds, yet couldn’t do something as simple as take me on a double date because then people would know he liked me.
Lifting my hands, I backed away from Adam and waved him off. “No. I don’t want it.”
He looked at me as if I’d gone mental. “Libby, it’s almost three hundred bucks. You’re saving up for college. You need the money.”
I’d get by without it. But Adam could definitely use it. I shook my head again. “You keep it.”
He gave me the look. “You know that’s not going to happen.”
“Anything I buy with that money will remind me of Owen just as much as the earrings. I don’t want it.”
Ignoring my arguments, Adam stepped forward and tucked the money into the front pocket of my jeans. “You’ll need gas money. If you choose a car, that is.”
I wasn’t going to choose a car. There was no way I could give up snowboarding. But there was something I needed some serious cash for. Turns out that making amends can be rather costly at times. And if I used the money on someone other than myself, then it couldn’t remind me of Owen.
“Fine,” I whispered, giving in way too easily. Even with my rationalization, I’d have protested more if I could have. But having Adam so close had locked up my body and scrambled my brain. My eyes fell to his lips, and I gulped. They were right there. I could just…
I leaned forward, and Adam expertly
slipped out of my grasp. When he put a good four feet of space between us, I sighed and fell to the couch. Adam saw my disappointment and raked a hand through his hair. “How are things on the Owen front?” he asked.
He meant the question as a distraction, and I hated that it worked. I sighed. “Honestly?”
Adam met my eyes with a direct gaze. “I always want your honesty.”
Of course he did. “Fine. Honestly, I’m going crazy.” Adam’s jaw clenched and unclenched so fast I could have imagined it. “He’s been hounding Grayson and Avery, asking them to let him talk to me. He even texted me once from Grayson’s phone. I don’t think Grayson knew about it.”
Adam took a breath and leaned against the small table, folding his arms as he studied me. “And this is driving you crazy?” he asked in a calm voice. “Why?”
“Are you kidding? I never expected Owen to fight so hard for me. I never expected him to fight for me at all. But he is. His apology text from Grayson’s phone was so sweet. And he asked me if I would give him a second chance. He asked if I would go out with him to dinner and a movie with Avery and Grayson. He’s never asked me to do something with anyone else before. That’s huge.”
Adam was quiet for a minute, leaning like a statue against that table as he worked through everything I’d said. He took a breath. “How did you respond to his text?” he asked. “Did you go out with him? Are you going to?”
I laughed, but there was more bitterness in it than humor. “I freaked out on Avery. That’s how I learned he’s been asking her and Grayson to see me. I got pissed that she was keeping that information from me. We got in an argument over it.”
Adam’s face softened. He pulled out a chair from the table and sat. “Why would you get so angry after Owen hurt you so much? Owen isn’t worth a fight with your best friend.”
I gritted my teeth. “Not the Owen I dated all year, no. But an Owen willing to change? Willing to fight for me, and willing to admit we’re dating? Go out together with our friends? If he could get past his issues with my looks, and start acting like a real boyfriend, then he would be worth it.”
