#Nerd

“You got to college with my son?” she asked.

Romeo stepped forward so I could feel the solid wall of him just behind me. I told myself not to enjoy the feeling, to realize he wasn’t standing there for me, but because his mother was speaking.

“Thanks for the offer, Mom. Save me a plate? I’ll come in and eat later.”

Just like that, she dismissed me. Her eyes flicked behind me to settle on Romeo. “We’ll talk when you come in.”

He agreed and then after another tense moment, she turned and left. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and turned. “Wow, she’s…”

“Intimidating?” he finished, the corner of his mouth turning up. “She’s not that bad when you get to know her.”

Pain pierced my heart and a small cloud of sorrow swept over me. I turned toward my bag to get out a pencil and notebook.

“Hey,” Romeo said softly. He caught my hand and pulled me around. I glanced down at where we touched and stared at the difference in size of our hands. “Did I say something?”

I shook my head. “Maybe we should get to work.”

His fingers tightened on mine before he let go. For a second, I hoped he would yank me into him and give me that kiss I’d lost out on twice now.

But he didn’t.

We spent the next hour and a half studying. It was hard to focus here in his house. The only light came from two pendants hanging over the island where we were seated. The lights everywhere else in the house were off. The darker it got outside, the more definitive the bubble of light was that we sat in. Like we were in our own little world and beyond it was nothing but darkness.

At one point, I pointed to something on his paper and our hands brushed together. Our eyes met and another one of those heavy moments passed between us. By the time I was packing up my things, my nerves were slightly frayed and my skin was humming.

I didn’t know that being alone with him would affect me this way. We finished later than usual because we got a later start. Well, that and I don’t think either one of us looked at the clock once.

“I’ll drive you back to campus,” he said, pushing his notebook aside and standing up to stretch. When he reached his arms over his head, the hem of his T-shirt rode up and I could see a taut expanse of skin across his waist.

Those muscles on either side of his hips were visible again, creating a deep V shape that disappeared down into his jeans.

I bit my lower lip as heat blossomed in my center.

He must have noticed my reaction because his eyes darkened and he slowly lowered his arms. His cell began ringing from somewhere in his pocket and broke the moment.

He swore lightly and pulled it out to look at the screen. “It’s Braeden,” he said before answering.

“Hey, man,” he said.

I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder and pointed toward the door. “I’ll wait outside.”

He nodded and went back to his call. I moved slowly through the dark living room until I made it to the door. Outside was cold. It was never this cold in Florida in October.

My breath puffed out in front of my face and I wrapped my arms around myself for added warmth. I really needed to start remembering a coat. It just wasn’t something I ever thought about because in Florida I never had to.

I glanced out at the pool. There were lights glowing from within the water, making it look like an inviting lagoon.

I stayed back away from it and moved around toward the driveway. There were trees lining his property and dotting various points in the landscape. All the leaves were golden and burnished orange. A crisp breeze blew through the night and a few quivering leaves fell and floated silently to the ground.

This house was beautiful. It looked austere and well kept, but not so cold that it was uninviting. I grew up in a small three-bedroom home where the only tree in our yard was a palm tree and the grass was brown most of the year because it was always so incredibly hot.

Maryland was a beautiful state. The trees, the air—

A slamming noise from behind had me spinning around. I glanced at the house, thinking Romeo had finished his call, but it wasn’t him.

It was his mother.

She was heading toward me from the back door of the main house. Light spilled out over the concrete from the door she’d left partially open.

“I’m just waiting for Rome-Roman to take me back to campus. He’s on the phone,” I told her as she stopped in front of me. I didn’t want her to think I was out here doing something I wasn’t supposed to.

“Why are you here?” she asked coolly.

Her question caught me off guard a little. “Umm, we were studying.”

Her face turned sour, like she sucked on an entire lemon. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

I gave her a blank look. What?

“I know my son is very popular. I know he dates.”

A pit formed in my stomach. She couldn’t possibly think I was dating Romeo. I didn’t have to say anything because she just kept on talking.

“You aren’t the first girl he’s brought home.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “He usually sneaks them in and out and thinks his father and I don’t see.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s almost twenty, he’s an adult, and he keeps his… relationships quiet so I never say a word.”

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.” My stomach was feeling twisted and I didn’t want to hear about all the girls Romeo brought home.

“You’re the first one I’ve actually seen. The first one he didn’t try to hide.”

Obviously, she thought I was lying about studying. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to hold out my arms and say look at me! But I didn’t. I had pride and I also knew Romeo didn’t think I was that terrible looking. If he did, I wouldn’t have seen that look in his eyes before.

“I won’t have you”—she paused to look me up and down—“or any other low-class girl come into my home and try to take advantage of my son. He has a bright future ahead of him, an important one, and I won’t allow anyone to distract him from that.”

I swallowed. She thought I was a gold-digger? She thought I wanted to somehow benefit from Romeo?

I laughed. I laughed so hard I snorted.

She stared at me like I had five heads.

“Don’t worry,” I said, drawing up my meager stature and height. “Your son is safe from low class like me.”

She stiffened. I glanced back at Romeo’s house.