of line.
“Just potatoes?” he asks, catching up and following me to find an empty table. “That’s hardly a balanced meal.”
I notice his tray is loaded with mashed potatoes, pot roast, and cooked carrots. “Oh, so you’re a cafeteria advisor now, too?” My attempt at flirting is pathetic. Why can’t I be good at this like Julia? Where is Julia? I scan the area by the bathrooms but don’t see her.
“I was going to say that no meal is complete until you have frozen yogurt and a mug of sprinkles.”
“What?” I can’t help laughing. “Did you say a mug of sprinkles?”
He smiles and raises one shoulder. “Sure. When you put sprinkles on your cone, they’re the first things to go. And after that, all you’re left with is plain yogurt. But…” He tugs my elbow, bringing me over to the frozen yogurt station. He sets his tray down and grabs a cone. Lining it up under the French vanilla dispenser, he makes an almost perfect swirl of yogurt. “Now, watch.” He grabs a coffee mug from the coffee station next to us and dunks it into the container of rainbow sprinkles, almost filling the mug. “There.”
“So, am I supposed to drink the sprinkles?”
“Oh, silly little freshman.” He winks and turns the cone upside-down in the coffee mug, covering it completely with sprinkles. “There, now try it.”
“Um, I haven’t eaten my mashed potatoes yet.”
“Eh, the food here sucks anyway. Best to go straight for dessert.” He holds the cone out to me. No way am I licking it while he’s still holding it. I mean, I’m terrible at flirting, but even I can see how that would look. I take the cone, and our fingers brush against each other. He motions for me to go ahead. I take a small lick.
He rolls his eyes. “Seriously, we’ll be here all day at this rate.” He takes the cone back and licks all around it, not caring that my tongue was just on the yogurt. Once all the sprinkles are gone, he turns the cone upside-down in the mug and pulls it out, covered once again in sprinkles. “Voila! Good as new.” He holds it out to me, as if I’m going to eat it after he just licked the whole thing. If I’m going to be swapping spit with him, that’s not how it’s going to happen.
“Nice trick. I’ll have to remember that one.”
He leans closer and raises his hand to my face. Is he going to kiss me? “You have a sprinkle.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip. “There. That’s better.”
I stare at him, unable to speak because my lip is numb from his touch. No, not numb. More like aching to kiss him.
He cocks his head and smiles, clearly knowing he’s gotten to me. “You okay?”
“Y-yeah.” I stumble on the word. “I should go find my friend and eat some real food.”
“Suit yourself, but I’ve got twenty bucks that says you’ll be making your own cone and mug of sprinkles when you’re finished with that.” He winks and walks away, licking his cone and forgetting all about his tray of food.
“Holy shit, Noelle.”
I turn around to see Julia grinning like a circus clown. “Where have you been?”
“Watching. That guy is seriously into you.”
I look down at the tray of food in her hands. “You were in line?”
“Yup. I sweet talked my way to about three people behind you.” She arches her brow.
“Let me guess, hot guy?”
“No. He was dreadful. Freckles and glasses.” Julia has freckles, too, but she covers them with makeup. I never understood why. I think freckles are cute, like the one just under my mystery guy’s right eye. “I needed to be able to hear what you and sexy college boy were saying, though,” Julia continues.
“I was holding a spot for you, remember? You could’ve joined us.” Though I’m glad she didn’t.
“And interrupt the flirting?” She shakes her head. “No way.”
My cheeks warm. “So you heard
“Just potatoes?” he asks, catching up and following me to find an empty table. “That’s hardly a balanced meal.”
I notice his tray is loaded with mashed potatoes, pot roast, and cooked carrots. “Oh, so you’re a cafeteria advisor now, too?” My attempt at flirting is pathetic. Why can’t I be good at this like Julia? Where is Julia? I scan the area by the bathrooms but don’t see her.
“I was going to say that no meal is complete until you have frozen yogurt and a mug of sprinkles.”
“What?” I can’t help laughing. “Did you say a mug of sprinkles?”
He smiles and raises one shoulder. “Sure. When you put sprinkles on your cone, they’re the first things to go. And after that, all you’re left with is plain yogurt. But…” He tugs my elbow, bringing me over to the frozen yogurt station. He sets his tray down and grabs a cone. Lining it up under the French vanilla dispenser, he makes an almost perfect swirl of yogurt. “Now, watch.” He grabs a coffee mug from the coffee station next to us and dunks it into the container of rainbow sprinkles, almost filling the mug. “There.”
“So, am I supposed to drink the sprinkles?”
“Oh, silly little freshman.” He winks and turns the cone upside-down in the coffee mug, covering it completely with sprinkles. “There, now try it.”
“Um, I haven’t eaten my mashed potatoes yet.”
“Eh, the food here sucks anyway. Best to go straight for dessert.” He holds the cone out to me. No way am I licking it while he’s still holding it. I mean, I’m terrible at flirting, but even I can see how that would look. I take the cone, and our fingers brush against each other. He motions for me to go ahead. I take a small lick.
He rolls his eyes. “Seriously, we’ll be here all day at this rate.” He takes the cone back and licks all around it, not caring that my tongue was just on the yogurt. Once all the sprinkles are gone, he turns the cone upside-down in the mug and pulls it out, covered once again in sprinkles. “Voila! Good as new.” He holds it out to me, as if I’m going to eat it after he just licked the whole thing. If I’m going to be swapping spit with him, that’s not how it’s going to happen.
“Nice trick. I’ll have to remember that one.”
He leans closer and raises his hand to my face. Is he going to kiss me? “You have a sprinkle.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip. “There. That’s better.”
I stare at him, unable to speak because my lip is numb from his touch. No, not numb. More like aching to kiss him.
He cocks his head and smiles, clearly knowing he’s gotten to me. “You okay?”
“Y-yeah.” I stumble on the word. “I should go find my friend and eat some real food.”
“Suit yourself, but I’ve got twenty bucks that says you’ll be making your own cone and mug of sprinkles when you’re finished with that.” He winks and walks away, licking his cone and forgetting all about his tray of food.
“Holy shit, Noelle.”
I turn around to see Julia grinning like a circus clown. “Where have you been?”
“Watching. That guy is seriously into you.”
I look down at the tray of food in her hands. “You were in line?”
“Yup. I sweet talked my way to about three people behind you.” She arches her brow.
“Let me guess, hot guy?”
“No. He was dreadful. Freckles and glasses.” Julia has freckles, too, but she covers them with makeup. I never understood why. I think freckles are cute, like the one just under my mystery guy’s right eye. “I needed to be able to hear what you and sexy college boy were saying, though,” Julia continues.
“I was holding a spot for you, remember? You could’ve joined us.” Though I’m glad she didn’t.
“And interrupt the flirting?” She shakes her head. “No way.”
My cheeks warm. “So you heard
Similar Books
Leon and the Spitting Image
Allen Kurzweil
Power Play: Katie and the Dom
Selena Kitt
Cross the Ocean
Holly Bush
The Darkness Knows
Cheryl Honigford
Overkill (The Mammoth Book of Special Ops)
E. C. Sheedy
Ever the Same
BA Tortuga
Heat and Dust
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
The Boy in the Black Suit
Jason Reynolds
Rhett in Love
J. S. Cooper