“Okay, okay.” Drew turned to her. “Maybe not love. You two don’t know each other well enough, but it seems to me there’s more than meets the eye here. Maybe he’s fighting it because he’s just never been that type of guy.”

“No, please don’t start with this.”

“No, no, I’m serious, Charlee. You hear about these types of guys all the time. There are guys who are seriously afraid of commitment.” She squeezed Charlee’s arm. “He fits the profile perfectly. These guys are usually the very good-looking ones who are used to having tons of girls at their beck and call but never have to commit to any one of them. That’s him!”

Drew’s excitement about her newfound revelation only irked Charlee further. “And how in the world is that a good thing?”

“Because, at some point, they meet their match.” Drew was getting more and more excited with each word that came out of her mouth. “They have to fall for someone eventually, right? Maybe Hector’s finally met his match, and you’re it! And why wouldn’t you be, Charlee?” Drew’s excitement finally calmed. She stopped walking, making Charlee stop too then faced her tilting her head and looking very thoughtful. “I know you don’t believe this, but you’re beautiful, not just on the outside but the inside as well.”

This, coupled with all the emotion she was still holding in, instantly choked Charlee up. She pressed her lips together, trying desperately to keep them from quivering. “Stop, Drew. You’re gonna make me cry.”

Drew smiled big. “Don’t cry. And, no, I won’t stop because it’s true. This is good. I really think I’m onto something here. We should go have dinner and brainstorm—somewhere a bit fancier than Taco Bell.” Drew snapped her fingers suddenly and her face scrunched. “Crap! That reminds me. I forgot something.”

“What?”

“My check. It’s ready.” She took a few steps backwards. “They called this morning to tell me I could pick it up. I’ll be right back.”

Charlee watched as her friend hurried away toward the humanities building. Drew worked part-time in the office, even though she didn’t have to. Her dad gave her all the money she needed.

Smiling now after having gotten all emotional just earlier, Charlee wondered what exactly Drew had in mind as far as brainstorming. She’d just as soon move on and leave this behind. Trying to figure out why Hector had no interest in doing anything more with Charlee would only make things worse. As soon as Drew came back, Charlee would tell her she was done analyzing this.

“So, is it possible to cash that rain check in now?”

With a flinch, she turned to face Ross. For once, he looked bright-eyed and fresh with no lingering smell of marijuana. Her eyes were immediately on his newsboy type brown cap that somehow made him look even more cleaned up. His smile was even a bit humbled, unlike all the other times when there was something so smug and cynical about it. Still, she knew she must’ve looked as alarmed as she always did when he’d approached her because he put both hands behind his back.

“I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. In fact, they’ll remain this way the whole time.”

Relieved to see Drew walking toward them, she smiled softly, gulping back the inevitable apprehension she felt about even holding a conversation with Ross. “I’m waiting for my friend. She’s right there actually,” Charlee pointed in Drew’s direction, and he turned to see her as she got closer to them. “We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Ross’s smile dimmed a bit, but he shrugged. “I’ll get my chance eventually, right?”

A bit curious suddenly and because he didn’t appear so menacing this time, Charlee had to ask. “A chance for what exactly?”

Seeing Ross smile so big, especially about something she just said, felt wrong somehow. She didn’t mean to get friendly with him. She’d just been curious and in a cautionary way, not in the way she knew he was thinking.

“Everything okay, Charlotte?” Hector walked up to them out of nowhere and stood right next to her, his presence even bigger now than normal. “Is this guy bothering you again?”

Chapter 15

With his hand fisted and ready to go, Hector stared into the guy’s anxious eyes. He didn’t even care that they were in the middle of campus and this could get him in trouble. All Charlee had to say was anything remotely negative about what this guy had just said or done to her, and he’d make sure it was lights out for him again.

The guy spoke first. “I was just telling Charlee—”

“No! You don’t get to call her that,” Hector got in his face now, feeling the real need to punch something, and this guy’s face would do just fine. “You don’t get to call her anything, you disrespectful ass**le!”

Charlee attempted to get in between them, but Hector wouldn’t budge. “I’m fine actually,” she said, sounding almost annoyed.

Hector turned to face her. Drew was there now too. Looking almost as irritated as Hector felt, Drew asked the very thing he was thinking, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Charlee said to Drew then turned to Hector. “We were just talking.”

The guy had backed up away from Hector the second he’d turned to face Charlee. She then turned to the guy and actually smiled. “I gotta go, but we can talk another time.”

“I look forward to it.” Ross said, attempting to sound cheery, but there was no masking the dread in his eyes. “And I’ll answer your question then.” He tipped his stupid hat at her, glancing at Hector just before turning around and walking away.