As he walked away, I saw him stop to talk to a group of his frat brothers. One of them glanced my way and smiled. Drake shoved him to the side and stood between us without looking back at me. Crazy boy. I shook my head at his antics and went to class.

Drake was waiting for me at a table in the café when I got there for lunch. He’d already gotten me my usual, and he was chatting with Aubrey. It was nice to see them getting along so well. Aubrey’s opinion mattered a lot to me.

“Hey,” I greeted them as I sat down. “Thanks for grabbing my lunch again. One of these days, I’ll beat you here so I can buy for a change.”

Drake shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”

“What? I can’t pay for lunch?”

“Nope. That’s not how this works. You need something and I’m with you, then I buy it for you.”

“Drake, that’s ridiculous,” I argued.

“Not to me, babe. Don’t make that big of a deal out of it. Feeding you isn’t going to break the bank.”

I looked at Aubrey, expecting her to back me up. She just shrugged her shoulders in a gesture of helplessness. “What? You agree with him?”

“No, but you should pick your battles. Does it really bother you that you have a drop-dead gorgeous guy who wants to be a gentleman when he takes you out?”

I glared at her. “Geesh, when you put it that way, I sound like a whiny bitch. Thanks a lot for the help here.”

“Wouldn’t matter if she agreed with you, Alexa. There’s nothing for her to back you up on. You know me by now. Can you picture me letting you pay on a date?”

I shook my head no since I really couldn’t. “You’re such a Neanderthal sometimes.”

“Yeah, but I’m yours.” He winked at me. “Speaking of dates, I made plans for us tonight. I haven’t had you to myself all week.”

Aubrey clapped her hands together. “Oooh, a guy who plans your dates and pays for them. I like the sound of that! Where are you guys going?”

“I want it to be a surprise,” Drake answered.

“I’m not really good with surprises.”

“She isn’t. The anticipation always gets to her as she imagines the worst,” Aubrey agreed.

“Don’t worry. I promise you’re going to like this one. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Are you sure you don’t just want to tell me what we’re doing? I can’t promise that I won’t worry about it all day.”

Drake’s gaze turned serious. “Alexa, trust me when I tell you that you’ve got nothing to be concerned about. If you don’t like my plans, I’ll change them. Okay?”

I pouted up at him and batted my eyelashes.

“Enough with the puppy-dog look. I’m not telling you what I have planned. Gotta run or I’ll be late for class. See you at eight.”

He strode away from the table, and Aubrey chuckled next to me. “What’s so funny?”

“I think he’ll be good for you in more ways than I thought. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you back down so quickly from trying to spoil a surprise. Maybe he’ll break you of that habit so I can actually hide your Christmas present from you this year.”

“I’m not that bad, Aubrey.”

“Um, yeah, you are. Why do you think I always cave and give you presents early? If I shop in advance for you, it’s a wasted trip because I can never hold out. Where do you think half the clothes I give you come from?”

“Your closet? Or an impulse buy while you’re out shopping for yourself?”

Aubrey made a buzzing sound. “Wrong answer. But I don’t really mind. So, date night. Are you excited?”

“Yeah, I am. Will you meet me at the dorm to help me get ready? Maybe you have a gift waiting in your closet for me right now that will be perfect for tonight?” I joked.

“No such luck. We’ll have to make do with what you’ve already got on hand. See you later.”

chapter 9

As I dressed for our big date, Aubrey popped into the room to check on me. “So what’s the plan for tonight? Still no idea where Drake’s taking you?”

“Nope. I tried again to talk him into spilling the beans, but it’s still a surprise. He just said that I needed to wear jeans. What do you think?” I asked her as I gestured down at my outfit. I had chosen to wear a pair of dark blue jeans with a deep green sweater and brown leather boots. The jeans were snug but not super tight. The sweater hit mid-thigh but clung to my boobs. The boots were a favorite of mine, with only a slight heel on them. I felt comfortable but hoped I still looked good for Drake.