Romancing the R.A. (Campus Crush series) (3 page)

Julia gets up and motions for me to follow. We dump our garbage and return our trays before making our way over to the yogurt station.

“So how do we do this?” Julia asks. I know she saw everything, but she wants to see my reaction. Figure out how I really feel about him.

Without a word, I make our cones and grab two mugs full of sprinkles. I look around for any sign of him, but he must have left already. I can’t even mask my disappointment, and I’m not sure I’m in the mood for yogurt anymore.

“What, not as good as last time?” Julia asks. “Is it the company?”

“Seriously, you’re reading way too much into the yogurt.” Apparently, so had I. If he really thought I’d go back for yogurt, wouldn’t he have stuck around? Why does he keep flirting with me and then disappearing?

We start back toward our seats, when Julia’s head whips around. Before I can see what it is that got her attention, she says, “I’ll be right back,” and takes off in a hurry.

“Where are you—?”

“I told you you’d come back.” The words are a mere whisper behind me, and he’s so close his breath sends tingles down my neck.

Chapter Three

I turn around a little too quickly, and my cone smashes into his chest. His rock hard chest. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry.” I set my mug and cone down on the nearest table and look around for napkins. There aren’t any, but I see a guy two seats over bringing a napkin to his mouth. I reach for the napkin, ripping it from his hand. “Sorry. Emergency.” I turn and wipe the yogurt from—what is his name?

He smiles and places his hand on top of mine. I stop wiping his shirt and stare into his blue eyes, nearly melting on the spot. “You stole a napkin for me. I’m touched.”

I’d steal more than that for him. “I didn’t see any others around.”

He laughs. “Resourceful. That will come in handy in college.”

“Right.” My body feels like it’s on fire. He must think I’m a klutz in addition to being a hillbilly with no direction. I might as well let Julia go for him. I’ve officially ruined my chances.

“I meant that as a compliment, but it looks like I’ve offended you.”

“No. I’m just…embarrassed.” There, I said it.

“Don’t be. Last week, some guy spilled a plate of pasta on a girl’s head. Now
that
was embarrassing. This is just a little yogurt. It won’t even stain.” He smiles, and already I feel better.

“You’re sweet.” Oh God! I did
not
mean to say that out loud. I swallow hard, waiting for his reaction.

“Thanks. You know, you never told me your name.”

“You didn’t tell me yours, either.” My confidence returns as I realize he’s still flirting with me.

“Well, seeing as I’m the victim of a yogurt attack, I think you should tell me first.”

If he keeps smiling at me like that I’ll tell him anything he wants to know. “I’m Noelle. Noelle Buckman.” I can’t help wondering if telling him my last name wasn’t a good idea. His dad’s the dean. He could look me up or something. Find out I bombed my S.A.Ts. Crap!

“Nice to meet you, Noelle Buckman.” Great. It’s like he’s repeating my name to commit it to memory. I’m screwed. “I’m Andy Decker.” He’s being so formal all of a sudden that I almost expect him to bow or something.

A glob of yogurt falls off his shirt. “Oh. We really need more napkins.” I look around, but there’s no one else to steal them from. The cafeteria is almost deserted. “Where did everyone go?”

Andy looks at his watch. “Damn it. The next lecture’s already started. Dad will be thrilled I’m late.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll tell him it was my fault. He can’t blame you after he finds out I dumped my yogurt on you.”

“Sure he will. He’ll tell me I got what I deserved for hitting on you.”

I freeze. Even though I know that’s what he’s doing, hearing him admit it makes my heart race. “Um, I guess we should go. I have to find Julia.”

He looks around. “It seems I keep scaring off your friend.”

“Nah. She’s dodging you on purpose to give us a chance to—” I catch myself, but the damage is already done.

He gives me a sexy half-smile that has me thinking about kissing him again. “To give us a chance to…”

He wants me to say it. To admit what’s going on between us. This is new territory for me. Most guys at my school would never admit they liked me without sending one of their friends to find out if I liked them first. Andy is so open, honest. It makes me like him even more.

“Get to know each other.” I swallow my nerves and force myself to meet his eyes.

“Is that what you want?”

A world of yes!
“Did I not make that clear when I smeared my yogurt on your shirt?” Wait. Am I actually getting better at flirting?

He laughs. “I don’t know how I missed that. Now that you mention it, it’s so obvious.”

I smile, and my shoulders relax, even though my stomach is full of flutters.

“Well, I don’t want your friend to get worried about you, so you should probably head to the Newman building. That’s where the lecture is. Oh,” he reaches for my elbow, “and don’t worry. This time my dad’s not the one giving the lecture. This one is all about the athletic programs here at Timberland.” He smiles again, and I feel like I could melt into the floor, just like my yogurt. He cocks his head. “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” I snap myself out of my Andy-induced stupor. “I just need to wash this yogurt off me.” I hold up my hand, which is a sticky mess.

“Bathrooms are by the doors there. Come on, I’ll walk you.”

I don’t bother to tell him I already know where the bathrooms are because I don’t want him to leave. “Thanks.” I turn around, and he places his hand lightly on the small of my back. I wonder if he can feel my heart pounding.

I walk inside the ladies’ room, and he heads into the men’s. I go directly to the sink and wash my hands. Then I take in my reflection and breathe out a long sigh. The loose curls I put in my hair this morning are starting to get limp, and my highlights really need to be redone. I should’ve made sure I looked my best for orientation. I mean I knew there would be hot guys here, but I never expected Andy. No guy has ever gotten to me like he has. He’s different. He’s…worth it. Worth the risk, worth the potential heartache, worth the amazing feeling I have in my gut right now. At least I think he is.

“You okay in there?” Andy calls into the bathroom.

“Yeah.” I’m better than okay. I’m ready. I walk out of the bathroom and smile at Andy, who now has a big wet spot on his shirt. “Do you want to go change before heading to the lecture?”

“Are you offering to escort me?” His tone is flirtatious but not pushy.

Go to a lecture or be alone with Andy? That wouldn’t be a hard decision at all, but is he serious? “Um—”

“Relax. I’m only kidding,” he says, misreading my hesitation. “Although, I do get to take you all on a tour of the dorms soon.” He winks and motions for me to lead the way out of the cafeteria.

I hate that I keep coming off as the naïve little freshman, but so far Andy’s been really nice about it. I have no idea where the Newman building is, so I stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Well, Mr. Tour Guide, where to?”

He points to the brown brick building across the quad and places his other hand on my back again. This all seems so natural to him, and I can’t help letting my mind go to the dark place, the one that questions if Andy is so good at this because he’s done it before, maybe numerous times. Am I just a notch on his R.A. belt?

“You’re quiet.” Andy turns his head to look at me. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just wondering what happened to Julia.” Not a lie. I
am
wondering why she’d just leave me like that. I mean I know she wants me to hook up with Andy, and she knew he was behind me in the cafeteria, but I was expecting to find her waiting for me outside. On second thought, knowing her, she went off to find a guy of her own. Hotter than Andy, if possible.

“I’m sure she’s fine. Most of the people on campus this weekend are here for orientation, so she had plenty of people to follow to the lecture.” He pulls open the doors of the Newman building. “Speaking of, we’re here.” He holds the door for me again. I could definitely get used to this.

We walk into a lobby, and Andy motions to a door just off to our right. “It’s in that classroom.”

“Want to sit with me or do you have some special R.A. seating?” My pulse races as I wait for his reply. I’m not ready to say goodbye to him yet.

“Actually, I kind of do have special seating. But, not for being an R.A. I’m on one of the athletic panels. I’m a swimmer.”

A swimmer. Yeah, that would explain his perfectly toned body. “Is a mug of sprinkles a daily part of your training diet?”

“Not exactly.” He leans closer and whispers. “Don’t tell Coach, but sometimes I have them at lunch
and
dinner. Luckily, I have a great metabolism.”

I smile. I can still smell the rainbow sprinkles on his breath, and nothing’s ever smelled so sweet. I bite my lip to keep from doing something impulsive, like grabbing his face and smothering his lips with mine.

He steps back and pats the front of his shirt again. The wet spot is not that noticeable anymore, and I’m left to stare at his chest muscles, which is perfectly fine by me. He catches me staring, and he smiles, knowing I like what I see.

He gets the door to the auditorium-style classroom where the lecture is being held, but before I step inside I say, “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Count on it.” He squeezes my elbow before walking toward the front of the room and taking a seat at one of the long rectangular tables.

I head to the back, where Julia is sitting with an empty seat saved next to her. She eyes me and waves me over. The second I sit down, she says, “Tell me everything!”

I’m dying to blurt it all out, the yogurt, the way Andy touched my arm, the way he winked at me, but Andy stands up and walks to the microphone at the front of the room. My eyes are glued to him. To the way he holds himself with such confidence.

“Girl, you have it bad,” Julia says, studying my face.

I motion for her to be quiet, not wanting to miss a second of Andy’s deep voice.

“Good afternoon.” He pauses and smiles, his eyes scanning the crowd and finding me. “Do we have any swimmers among us?”

“Raise your hand.” Julia tugs my arm, trying to get my hand in the air, but I swat at her.

“What are you doing? I don’t swim.”

“So? Maybe he’ll teach you. I bet he looks amazing in one of those tiny Speedos.” She lets out what can only be described as a growl. I glare at her. “Sorry. I know he’s yours and all, but I’m not blind and I can’t tame my vivid imagination.”

Mine? Andy’s not mine. Sure, we’re attracted to each other, but so far we’ve barely even touched—though I can still feel the warmth of his hand on my back and the graze of his thumb on my lower lip. “You need a dip in a nice cold pool to cool you off, you know that?” Maybe I do, too. Preferably with Andy.