Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

She stopped talking when she heard the beep. Glancing down at herphone her heart walloped when she saw the name on the text she’d just gotten.

With a gasp, she brought her hand to her mouth. “That’s him. Hejust texted me.”

“See! Read it! Read it!”

“Hold on.” Putting Xochitl on speaker, Vannah hit the screenpopping the message open and read it out loud. “Check in. Just wanted to seehow the book exchange went for my new associate?”

“Check in?” Of course, Xochitl sounded off-put by that.

If it weren’t for that last part, Vannah would’ve been snickeringat her so easily irritable friend. Instead, Byron’s confusing demeanor thenight of the party came to mind. You meet all your friends at fratparties? He’d gone from playfully clarifying they were more than friendstoday, making her heartbeat skip in the process, to using the more technicalterm he’d first used-associates. Was this his way of making sure she wouldn’t makemore of those heart stopping kisses? That he’d be all for being one of thosekinds of friends to her, but his saying they were more than friends today was justhis way of preparing her for his startling kiss.

Since Xochitl was too hung up on the check in thing and hadn’tcommented on the second part of his text, neither would Vannah. She wasn’t evensure what to make of it anyway. For all she knew he was just teasing. So, sheexplained about the other part instead.

“He’d offered to go with me.” Vannah breathed in deeply in spiteof the weird feeling in her belly. “Said it was dangerous. I guess this is hisway of checking up to make sure I’m okay?”

“He’s worried about you already, Vannah.” Xochitl went fromsounding off-put to excited. “And yes, I’ve seen the guy, but I’ve also seenthe way he looks at you. Then first chance he gets he kisses you, and now he’schecking up on you? Text back!”

Vannah could practically hear the huge smile in her friend’s voice.“Okay,” she said smiling nervously and began tapping at her phones screenreading as she wrote. “It went fine. I got the book and I’m already home.”

“Add an open-ended question,” Xochitl urged still sounding as excitedas Vannah’s pounding heart felt. “Something he can’t just respond with yes orno. Oh, I know! Bring up his bartering comment. Ask him what other dishes helikes for future reference.”

Feeling her insides tighten, Vannah went on with the rest of hertext, reading it as she wrote it for Xochitl. “Curious, and for futurereference in case my car gives me any trouble, what are some of your favorite dishes?”

“Perfect,” Xochitl said and Vannah hit the send button. “I wish Icould stay on the phone with you to see what he responds but my next classalready started. I’d skip it but I have a quiz and I can already tell I’m gonnaneed every point I can get in this class.”

They hung up, and Vannah hurried out of her car. She had a papershe needed to work on and then still needed to get in those lab hours she’dmentioned to Byron. Her phone dinged before she reached her dorm and she slowedto read the text.

Never been picky about my food and judging from your cookingskills, whatever you make I’ll love.

Vannah smiled and before she could even try to come up withanother open-ended question, her phone dinged again. She opened her dorm doorand walked in putting down her book bag, anxious to read the next text fromByron.

Can’t stop thinking about your lips. I can still tastethem.

Instantly her insides went wild, but at the same time her heartpounded in utter dread. He was flirting with her, and she sucked at flirting.For a moment she considered calling Nena and just fessing up. She could use hersister’s skills right about then. But the last thing she wanted was for hersister to unnerve her any further with any ribbing she’d for sure be doing ifshe knew just how excited Vannah was getting about the prospect of Byron’s lipson hers again.

Touching her lips, Vannah stood in the middle of the room tryingfor the life of her to think of something to respond to that. She nearlydropped the phone when it rang. Gasping at Byron’s name on the screen, shebrought a hand to her chest and took a deep breath before answering. “Hey,” shesaid already smiling broadly.

“Ever been to a grunion run?”

“Few times actually.”

Feeling her heart go insane, Vannah managed to hold it togetherand try to be cool. At least sound like she didn’t feel ready to squeallike a schoolgirl because this felt too close to a possible invitation. “But uh,I haven’t in years.”

“I know you said you have to put in some lab hours tonight, butthe grunion don’t come up until late anyway. You free tonight?”

With no one around to see her, Vannah allowed her mouth to fall aswide open as it inevitably did, and then did a little crazy excited running inplace before composing herself. Not only had he so casually admitted to notbeing able to stop thinking about her lips, but he was now saying he wanted tosee her again—tonight.

She cleared her throat, praying she could play off not being sodamn excited.  “Uh, yeah. That sounds like fun actually. I think I was inmiddle school or something, last time I saw them.”

“Cool, how late will you be in lab?”

“Not too late. Seven-thirty, maybe eight.”

“Perfect. Gives me time to close this place up, take a shower andget ready. I’ll pick you up a little after eight?”

Wishing she could come up with something a little wittier, Vannahgrinned hugely from ear to ear saying the only thing that came to mind at thatmoment. “Sounds good.”

Of course, she texted Xochitl the moment she was off the phonewith Byron. They went back and forth for a while even as Vannah left andarrived at the school lab. But she eventually had to stop and try andconcentrate on her lab time. Between the distraction of Ms. Thang who was at itagain flirting outrageously with that same student, and thoughts of Byron’samazing kisses she realized it was going to