Nothing much. I’m just working on my history paper, you?
Seriously? It’s Thursday night and I’d expect a fine ass girl like you to already be pre-gaming.
I always found it nuts to drink on a week night. I had classes the next day and I wouldn’t miss those. I cared more about what my teachers thought of me than the other students a lot of the time. The people having parties weren’t giving me a grade.
It’s not really my thing.
What if you came over here and hung out with me then? We could make it your thing.
I had to seriously think about that one. On the one hand, I wouldn’t mind seeing him outside of the classroom. On the other, I didn’t want to be just another notch in his bedpost. That’s all I figured he wanted anyway. He just seemed to really be going out of his way to get it. Was he actually into me?
No, it’s fine. We can’t all be overachievers like you and I really need to get this paper done.
Want some company?
Was he really asking what I thought he was?
I could swing by if you need someone to show you how a history paper is done.
I knew how to write a paper; I was an English major for God’s sake. I had just been procrastinating on it. I didn’t really need his help. Which was why my reply shocked even me.
If you want to come over and hang out and talk about the Mennonites, I guess that’s fine.
Was the paper just innuendo for sex? I wasn’t good at these types of things. It took me a long time before I even fully understood the context of the donut shirt.
Cool. I can be over there in a bit. Where do you live?
I quickly typed in my address. What the hell was I doing? I wasn’t the type of girl that just had guys over to my apartment. My apartment! I sprang from my chair and surveyed the room. Sure, it may have only been about 450 sq feet, but that didn’t stop me from constantly making a mess of it. Directly across from my desk and couch was my kitchen, or more like the wall that my sink, fridge, and stove were on. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink that I hadn’t gotten to. Crap.
I didn’t have time to wash them and I didn’t want to do a half-hearted scrub so I just opened my freezer and tossed the plastic bowls in. I would just have to worry about them later. I then slid across the hardwood floor to my bedroom. Okay, not much of a bedroom, but I had a cubed, open book shelf from Ikea that I displayed all my books on and it at least blocked my bed from the rest of the room. Quickly, I made my bed and stacked my pillows on it.
Another quick swoop of the room and I found a pile of dirty clothes. I didn’t technically have a closet, but a wall across from my bed had a curtain rod dangling across it. Nowhere to hide my clothes. Why did I care so much? John’s room looked like a tornado went through it. But I did care. No guy had ever come to my apartment, even just to do homework.
I surveyed the room one last time. There was only so much I could do with the place, but at least it looked presentable. When I turned away from the front door to the bathroom opposite it, I caught my reflection in the mirror and gasped. I may have cleaned up my apartment, but maybe I should have checked out myself. After working all day I had bad hat hair, so I quickly just pulled it into a bun on top of my head. It was at least a little better, but that didn’t hide the dark circles under my eyes. I rushed in and found my makeup bag on the sink and searched through it until I found concealer to try and cover up as much as I could. “Okay, not half bad.”
Before I could make another move, a knock came at my door. Shit, was it that time already? I stuffed my makeup back in the bag and tossed it in the bathtub, pulling the shower curtain shut so he wouldn’t see that mess, either. I stared at myself in the mirror one last time. “You can do this, Melanie. It’s just studying.”
I turned around, closing the bathroom door behind me, and then finally opened the front door. John stood with one arm leaning against the doorframe, making his t-shirt slightly rise up so I could see a hint of his stomach and even the waistband of his underwear. I tried not to stare and looked up to his smiling face, but it wasn’t my face he was looking at.
“Nice tights, Red.” He nodded.
In all my rush I completely forgot to change clothes. I swallowed hard, looking down at my red and white snowflake leggings and the giant gray hoodie I was lounging in. I could have at least changed my clothes instead of worrying so much about the alignment of my bookshelf.
“Uh, thanks.”
He pushed off the doorframe and practically strutted into the room, his eyes trailing around with amusement. “Nice place you got here. No roommate?”
I shut the door, shaking my head. “No, it’s just me.”
I didn’t want to deal with roommates. I had a crazy one my freshman year in the dorms who always brought random guys over and I’d find dirty boxers on our floor.
“Nice.” He set his nylon computer bag on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. I picked up most of my furniture on sale or through Craigslist ads. The couch was one that some guy was selling after his wife left him. I still didn’t completely trust it and had shampooed it three times. It had started off beige, but by the third cleaning it almost looked off-white.
I leaned against my fridge, unsure of where else to go. I could have either sat next to him on the couch or on my bed, but I didn’t want things to lead to the bedroom. “Do you want something to drink?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good. You could just stop standing there staring at me like I’m going to rob the place.”
“I-I-I didn’t say I thought you were going to do that.”
A large grin spread across his face. “I’m just shitting you, Red.”
“I totally knew that.” I blinked.
“But seriously, you don’t need to just stand and stare. I’ve been waiting this whole walk over for you to regale me with these stories of Mennonites.”
Right. My paper. That’s why he was over. I took the few steps over to my desk, which was smooshed between my bookcase and the couch. At least my desk chair gave me somewhere else to sit. “If you really want to hear all the exciting details, I’m sure I can share them.”
I sat down at my chair and was eye level with his bicep. That’s when I really noticed the detail of his tattoo. I may have been sitting next to him all week, but he usually wore long sleeves and I was too busy trying to avert my eyes from other things the night of the Halloween party.
“Is that what I think it is?” I leaned in closer, making out the triangle shape with a circle in the middle and a line running through that. On each slope of the triangle a few words were scrolled out. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” I whispered it until I finally realized what it was and had to hold back my squeal. “Oh my god! It’s Deathly Hallows! You didn’t tell me you were a Harry Potter fan.”
He laughed, a sound that came from low in his stomach. I met his eyes, which sparkled a mesmerizing blue even in the dim light of my apartment. “I guess it just never came up. I was always a fan of the books when they came out and it just seemed like a good piece of ink to get.”
I wanted to reach out and trace the lines of the tattoo. I couldn’t believe I never noticed it before and now I wanted more. “What about your other ones?”
He smirked. “You noticed those?”
“You were sort of in a loincloth the other night. They were kind of hard to miss.”