State of Grace | ONGOING

Chapter 19

I was running late. I pushed open the door to the diner, a wave of warmth hitting me as I stepped inside from the chilly evening. The smell of burnt diner coffee and bacon was overpowering my senses as I glanced around to find Theo. We were making good on our plan to work on our midterm projects for Business Strategy despite the fact that we didn't need to keep up any pretenses for Bo anymore.

The diner was Theo's suggestion, apparently she spent a lot of time here and the food was good. As for me, it hit my work criteria: wifi and coffee. It was also mercifully pretty empty for a Friday evening, but that was likely because they were too far from campus to be convenient for the students to overrun. Music played softly over the speakers and the hostess smiled at me kindly as I hurried across the tiled floor to slide into the booth seat across from Theo.

"Sorry, I lost track of time," I said immediately when she looked up from her computer screen to meet my gaze.

"No worries, blondie," she said easily. She leaned back in her seat, a broad smile on her face. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her head, leaving a few strands playing around her angular face. "I waited for you to order."

"You didn't have to do that," I told her hurriedly, but she shrugged and gestured to the menu in front of me. I put my bag beside me, shrugging off my jacket and tucking it against the wall. She cleared her throat and I looked at her immediately, so painfully quickly that my neck twinged in protest.

"I like your shirt," she said, sounding a little bit hoarse. I glanced down at the low cut scoop of my shirt as if I hadn't spent fifteen minutes agonizing over picking a shirt that fell perfectly between sexy and casual. I knew it highlighted my boobs without being slutty, which made it the perfect date shirt.

If this even was a date. Studying was a complicated in between. We were alone in a restaurant together, sure, but we were about to stare at our laptop screens for a few hours instead of asking deeply personal questions about family and each other's hopes and dreams.

"Thanks." I brushed my hair behind my shoulders and leaned forward to look at the menu, causing Theo to inhale sharply across from me. I smirked slightly, because it was flattering to know that she reacted like this when I'd been fighting my own reactions to her for months. Maybe this was just a physical connection, an attraction based on how hot we thought each other were and there was nothing of substance to it. But I owed it to myself to figure that out.

When the waitress came over to take out orders, Theo ordered a burger and fries, then looked at me expectantly.

"I'll have the blueberry pancakes and a strawberry milkshake," I said politely and the woman nodded, heading off to get our food started.

I crossed my legs under the table and my foot bumped hers.

"Sorry," we apologized at the same time, and I giggled. We'd never sounded so stiff in a conversation together. Normally she was making jokes and I was irritated, and it seemed like neither of us knew how to have a conversation in this new situation. I was single. She was single. We'd made out in my bathroom five days ago. None of it was what we were used to anymore.

Theo's brows rose at the sound of my laughter, and I shook my head slightly. "Sorry," I said quietly. "I just think it's funny that you normally don't shut up in class and now that we're free to speak you have absolutely nothing to say," I explained, and she grinned wickedly

"I don't have nothing to say, I just don't think you want to know the things I'm thinking right now," she shot back.

"You're right, I probably don't," I agreed, volleying back with her easily. We were better with quips and lightly barbed words than normal conversations.