Will immediately comes forward and takes charge of my wheelchair, and without a word, pushes me toward the exit where Vinnie is waiting.
Right at the last second, I glance over my shoulder at Derek and find him standing in a moving sea of people, watching me as I leave.
Chapter 11
Emery
“Okay, so you have the remote for the TV, your water is here,” Will starts listing off as he places my water bottle on the floor by the couch, “and you have a few snacks. Do you need anything else? Want us to stay until your roommate is back?”
I stare at this guy, this perfect-looking specimen, with his perfectly floppy blond hair and sky-blue eyes filled withkindness and concern, as he glances around, looking for a place he can sit that isn’t taken up by me or the blanket he stole from my room.
This is the kind of guy I should develop feelings for. Age-appropriate, vanilla-as-fuck, well-dressed guy who has hopes and dreams, isn’t jaded, and doesn’t want to share me with his friends.
Sure, he probably wants a wife and kids and all that shit, but your college romance doesn’t have to make it past college. Or even the end of the current month.
“Actually, Oakley should be back any minute now,” I reply, and as if she was waiting for her cue from the other side of the door, the handle turns and in she walks.
“Ems,” she calls out. Her volume lowers when she spots Vinnie sitting at our table, scrolling on his phone. “Oh, hi.”
Vinnie glances up with a basic smile, starts to look back at his phone, but then does a double take before locking and pocketing his phone as he stands.
“Hey, I’m Vinnie,” he offers, holding out his hand for hers with a smile filled with the entire world’s amount of boyish charm.
Oakley blinks at the hand between them before scanning the full length of his, admittedly well-dressed and athletic, body, then finally making eye contact with Vinnie. “No.”
The smile on his face drops faster than the leaves in fall. “No?”
I bite my lip to try to stop my smile from spreading. During the entire ride home from the hospital, Vinnie kept up a running dialogue that was part flirt, part comedian, and I have a feeling that combo has never let him down before.
“No,” she confirms, putting her messenger bag down on the table.
“How can you say no, when you don’t even know me? At least give me five minutes to change your mind,” he cajoles, the smile trying to make a comeback.
Oakley raises an eyebrow at him. “Okay, sure. I’ll give you that five minutes, on one condition.”
Vinnie straightens up and nods. “Hit me.”
“I’ll give you five minutes—if you can tell me that your mom didn’t purchase your outfit for you.” She shifts onto one leg and crosses her arms over her chest. “I’ll wait.”
Vinnie glances down at himself and spreads his arms out, shoulders slowly starting to sink before he looks back up at her. “I don’t—”
Stepping into his personal space, she pats his shoulder as she walks past him into the kitchen. “I only date men who are old enough to do their own shopping.”
Vinnie spins on his heel, tracking Oaks into the kitchen, mouth open and closing before turning to stare at me and Will, who is also struggling not to laugh. “What just happened?”
Grinning, I shake my head at him. “You got shot down.”
Bewilderment scrunches up his features. “I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”
I can’t hold in my laughter this time. My cheek and eye ache, but I don’t give a shit. I needed this. The reminder that the rest of the goddamn world outside of the little bubble I’ve been living in for the past month is fucking normal.
Teenagers flirting with teenagers.
Schoolwork.
Study groups.
Normal.