Cool Girl

5: Adam Davis

I sit back in my chair in the library and close my books, making a neat pile on the table in front of me. Next week we sit our exams and then a few days after that we'll get our results and summer school will end.

I unlock my phone and scroll through my pictures looking for the ones I need. The most recent ones are from the swim meet that I represented UCLA at against other California universities and won first place. I get to the selfie from Adam and mine second date after which we talked on the way back to the dorms and decided that we wanted to give dating a shot.

I smile at the selfie we took in the car. Adam has an arm on the steering wheel but his head tilts slightly towards mine as I lean in towards him.

"Ten minutes till closing." The librarian announces and the time on my phone tells me that it's ten minutes to midnight.

The library is still teeming with students even at this late hour, all of them eager to get in study time before the exams next week. I pack my bag and carry the two books that don't fit in my arms as I leave the library and start towards my dorm building which is a five minute walk.

"Hazel!" I hear someone call out and immediately realize that it's Adam.

"Hey! What are you doing up so late?" I ask.

"I was with my brother at the frat house." He tells me, "Coming back from the library?"

"Yeah." I lift up my books for emphasis which Adam immediately takes from me despite my protests that I can carry them. He even walks me to my dorm building which is in the opposite direction from where his is.

The lobby is dark except for a few lights and once inside, he hands me back my books.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow then?" He asks and I nod, tucking the books against my chest.

And then something I had been anticipating ever since we started dating happens. Adam slowly leans in and presses his lips to mine. My body locks up but then as I realize that this is something I want, I relax under his touch. He pulls away too soon.

"I'm sorry if-" He starts to apologize but I step forward and kiss his cheek. Then I meet his eyes and give him a little, shy smile.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow?" I ask this time.

"Yeah." He says and gives me one last smile before turning around and walking back out of the building.

As I take the elevator to the third floor and then walk into my room, my heart is hammering against my chest and refuses to settle down. When I go into the bathroom to wash my face, I realize that there's a wide smile on my face that stays there until I've fallen asleep.

My alarm wakes me up for my morning class and I remind myself that it was all a dream until my eyes land on the books that I set down on the desk in the room and last night comes crashing back to me. It was all real.

I get to class ten minutes early so Adam isn't here yet. I set down my laptop and take a sip of the coffee I grabbed from one of the cafes on campus. I have no idea why mom is so impartial towards coffee because for me it's purely medicinal: it wakes me up.

I'm replying to a message from mom, wishing me look luck for my last day of classes before exam week begins.

"Good morning." I look up from my phone just as Adam slips into the seat on my right.

"Hey." I say, continuing to type the message, so that I can avoid looking at him for as long as possible.

We sit in silence for a minute as I finish typing but I can feel his eyes on me. When I finally lock my phone and set it down on the desk in front of me, Adam leans forward and rests his elbows on the desk, looking back at me.

Unable to stop myself anymore, I lean forward and kiss him. It's a short, gentle kiss but it makes my heart go wild, nonetheless.

"So no regrets from last night?" He asks, smiling.

I smile back and shake my head, "None."

The last class passes in a blur of checked assignments getting returned and the lecturer going over our exam syllabus. When class time ends, I stay back to ask the lecturer a few questions about Price Elasticity of Demand.

When I step out of the class, Adam is leaning against the wall next to the door, obviously waiting for me.

"What are you up to now?" He asks as we walk out of the building into the sunlight.

"Nothing really. I'm craving Frozen Yogurt, though." I say and pull up different options on Google.

"There's one a few shops away from the McDonald's." I say.

"Do you mind if I tag alone?" Adam asks.

"Not if you let me drop off my bag at my dorm first." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Anything that Hazel wishes." He says, making me laugh.

Twenty minutes later, Adam holds open the shop's door as I step out of the California heat, into the coolness of the shop. We get our frozen yogurt and then sit down at a table.

"How are exams looking?" Adam asks.

I swallow my food and then reply, "I'm done studying for the Calculus and English module. I'm halfway through Economics and then on to Computing."

I look up from my yogurt to realize that Adam's gaping at me.

"What?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only person who has done all that." He smiles at me.

"I just like to be on top of things." I shrug.

"With parents like the ones you have, I wouldn't be surprised."

I frown, "What do you mean?"

He sets down his spoon and holds his arms on the table, "I mean, with what your parents have achieved, I'm kind of assuming that there would be a lot of pressure on you and your brother, academically."

I shake my head, laughing, "What in the world would make you think that?"

It's his turn to shrug, "Isn't that what all really brilliant parents expect of their children?"

"I can't say about others but mine are nothing like that. They do their thing and they want us to do ours. I've always just enjoyed school and studying. What?"

Adam's giving me a dubious look.

"I mean it! Ask Ben. I'm pretty sure he tricked me into doing his homework all through primary school until I put my foot down and made him do it himself." I laugh at the memory of the intervention that went down between ten year old me and Ben.

Adam holds up his hands, "No confirmation needed. I've watched you solve every question on the Calculus practice sheets that we've been given. No one does that."

"There, you have your answer." I laugh, returning my attention to my yogurt.

"What's your brother like?" He asks, making me look up again, "I mean, you've met mine from time to time on campus."

"He's going to try out for the Rushmore soccer team too this year." I tell him, "And he's really good. So, you have some serious competition."

Adam nods, "I would expect nothing less from our prodigy's brother."

I smile and ask him about his exam preparation and he ticks off the few topics he's revised. Just hearing his study plan and goals make me feel anxious, even though it doesn't even affect me.

"By the way." He suddenly says, "The University will hold a formal dance for summer school students next Saturday, once exam week ends. And I've been meaning to ask if you want to go with me as your official date."

I'm instantly nodding, "I would love to."

It's official! Adam is here to stay because our Bunny is dating him ;)

-T