Glancing back over her shoulder, she shakes her head. “It’s a soda. It’s no big deal.”

“But . . .”

“Really. It’s okay,” she replies, stopping under the awning of the sketchy gas station. Even the potent smell of gasoline and oil slicks on the ground don’t make her any less pretty.

Stepping out on a limb, I close the gap by half, leaving enough distance for her to make her own decisions. “Okay, no money, but what about dinner sometime?”

The corners of her lips slope just high enough to back her entertainment, but her eyes reveal a gleam of interest in the way they shine for me. My breath gets caught somewhere between telling her she’s gorgeous and reminding her to steer clear of the trouble I bring.

“You don’t even know my name, and you’re asking me out?” There’s no offense to her tone or in her stance by how relaxed she appears.

I should probably take the opportunity she’s giving me to prove I’m not a total asshole. Holding out my hand, I say, “People who know me call me Harbor. You can do the same.”

She comes a little closer, the heat of her proximity reaching me. As she slips her hand against mine, her chest rises as her lips part. “Are we friends now, Harbor?”

Since not one PG image crosses my thoughts, friends aren’t what I had in mind. I’m not friends with anyone these days, but she might be worth making an exception. “It depends.”

I’m not sure why my directness puts her at ease, but her smile reveals only intrigue. She should probably run, get away from me as fast as she can without giving me a second thought. “Depends on what?”

“What happens next.”

She laughs, rocking back on her heels. “I have to go, so I guess we’ll leave it to the fates to decide.”

While the distance we had just closed widens, I throw my arms out wide. “You’re not going to tell me your name?” In a class of almost two-hundred students, her name is one of the few things I’ve not caught. I was hoping to remedy that.

The afternoon sun shines on her. “Isn’t it more fun this way?”

“Fun is subjective.” I watch as she turns around, her shoulders rattling with laughter. “But I’ll play along.” Helps that I know I’ll see her in class.

Glancing back, she says, “I had no doubt you would.”

“Do you ever have doubts?”

“All the time. See you around, Harbor.” She gives me a little wave before she disappears around the corner.

I could chase her down and ask for her number, but two rejections from the same girl is enough for one day. I pull my keys from my pocket and spin the ring around my finger. Anyway, she’s right. It is more fun this way. Just wait until she sees me on Monday.

I walk to my pride and joy—my Ghibli Modena—and open the car door. I don’t have time to get in fully before Marina asks, “What took you so long? I thought I was going to die of thirst while waiting.”