I watched Avery head into her apartment. She stopped halfway in, tucked the glossy copper strands behind her ear as she peeked over her shoulder at me.

A small, shy smile pulled at her lips as she waved good-bye and then slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her.

Standing there a few more moments, like a creeper, I finally turned toward my door. As I reached for the knob, the door swung open.

Jase appeared, blocking the door. A curious look crossed his expression. “What are you doing standing in the hallway of your apartment building like a loser?”

“What are you doing in my apartment like a freak?”

He shrugged. “I was hanging out with Ollie, but he ran to Sheetz to get some nachos.”

“Ah, a nachos night.” Which meant Ollie would be up all night. I shifted my weight. “Are you going to let me in?”

“Well, since it is your place.” He cocked his head to the side, casting half of his swarthy face into a shadow. “I guess so.”

Jase stepped aside, allowing me to squeeze past him. I went straight to the fridge, grabbed a beer and then dropped onto the couch. “You’re not at the farm?”

He shook his head as he joined me, picking up a bottle from the coffee table. “No. Jack is with the grandparents.”

“Ah . . .” That explained it. Jase was usually at his family farm on the weekends.

Jase glanced at me. “Sooo, you were out with the redhead?”

“Shortcake?”

His dark brows slipped out of the wave of hair and knitted. “Huh?”

“Avery’s the redhead. And no. We were doing an astronomy assignment. We’re partners.”

“Oh.” He took a swig of his beer and made a face. “Sooo,” he said again, and I rolled my eyes. “Why were you staring at her apartment door?”

“How do you know?”

“I watched you through the peephole.”

“Nice.” I laughed, taking a drink. A couple of minutes passed and then I said, “I asked her out.”

Jase didn’t look that interested. “Okay.”

“She turned me down.”

His head swung toward me, his dove-gray eyes sparkling with interest. “What?”

“Yep.” I fell back into the couch, grinning. “Turned me down flat.”

Leaning onto the arm of the couch, Jase laughed so hard I think he hurt his stomach. “I like this girl.”

“So do I,” I said, sighing. “So do I.”

Seven

Fresh banana-nut bread cooled on the counter, filling the apartment with its savory scent.

I glanced at the clock on the stove. Five till eight.

Shoving my hands through my damp hair, I gave up on the idea of actually sleeping. In the living room, Ollie was passed out on the floor snoring, and the last time I’d checked my bedroom, Jase was sprawled across the foot of my bed. And there was no way in hell any part of my skin or clothes were touching any part of Ollie’s bed.

It wasn’t so much that Jase and Ollie had kept me awake. At any point during the never-ending night, I could’ve locked myself in my bedroom, but my mind wouldn’t shut down. Some of it had to do with the meeting on Friday and how Dr. Bale had laid everything out. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Jase was going to make things work, because after Ollie had passed out and Jase was more drunk than an entire frat, he started talking, and well, I didn’t know how to help him.