“See you then,” I say as I watch her pedal away.

MY BUDDY ADAM AND I are playing pool when she walks in. “Day-um,” he says as he watches her coming towards us.

“Dibs,” I call as I set the pool stick down. “I’m done playing, man. This is my date.” Whether Devyn wants to call it one or not, this dickhead needs to know she’s off limits.

She smiles as I approach her. “Hi, Riley.” She looks around. “You’re right; this place is pretty cool.”

My eyes run the length of her body. She’s wearing the same jeans from earlier but she’s changed into a form-fitting 49ers t-shirt. Her tits are a little on the small side but they’re nicely rounded and perky. I find myself wondering what shade of pink her nipples are. She clears her throat, probably because I’m staring at her chest. I lift my eyes and say, “Nice shirt.”

She looks down. “Thanks. It’s my lucky shirt. They win every time I wear it.”

I laugh as I take her hand and lead her to a table in the back. “Oh yeah? Well, good call because they need all the help they can get.”

She glances at our joined hands and blushes. “So you say. We’ll see.” She pulls her hand away and takes a seat.

I take the chair directly across from her. I deliberately chose a two-top so the assholes that are currently checking her out get the message to leave us alone.

I raise the pitcher of beer that I set down earlier and pour a glass. “You want one?”

She gulps. “No, thank you.”

I smile. “Oh, that’s right, you’re more of a soda girl. What can I get for you?”

“Pepsi or Coke is fine,” she says.

I make a quick run to the bar and return with a glass of Pepsi. I place it in front of her with a dramatic bow. “Your soda, milady.”

She laughs. “Well, aren’t you the quintessential gentleman? Does that crap normally work for you?”

I take my seat and return her laughter. “Usually, yeah.”

She snorts. “Well, Romeo, you can save the charm for later. We’re here as friends. Remember?”

“Right,” I say. “So, you like football, huh?”

She nods enthusiastically. “Oh yeah. I like every sport really, but football is definitely my favorite. I watched religiously with my dad and brother growing up. On Sundays, we worshipped at the Church of the Flying Pigskin. My mom made the best nachos for us. It was great.”

“What are you doing after this?” I ask. “You wanna get married? Because seriously, you are like my dream woman.”

She laughs. “Ah, sorry, but I’m not looking for dates or husbands today. Tough luck there, Romeo.”

“So where’s home for you?” I ask, trying not to count how many times she’s shot me down already.

“Ashland, Oregon. It’s a few hours south of here right above the California border.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar,” I say. “I’m from Napa. My mom used to drag me up to the Shakespeare Festival every year when I was younger. She wanted to expose me to some culture or shit like that. Personally, the five hour drive was a pain in my ass. I finally convinced her that I had enough culture when I started high school.”

She laughs. “Oh, you’re totally missing out. I’ve been countless times and it never gets old.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I laugh.

“We’ll have to go together sometime. Seriously. If you don’t like it, you just haven’t had the right experience yet.”

My dick perks up at this. She’s already talking about future outings. Taking me with her to her hometown. Normally, I’d say she was getting way too clingy but I’m not getting that vibe from her. I sip my beer and nod. “I might just take you up on that. Maybe we can check it out when we go home for the summer. I can easily make a pit stop in Ashland.”

She ducks her head. “I’m not going home for the summer.”

“What? Why not? It’s so close. Wouldn’t your parents be pissed?”

“I don’t have parents,” she whispered.

“What? But you just said—”

She looks up and her eyes are a little shiny. What the hell? “They died. My mom…she had breast cancer. It took her when I was ten. Then my dad…he had a heart attack halfway through my senior year of high school. He went to bed one night and never woke up. It’s just me and my brother now. He’s almost four years older so he came to help me through graduation but then he moved to Seattle last month.”

Oh shit. I have no idea what to say. She just exposed something so personal and raw. I want to pull her into the world’s biggest bear hug but for some reason, I think she’d fight that. I reach across the table and settle for a hand squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss, Devyn. Really. That really sucks.”

DEVYN

HOLY CRAP, WHY DID I just blurt that out to a virtual stranger? I can’t believe I told him about my parents! I came to U of O so I wouldn’t be the poor orphan that everyone back home considered me to be. Being in Eugene was my chance at a fresh start and I just blew it by telling this guy I just met about them. What the heck was I thinking? What is it about this guy that makes me feel like baring my soul? He’s obviously a huge player which is not even close to my type. But God, sitting here with him, I feel like I’ve known him forever.

Trying to lighten the mood, I nod towards his beer and say, “I’ve changed my mind. Can I try a sip?”

He looks skeptical but he hands the mug over. “Sure.”

I hesitantly take a sip and actually like it. I’ve heard that beer is an acquired taste, but this stuff is yummy. I take a large gulp. “Wow, this is good. I’ve never had beer before.”

He raises his eyebrows. “You grew up in one of the largest brewing states and you’ve never had beer before? How is that even possible?”

I sit up tall. “I’m not twenty-one. It’s illegal.”

He smirks. “It appears as if you’re turning over a new leaf, you little rebel.”

He pours another glass and offers it to me. I down half the glass before replying. “Apparently, I am.”

He holds his mug towards mine. “Shall we toast, rebel?”

I smile. “Do people normally toast with beer?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. But that’s not going to stop me. What should we toast to?”

I think about it for a second. “To new friends?”

With an unbelievably sexy grin he asks, “What if I want to explore being more than friends?”

I roll my eyes. “Do you ever give up?”

I find myself staring at his dimples as he replies, “Not when I see something I want.”

I sigh and get serious again. “Riley, I could really use a friend right now. I just lost my last surviving parent and moved away from everything I’ve ever known. I need to focus on school and getting my life together. I don’t have room for anything else.”

He considers that for a moment with sincere empathy in his big brown eyes. He clinks his glass to mine and says, “To friends, then. I’ll be the best damn one you’ve ever had.”

DEVYN

I’M OVER AT RILEY’S place watching a basketball game. He decided to live off campus and rented an apartment with his friend, Josh. I mostly hang out here because I’m still stuck in university housing. Thankfully, I got a small single this year that has a private bath so it’s not awful but it’s really cramped. Rye asked me to take the other bedroom in this place before he considered Josh but I didn’t have the budget for it. My brother and I sold our parents’ house last year and I only had enough money to get me through all four years of school with dorm housing. I decided that living on campus was the more responsible thing to do. I’d rather not have to get a part time job that could potentially sacrifice my study time and I definitely didn’t want to take out student loans if I didn’t have to.