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Word prompt: solid
Not beta'd.
"It's not stalking unless you're caught," he says. His face is the picture of impish delight. It could brighten even the darkest mood.
I manage to keep the smile off my face, but my tone is burbling silliness. "Well then, I feel like it's my duty to tell you that I sleep with a gun under my pillow."
He feigns alarm, and we both crack up. The fearless quality of his laugh compels me to see him in a new light. Beyond his pretty face, humour, and easy-going nature—all of which he has going for him—something else lurks underneath all that charm. An indomitable spirit so dazzling that I feel changed being in his presence. I deny the superstitious side of my personality most of the time, but his appearance in my life seems like a sign. It's as if he's there to shoulder some of my burden, because suddenly everything around me—in me—feels light and promising.
"Duly noted. Seriously though, I hope I didn't upset you by looking you up on Facebook. I was only doing my due diligence. In my eyes, it's no different than the background checks we both requested."
He's right; it isn't. In this age of information overload, creeping someone on social networking sites is commonplace.
"If my Internet was hooked up, I probably would have done the same."
"I had mine connected a couple of days after I moved in. Thank God I had my phone to use in-between. Is that what you're doing?"
"Nope, entirely cut off." I pull out my phone to show him. "No iPhone, no data; just this shitty little pay-as-you-go."
"You don't even have a monthly plan?" He has the decency to look contrite once his genuine shock fades.
"I can't be the only person you know without a cell phone plan." My financial situation isn't like the rest of Hanover, and it makes me feel inferior to admit it. Still, he was honest about searching for me online. I owe him the same respect. "The truth is the fees are more than I can really afford to spend."
He runs a hand through his hair, muttering, "Fuck," under his breath.
"It's no big deal. I'm certainly not poor. Saving my money for Dartmouth was more important than keeping up with the latest technology. Did you know the average cell phone bill in the U.S. is seventy-one dollars a month? That's what J.D. Power and Associates found anyway. That's nuts!"
"You know the average monthly cost of a cell phone off the top of your head?"
"You can Google. I can Google, too."
He chuckles and hands me his phone. "Here, I'll let you borrow my LTE; feel free to browse while we're driving. You just have to swear not to tell anyone we're friends. I can't have you ruining my rep."
I snort and roll my eyes, but he's kind of adorable when he's being chivalrous and razzing me at the same time.
"No need to thank me," he adds. "I can't really use it anyway. I have to have my foot surgically removed from my mouth."
"Hey, don't worry about the phone thing. My ego isn't that fragile. It takes a heck of a lot more than a few assumptions to offend me."
"Really?" he asks.
I doubt there is anything I can say to convince him, plus I'm pretty sure there's more going on in his mind that what's just transpired in the car.
"Truly."
"So we're solid?"
"Yeah, we're good."
His quiet reply is almost drowned out by the sound of the purring engine. "Cool."
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