Conklin's Blueprints by Brooke Page Read Free Book Online Page B

you?   There are quite a few clubs around here that seem popular.”
    I shrugged.  The light turned to walk, and we both started to move, “I’m not into the club scene anymore.  And honestly, I don’t really know too many people yet.  My roommate is on her way here from Florida.” She better be here by at least tomorrow.
    “Not anymore?” He questioned.  We stopped at the next stop light.  I looked up at him, trying to gauge why he was so curious about me.  I felt like he knew what my past was, but was trying to hear it come out of my mouth.  Maybe it was just my weird way of always relating everything I used to be, to everything that was thrown in front of me.
    “No,” I simply said.  He didn’t need to know anything more.  He looked at me as if waiting for me to keep explaining.  “Everyone needs to grow up at some point, right?” I chuckled softly. 
    His serious gaze turned into a smile.  “I suppose you’re right.  I never was into the club scene myself,” he stated as we walked along the sidewalk.
    My phone rang again.  Ashlynn’s picture popped up on the screen.  I really needed to change that.  Tyler saw me look, but didn’t say anything as I put the phone back in my pocket after ignoring her call a second time.
    We made it to the coffee shop that was surprisingly full for a Friday evening.  I guess they had just finished with a poetry reading.
    “What would you like?” Tyler asked, putting his hands in his pockets.
    “I’m actually just going to have a peach iced tea.”  I really wanted a hot chocolate, but I was afraid of the calories.
    “Are you sure?  Aren’t you hungry?” He said furrowing his eyebrows at me.  It was 11:20pm, way past dinner time.  Why was he so thrown off I wasn’t going to eat anything?  Shit, maybe he was wondering why I even bothered to come with him if I wasn’t going to eat.  “Not even a cookie?” I hadn’t had a cookie in a year, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to have one now. 
    “No, I’m really not hungry,” hopefully I didn’t sound too embarrassed. 
    He shook his head and started to order.  I dug into my bag to find my wallet, but by the time I had gotten to it he had already paid and handed me the tea.
    “You didn’t have to pay for that,” I said.
    He gave me a crazy look.  “Don’t worry about it.  You’ve already bought tea for someone else this week, let me do the same for you,” he said as his furrowed brows turned into a grin.  I stopped in my tracks and thought for a moment.  What was he talking about?
    “Are you going to stand there and look confused or are you going to join me?” He chuckled.  Then it hit me.
    “You!  You and Nathan were at the coffee shop that morning!” I exclaimed in sudden realization, sitting in the chair across from him. 
    “Yes, we were.  I kept trying to figure out where I had seen you before when we were at the meeting.  Sorry if I stared at you,” he laughed, then suddenly looked towards his lap as if in deep thought.
    A slow smile crept across my face.  So he was staring at me.  No, he was just trying to figure out who I was and nothing more.  Hopefully he didn’t realize who my father was.
    “It was a very nice gesture.  Do you always do things like that?” He asked quizzically. 
    “I don’t know; it just seemed like the right thing to do.  The poor lady was flustered and couldn’t find her money, the guy behind her was being a jerk, and her kid was hungry,” I stated.  I really didn’t think anything of it; the lady needed a break, and I was able to give her one.
    “Most people would have just been annoyed.  Luckily we were in the other line or Nathan would have lost his patience.” He chuckled.
    “If I remember correctly, Nathan was oblivious, lost in a conversation on his phone.”
    He laughed, “Nathan is always oblivious while he is on the phone.”  Tyler leaned back in his seat and stared at me with a grin.  I couldn’t help but grin