My mouth goes dry at the sight of her.
Quickly, before I can do something stupid like lean down and devour that plump mouth of hers, I pull back on the ropes and send her swinging. When she comes back my way, I push on the tire, sending her higher, faster. I do this a few times before I allow myself to say, “So tell me about this list.”
Her tone blunt, she says, “No.”
I notice then that she’s still got ahold of the spiral, pressing it tight against her chest.
“Fine. I don’t need you to tell me what it is. It’s a list obviously, and judging by the contents, it’s a bucket list of things you want to do. What I don’t get is why. Most people’s bucket lists are about seeing the world and following their dreams and seeking adventures. Yours is about cursing and kissing strangers, which leads to the obvious conclusion that you’ve never done those kinds of things. Keep swinging if I’m right.”
I punctuate that last sentence with another push, and I think I see a faint smile across her lips as she flies away from me.
“I knew it.” Her eyes meet mine when she returns, and I grin down at her. “So I’m going to guess you’ve been pretty sheltered. Maybe your parents were strict. Religious probably. If you were a freshman, I’d say you were sowing your wild oats now that you’re out of your parents’ house, but I’m pretty sure Dylan said once that you two are the same age. So that can’t be it. You’ve been out from under your parents for a while. You are a puzzle, sweetheart.”
“It’s not that complicated,” she says, and I tamp down my wide smile at having won this little battle.
“Enlighten me.”
“I’ve just been really focused on school, and I’ve not had that much of a social life since I got here. I thought it was time for that to change.”
I ease back on my pushes so that her swinging slows to a lazy glide. “So you’ve been busy with school. Studying biomechanical engineering.”
She sits up on her elbows as she swings, looking back at me with raised eyebrows. “You remembered.”
“It might not seem like it, but I do listen. When I’m interested.”
“And you’re interested in engineering?”
“It’s a related interest.”
She frowns. “Meaning?”
“Meaning it’s connected to something else I’m interested in, so I’m interested by association.”
“You mean me?”
God, she’s direct. Just like . . .
I cut off that thought and focus on Nell.
“Yes, I mean you. I’m interested in you.”
“I gathered that.”
“So, let me ask again? Do I count as a stranger?”
She sits up in the swing, upsetting the balance, and I have to grab on to the ropes and pull back to bring the thing to a stop. Before she can wiggle out of the tire, I circle around her. I stand and grip the ropes, just as she gets herself to the edge, ready to jump off.
“Torres . . .” she says, stretching my name out uncertainly. It’s not how I’d like her to say my name, but it’s not quite an admonishment either. It’s just . . . hesitant.
“This list is obviously something that matters to you, or you wouldn’t carry it with you. You wouldn’t have brought it to a party, of all places.” Something occurs to me then. “That’s why Dylan is suddenly bringing you around. She’s helping you with this list. That’s why she warned you away from me. She’s probably the one who made you make the list in the first place. I like the girl, but Christ, does she like to tell other people what to do, how to behave—”
Nell pushes to her feet, her chest grazing mine before she jolts back. “Dylan doesn’t know about the list. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell her.”
I frown. Now, that is not what I expected.
“Why doesn’t she know?”
Nell worries her bottom lip between her teeth, and God, her lips are already full enough without being swollen from her nibbling. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was doing this on purpose, trying to distract me from prodding further.
“Because this is something private, and you’re right. Dylan can be very opinionated. She means well, but these things . . . well, it’s more of an experiment for me, and experiments aren’t for an audience. They’re for discovery.”
“I promise I won’t tell Dylan.” Her shoulders slump in relief just before I add, “If you’ll let me help.”
“What? But I just told you this was private. You’d be just as much of an audience as her. These are things I need to do alone.”
“As I recall, there’s at least one thing on that list that can’t be done alone.”
Her cheeks flush, and I’m suddenly bursting with curiosity to know what else is on the list. What else might require two people.
And there goes my body’s traitorous reaction again. Even if she doesn’t want to go skinny-dipping, I might need my own dunk in the pool just to cool down before I go back to the party.
She holds the spiral tighter to her chest and says, “It’s not just that I want to do this alone. I want to be through my list before the semester ends in a month and a half. It’s easier and faster to do this on my own.”
A month and a half. Sounds like a good amount of time to accomplish what I’m looking to do, too.
“For you, sweetheart, I would make time.”
“Some of the items on the list are . . . they’re of a personal nature, okay? And I don’t know you.”