Excerpt: 

Beck let out a huge sigh. “Fine, but you’ll have to find another ride home then.” He turned and walked away. I looked at Lila, her face fallen. 

“Yeah, ‘k.” She watched him walk out of the cafe before turning to go back to stocking the back room. 

“Lila, I can bring you home.”

“Patrick, it’s fine. I don’t live too far from campus.”

“What, so you’re going to walk home?”

“Yeah, Beck wouldn’t be happy if I rode with another guy. Alone. You know?”

“No, I don’t. If you were my girl,” she gave me a stern look. “Sorry, if you were my woman, I would want you taken care of, even if that meant someone else brought you home ‘cause I couldn’t.”

“Yeah, well that’s not Beck.”

“I don’t get why you’re with him, Lila.”

“Because I’m not going to throw away seven years, Patrick, because of a little hiccup in our relationship.”

“A hiccup, huh? Is that what he calls it?”

“No, me. I’m calling this a hiccup. We’ll get it sorted out.”

*****

Lila shook her head. “This way,” she pointed with a gloved hand. “And Patrick, thank you.”

“For what?” I hadn’t done anything yet.

“For asking to walk me home. I don’t like walking off campus at night.”

“Any time, Lila.” I was tall enough to see over the pompom on top of her hat. Below the pompom, red hair curled gently around her shoulders. It framed her face, gently covered in snowflakes. I was lost in thought when she stopped.

“You won’t, you won’t tell Beck about this, will you?” Her gray eyes were pleading.

“Of course not.” I couldn’t think of a time Beck and I had ever spoken.

“I just don’t need one more fight, you know.”

“Yeah, I get it.” I wouldn’t want to fight Lila. I had a hard time believing Beck could be antagonistic with someone so feisty. I smiled at the thought of Lila, eyes flashing, hands on hips, trying to work things out. But in this scenario, she was working things out with me.

“Patrick!”

“What?”

“What are you thinking about? I’m trying to talk to you and you’re just, you’re just smiling. Weirdly.”

“Sorry,” I could feel a little heat rising to my face. Hopefully, she would think it was just the cold wind.