“I’m not really one for big birthday celebrations,” I replied, and that was true enough. “I like quiet evenings in.”
“You know what?” Jason said. “I feel the exact same way. You and I have a lot in common.”
I smiled weakly.
“But still,” he continued. “This is your twenty-first birthday; you should be doing something special.”
I made a mental note of the fact that he knew how old I was turning, too, but this time I decided not to point it out. Instead, I just started walking a little faster.
“We’re going to have a movie marathon,” I told him. “That’s pretty special.”
Jason laughed, and it actually seemed like he was enjoying himself. He matched my pace easily, and I realized that he thought he was doing well.
“I have an idea…”
I groaned inwardly and held my breath.
“How about I take you out to a nice dinner?” he suggested. “After your movie marathon?”
I paused. I definitely did not want to be alone with Jason, but I also didn’t want to set him off again like last time. I measured my words carefully, hoping that he would get the hint and just stop asking.
“I really, really appreciate the offer, Jason,” I started, as politely as possible. “But Missy and I have made our plans and I can’t back out now.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand,” he said. “After all, it is your birthday.”
“And staying in and having a quiet night is precisely what I would like to do on my birthday,” I said pointedly. “I hope you understand?”
I waited for a moment, wondering if he was going to get angry again. His expression looked as though it were on the brink when it dropped into disappointment instead. “Of course,” he nodded.
Relieved, I gave him a small smile. “Thanks for walking me over here,” I said. “And, thanks for the gift.”
Jason smiled, nodded and then he turned and walked away. I could see the weight of his disappointment in the hunch of his shoulders, but I refused to feel too sorry for him. He didn’t seem like a terrible guy, but there was an edge to him that unsettled me. I wondered if I was just reading too much into it. I walked into the building and got to the lecture five
minutes early. I took a seat and decided to open my gift, fueled by curiosity.
Inside the box lay a silver necklace with little teardrop embellishments along its surface. It was really quite nice, and it also looked expensive. It would have cost him at least fifty dollars, and I questioned why Jason would choose to spend so much on a girl who was obviously not interested in him. It was starting to trouble me, and I wondered if I should report his behavior. Immediately, I dismissed the idea; he was just being nice. There was no need to overreact.
Still, I didn’t want him to think he could get me to go out with him by giving me expensive gifts. I just wasn’t that type of girl.
I decided to put Jason out of my head for the time being. For now, I wanted to relax and enjoy my birthday. Missy had woken me up this morning just to tell me that she expected me to be on time that night. She wanted me back in the dorm at seven o’clock so that she could get me ready for our bar crawl.
I was starting to feel the nerves pile on, but I told myself to take it one step at a time. I had no doubt Missy had chosen something sexy for me to wear and had resigned myself to that fact. But I just hoped it wouldn’t be too far out of my comfort zone. Knowing Missy, she probably wouldn’t care.
Once my lectures were done for the day, I headed over to my dorm with butterflies in my stomach. Missy was already there when I walked in.
“You’re early,” she smiled. “Good.”
“Do I get ten minutes to wind down first?” I asked.
“I think not.”
“Missy…”
“Oh, all right,” she said, in a huff. “If you insist.”
I laughed and lay down on my bed. “Guess what?”
“You fucked Professor Chance?”