Page 72 of All That Glitters

I shake my head. She wouldn’t stand me up. It’s more likely that she slept through her alarm … or forgot to set one. It wasn’t that long ago that I had to force her to sleep after Paisley called me worried.

I’m not sure if her roommates will wake her up, or if they let each other handle their own schedules. I remember one of them, Jasmine, telling me they share a calendar. But I don’t know what all that entails.

Sliding my phone into my pocket, I head toward the elevators. I’ll check on her, and maybe if she’s ready fast enough we can still grab coffee. If not, there’s always lunch. A smile tugs at my lips at the thought of getting to spend every day with her again, but now I can hold her and kiss her. Anticipation floods my veins at the memory of yesterday.

I step onto the elevators as I’m replaying the moments in my mind. When I approached her to talk, my words were tangled up in the fear of what could go wrong. Yet somehow, none of those fears came true. We argued, but it ended with a dream instead of a nightmare.

When I make it to her floor, I’m smiling so much I’m sure I look like a lovesick fool. But since that’s what I am for Marigold, I don’t suppose I mind. I walk to her door and knock. Hopefully one of her other roommates is up and won’t be annoyed by my coming this early in the day.

The door opens to reveal a tall woman dressed in layers of pinks and white. The color scheme does not match her scowl.

“I came to check on Marigold,” I tell her. “We were supposed to meet in the lobby this morning.”

The woman’s eyes narrow.

“I’m Jameson, by the way,” I tack on, hoping that Marigold told her friends about us last night and it went well. If not, then I might get a door slammed in my face if they think I’m still the Traitor. Marigold didn’t seem to think they’d disapprove, but I wouldn’t blame them if they did.

Her expression softens just barely and she nods.

“Aurora.” She introduces herself simply. “And I haven’t seen her leave her room. You can come in. I’ll check on her.”

“Thanks,” I say as I follow her inside.

“Shoes go by the door unless you want to face the wrath of a tiny blonde pixie,” she says over her shoulder.

I breathe out a chuckle and toe off my sneakers by the neat line of women’s shoes. Aurora walks into the living room, then veers off to the left. A blonde woman wearing scrubs walks out a different door.

“Who was at the—oh!” She spots me and grins. “Are you Jameson?”

“I am,” I say, and scratch the back of my neck.

Her grin widens. I’m not sure how it’s possible for a person to sparkle when they smile, but this woman does. Since I’ve already met the other two roommates, neither of whom were blonde, this must be the pixie Aurora was talking about.

“I’m Saylor.” She introduces herself as she closes the door behind her. “I’d stay and chat, but I have a busy schedule and I didn’t build in time for meeting anyone new. Maybe another time!”

She walks past me, a bulging backpack weighing on her shoulders. After sliding on a pair of pristine white sneakers, she disappears out of the apartment. I turn back around in time to see Aurora leaving what I assume is Marigold’s room.

“She’s asleep at her desk. When I tried to wake her up, she threatened to stab me with a pen,” Aurora says wryly, and gestures to the doorway. “You’re welcome to give it a try.”

I chuckle. “I’ll do my best. Thanks.”

When I walk in Marigold’s room, I’m taken back to our high school days. Her room looks fairly similar. Books everywhere. Stacks on end tables, her dresser, the floor. Different art prints from her favorite novels hang from a string of twinkle lights above her empty bed. But the sight that’s the most familiar is her messy red hair on top of her vintage writing desk.

“Some things never change,” I say, and her head pops up at the sound of my voice. A piece of notebook paper is stuck to her cheek. I bite back a laugh as she snatches it away.

Marigold rubs her eyes, then squints at me.

“Jameson?” Panic washes over her features. “I missed our coffee date, didn’t I?” She springs up from her seat. “I’m so sorry. I was writing, and I must have fallen asleep before I set my alarm.”

“It’s no big deal.” I reassure her as I cross the space between us. “I just thought you’d want to be woken up in time to get to class.”

She covers her face with her hands. “I’m awful. I knew this would happen.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that.” I pull her against my chest and wrap her in my arms. “You keep forgetting that I know you. And I already told you there’s nothing you could do that would change my feelings for you.”

“I feel so bad that I ruined our first date.”

“You didn’t ruin it, you just … rescheduled,” I say with a soft chuckle.