Just call me your boyfriend, already

 

Ari was full of laughter. Finally, he caught Jade in the commons of the university. Hopefully, her classes were over for the day.

"Oh, I thought it was you," Ari bit a grin and he stepped out in front of her and took her by surprise.

"What are you doing here?" She looked  him over as if she might put her load of books right in his chest, and he was brave enough to take them.

"I was hoping I would see you," Ari walked with her then as if they were old friends after all.

"Why?" She looked down to him on the steps coming out of the building. She needed to be smiling, he thought.

"I got a job," Ari practically laughed as if she couldn't say no to him now.

"A job?" She looked at him as if she didn't quite believe him.

"I'm working for the RED CROSS now," he nodded. "I'm a vampire." He laughed then as if he just might be one.

"The RED CROSS?" She winced as if she'd heard the worst joke for Halloween.

"No, I'm very serious." He pulled her aside as the throng of people were on their way for a Halloween weekend. "I don't have a problem with blood, you know." He explained they'd taught him a lot. He might just make a career out of it.  "I mean, I had learned about this kind of stuff..um before the pandemic. I just..was hesitant, you know. But you made me see I really needed to... you know, get on with things."

"How so?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. 

"Just come to dinner with me. Let's celebrate." He looped his arm around hers. He even took a load off with the books she carried. 

"Celebrate?" She hesitated.

"You got anything better to do?" He wanted to know. She shrugged. "Well, come on. Let's go to the HuHot." Ari told her he hadn't been there since the pandemic.