Read Online Magic University Book One: The Siren and the Sword by Cecilia Tan - Free Book Online Page B

“The Ivy League had a real hard-on back in the days of the colonies to try to look and act as old as the old British colleges.”
    Now, as they made their way past it, Kyle said nothing, just gave Jess’s hand another squeeze. They walked without a particular goal in mind, crossing the overpass by the firehouse into Harvard Yard, then out the other side into Harvard Square, bustling with Saturday night crowds enjoying the weather. The real winter cold would descend soon enough, or so everyone told him.
    They ended up sitting on a bench in a small park not far from the Spanish restaurant where they’d eaten on Kyle’s first day. A guy was playing guitar nearby, and from time to time someone on a skateboard would rattle past.
    Kyle finally spoke when the song ended and the busker paused to chat with some passersby about his CD. “So, we’re going to this ball, together, right? I mean, like you and me, together, not everyone in Camella 3 West.”
    Jess still hadn’t let go of his hand and squeezed it gently. “If that’s what you want.”
    “Of course it’s what I want.” He tried to tease out what could possibly be confusing about that, and yet it felt like there was a tangle. “Um, isn’t it what you want?”
    “I didn’t want to presume,” she said, eyes wide. “I mean, it’s not like we’re courting, right?”
    “Courting?”
    “You know what I mean. We’re not dating so we can get engaged so we can get married.” She cocked her head. “Are we?”
    “I thought we were going to wait and see what happens.” He felt like his voice got higher, but maybe it was just his heart sped up.
    “Oh, yes.” She put her other hand over their joined ones. “I guess what I’m trying to say, Kyle, is I didn’t assume you wanted to go together like that. It’s really sweet, though, that you assumed I would.”
    He felt like he was still missing something in what she was saying, a feeling that was all too familiar. The feeling that blanketed his days. All he could do, though, was forge ahead. “There’s no one else for me, Jess. And I don’t want there to be. I want it to be you and me, for as long as we both enjoy it. You and me...you know, like a couple.”
    Her smile was warm and open. “Okay. I didn’t want to push you, what with you just getting settled here and all. I didn’t assume that just because I was the first girl you met at Veritas, that I would be the only one you liked.”
    He laughed at that. “I was just lucky you were the first girl I met, because I would have been crazy about youanyway. Being in the right place at the right time, I got to know you immediately.” He breathed a little easier and shifted to put an arm around her shoulders. “The rest, as they say, is history.”
    “Mm-hmm.” She leaned her head against his shoulder with a happy sound, and he felt a wash of warm joy all the way down to his toes. The guy with the guitar began to play again.
    “Maybe we should go to the ball as Zorro and...is there a female character in Zorro? I was trying to think of something Spanish,” he said. He was actually trying to think of a character in a mask. What if this ball was Jess’s dream come true? Wouldn’t that be something?
    She chuckled. “It’d be easy enough for me to go as generic señorita. But I’m not sure I’d want to. But you’re right. We have to think of something or Alex will talk me, Lindy, and Jeanie into going as Charlie’s Angels or something stupid like that.”
    “What about superheroes? Everyone could do whatever one they want, but then at least we’d sort of match.”
    “Who would you pick?”
    “Hmm, good question. Batman would be kind of cool. You could totally do Wonder Woman if you wanted.”
    “Or Catwoman,” she said with a sly tone in her voice. “Me-owww.”
    Something about the way her voice dropped when she said “meow” sent his pulse throbbing through him. “Um, do you think we should head back?” he asked, trying to sound