Page 69 of Talk Swoony to Me

I pause, seeing her point. “I like to earn my own money. Is that wrong?”

“No. Of course not.”

“It’s also...” I stop myself before I say too much. “Never mind.”

Heidi arches a brow. “No, what?”

“Forget I said that.”

“What?”

I chuckle, biting my lip. Too late now. “Okay,” I say, setting my chopsticks down. “Modeling in art classes is also a fun way to... pick up girls.”

Thankfully, she laughs. “Is that right?”

“Art school girls, specifically.”

“You like the arty ones, huh?” she teases.

“Yeah,” I say. “They’re fun.”

Heidi looks down, her already pink cheeks darkening another perfect shade. “I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever implied I was fun,” she says.

“Well, they’ve clearly never seen you play beer pong,” I joke.

She chuckles. “It’s a rare sight.”

I find myself staring at her, yet again. Her adorable expressions. Her big, golden eyes; brighter than I’ve ever seen before in my life.

A rare sight indeed.

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” I say.

Heidi pauses. Her breath hitches, but she doesn’t look away. “Thank you,” she squeaks.

I keep staring. I can’t help it. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen ones that golden before. They’re so shiny.”

She blushes a little more. “My mother always used to say they matched my birthstone. Topaz.”

“Topaz,” I repeat. “That’s...?”

“November.”

“That’s soon.”

“Two months away.”

“Better than nine like mine.”

“That’s... June?” she asks, quickly doing the math.

“Yup,” I say.

“What’s the stone for that?”

“I have no idea.”

She laughs, nodding. “I guess guys don’t really care about that, huh?”