As I got in my car and drove home, I mentally kicked myself for not kissing her. I should have enveloped her in my arms and kissed her the way I desperately wanted, but it wasn’t only a kiss I wanted, nor her body. It was her personality that hooked me. Like a lion hunting its prey, I was determined to know everything about her. The way she joked and smiled—there was something so simple yet utterly beautiful about her smile. The night had finished too quickly and I needed to see her again.
I parked my car behind Jake’s in the driveway and walked inside what I called home. I shared a small three-bedroom Cape Cod with three of my high school football buddies: Jake, Stu, and Lenny. The place reeked of sex, beer, and dirty laundry, but the rent was cheaper than living on campus.
I had fucked up in high school; fights, suspension and a few bad grades that resulted in me starting college a year late, and a bunch of remedial classes that had me on the five-year college plan. Julian, my kid brother, had been lucky enough to earn a few scholarships that helped with his tuition fee. I hated that our mother had to pay for both of us when Julian deserved it more than me. He was the good kid.
Walking into the kitchen, I emptied the trash and cleaned up the dishes before heading to my room. Since I’d volunteered to keep the house organized, I was given the bigger bedroom as a trade-off. Lenny and Stu shared a room since they didn’t mind sharing anything, including girls.
I pulled my wallet and phone out of my pocket and laid them on the nightstand. My phone flashed with an unread message but I didn’t get my hopes up. I hadn’t given Brielle my phone number. Yet another stupid thing I had done tonight.
I flipped my phone and noticed I had a text message.
I can’t wait to see you!
Sighing, I tossed my phone on the dresser. I didn’t reply to her message. She wasn’t the person I wanted to talk to.
Chapter 4
Brielle
I had almost two full years left of school but I planned to finish it a full semester early. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. When I first enrolled, I picked accounting as my major. I figured it would be easy to get a job, and since we all had to pay taxes every year I’d always have work. But it wasn’t my passion. My second semester I took art as a free elective and realized I wanted to do something I loved, so I changed my major. It put me back a few credits, but it was my chance to do something that made me happy.
The second I had my diploma in my hands, I would be sending out resumes to any European museum that would hire me. But this also meant I had to spend every free second studying to stay ahead of my plan. I piled on extra classes, and even while I was answering calls at Dr. Carmack’s office, I had a textbook out.
Two days after my date with Nate, I sat in the library going over my biology notes when Delaney pulled out the chair next to me. Unlike me, she majored in accounting and would take the full four years to finish. She also had the advantage of taking summer sessions, which I couldn’t afford.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” She placed her bottle of water on the wooden table and pulled out a Snickers bar. “And don’t say homework. We’ve been in school for three days. There is no way you have homework.”
“I’m studying.”
“What are you studying? You haven’t even been to all of your classes.” She took a bite of her candy before I snatched it out of her hand and took my own bite of it.
“You know I do this every year. I study, do my class work ahead of schedule, and I don’t do anything on Saturday nights but study.”
I sat back on the chair as she pulled another bar from her purse. Delaney was obsessed with chocolate. “Brie—”
“What do you need?” I couldn’t help but smile.
“Come with me to the first game of the season?” She pressed both of her hands under her chin. “Please?” She pouted. “Pretty please?”
“Why do you want me to go with you?” Delaney lived for college football. She’d been going with her father and older brothers since she was a kid, and she never asked me to go. Football wasn’t my thing. Usually her requests were limited to term papers she needed me to do for her, or notes from a class I took before her.
Delaney shrugged. “I asked Moose to meet me there.”
“Moose?” I giggled and tossed the empty wrapper at her. “I’m sorry, Del, but when have you ever needed me to be your wing girl?” Delaney was notorious for getting any guy she wanted. She was brains and beauty. The complete package.
“This one is different.” Her eyebrows bunched together. “I’ve known Moose since high school. He’s a few years older and he was in community college but recently transferred to UNC. I bumped into him at the bookstore and we got to talking about my brothers since he knew them. And . . .” She gnawed on her lower lip. “I asked him to go to the first game.”