AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jai was quickly becoming trouble.
I returned his welcome from earlier and blew the decadent vapor across our shared space. It swirled into his nostrils as he took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he leaned into the churning cloud. What was this asinine pull to him? I kept my distance from many people, many men,and yet…
“Why didn’t we hang out like this in high school?” I was surprised the question came out. I wondered where the hell it was conjured from. We hadn’t been in similar circles; he’d been labeled as a lawless delinquent, and I was in favored graces due to old money politics.
His hand rose and came to rest in my hair. His hold wasn’t painful; he barely touched me. His nose was close to brushing mine, and I sat frozen, unsure of where this was supposed to go.Is this a kiss thing?
“You don’t realize this—” His voice was softer than before. It made me curious about his natural timbre. “—but you’re looking at me in fear. The same fear you had the day you were pushed into my locker.”
So, he does remember.
“Do I scare you, Bexley Laughtery?”
I shook my head, the tension in the air growing as each second ticked by. The movement caused his fingers to skim against my scalp.
“I don’t believe you,” he admitted.
I questioned if I even believed myself.
“I should…go,” I said as my stare caught on his lips again. The same thoughts unfurled through my mind as the other day. I contemplated what more of his touch would do to me. What he would feel like in other areas he hadn’t already stolen brushes of. This earned another wolfish grin as his fingers gently stroked through my mess of hair.
I closed my eyes and leaned into his carnal touch.
“Wise decision.”
October 9, 2020
Bexley
I was stalking through the apartment I shared with Mariana. It was off-campus, a modest two bedroom attached complex, and had been listed at a reduced rate for students in the area. It wasn’t too modern, but thankfully anything outdated had been replaced before we got the keys.
When I heard the front door open, I knew who it would be. I was usually the first to arrive home, especially on Fridays. My class schedule was balanced for a relaxed start to my weekends. Mari, well, she hadn’t had so much success and ended up with a late class, getting out around 5:30 p.m.
I didn’t look up while gathering strewn blankets and pillows on the couch. I had a habit of cleaning while I contemplated. It wasn’t the worst habit in the world.
“Sooo,” Mariana called from behind me in a singsong voice. “Have you given any thought to your costume?”
Mari hadn’t bothered to mention the costume aspect of this party until this morning before our first class.
My voice was a little less than aggravated. “No, Mari. I have no idea what I want to be.” I guessed it did make sense for a Halloween party to be themed. “I don’t know if I want to be slutty or scary.” My agitation laced into my partial joke.
“Well, do you want to break your dry spell after Malcolm?”
Flag on the play.
“That’s a forbidden topic and you know it,” I warned her.
Malcolm,theex, was the biggest jackass the universe had ever created. That was a bit dramatic, but the point still stood that Malcolm was an epic douchebag with self-serving tendencies.
Malcolm and I dated for the majority of our senior year. There were red flags all over the place, but his epic final gesture at graduation was to break up with me. He dropped the bomb just before we took our walk across the stage. Reasoning? He didn’t want to be “tempted to cheat” while he was at a different university. Apparently, long distance wouldn’t fulfill his “needs.”
The asshole never seemed to have a problem with cheating while we were five feet from each other.
His finishing line had been,“You’re hot, Bex, but long-distance doesn’t suit the needs of my dick.”No elaboration, no consolation, and definitely no looking back.
I failed to recognize it for the gift it was. I’d been on a fast track to permanent domestic issues. While his delivery sucked, he’d ended it before I’d been irreparably stuck with him. I still had to manage the damage from the mental gymnastics he’d put me through.
He hadn’t taken my virginity or anything, but after high school graduation, I’d been determined to go on a sex hiatus until college. Only, now that I was in college and had been for some time, I wasn’t interested in any of the guys I shared classes with. Dating apps were a mess of egotistical boys.
