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She blushes and tries to look stern but fails. She nods and turns back around. She’s been awkward around me all day, and I guess it’s weird for her too. It’ll take us time to get back to being friends, but I think I know how to make it happen. Pranks have always been the foundation of our friendship.
I smile to myself and make her a cup of coffee. I stir a good spoonful of salt in, a wicked grin on my face. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she takes a sip. I hand it to her with a serene expression. I might not have messed with her in years, but my game face is still on point. Or so I thought. Emilia glances at me suspiciously and I purse my lips. She reads me far too easily. It’s been years since I’ve been able to trick her in person. I always have to do it behind her back.
She takes a sip and spits it right back out, coughing. She glares at me and slams the cup down. “You disgusting devil!” she shouts, her cheeks reddening. Her eyes flash and I burst out laughing. She looks cute as hell.
Emilia grabs my t-shirt and shakes me. Or she tries to, at least. She’s unable to move me with her tiny hands. She places her palms against my chest and her brows rise just a little. I watch her intently and see the anger drain away, replaced by a flash of lust. Her hands glide down my chest before she catches herself and pulls away.
“You! Do you want another cup of coffee thrown on you? You’re unbelievable, Carter. So childish! I thought you said we were done playing pranks? What the hell!”
She glares at me fiercely, and I instantly remember why I’ve always loved messing with her. She looks fucking hot when she’s all riled up like this. I love getting a rise out of her. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are blazing. I wrap my hands around her waist and she melts into me. Her body still fits against mine perfectly. She presses her tits against my chest and I’m instantly hard. I see that hasn’t changed either. I always thought I was just easily aroused, but it’s only Emilia that makes me feel this way. Her eyes widen when she feels my dick pressed up against her stomach and she looks up at me. She tries to look stern but I know that look all too well. The lust in her eyes is unmistakable, no matter how hard she tries to hide it. Rather than pull away and admonish me, she moves even closer.
“I’m going to get you for this,” she whispers. I can’t help but grin. I’ve missed messing with her. I’ve missed interacting with her. Hell, I’ve just missed her.
“Oh yeah, Emilia? I’m trembling in my boots.”
She clenches her jaw and pulls away from me. Her eyes drop to my jeans and she bites down on her lip when she sees how hard I am. I grin at her as I imagine what those sexy lips are going to feel like wrapped around my cock. I close my eyes and look away. I’m sure things will get more and more interesting from now on.
Chapter 3
Emilia
I’m anxious. It’s only been a few weeks and I already feel like I’m falling behind in my classes. I’m more overwhelmed than I thought I’d be. I can’t afford to fail anything. If I don’t keep my GPA up, I’ll lose my scholarship. If I’m already struggling now, then how much more difficult is everything going to get?
I carry my heavy bag to the library, my shoulder aching. I miss having a locker. I wish I could’ve done what Kate did and just buy all the e-books instead, but my scholarship provided me with the physical books, so I have to suck it up and lug this heavy bag around campus.
I glance up when I hear a familiar voice and find Carter standing by the library entrance. He’s standing next to a girl, and the way she’s touching his arm and pushing her breasts in his face tells me they’re either intimately acquainted, or she’d like them to be. I take in her long blonde hair and the sweet smile on her face. I know this girl. It’s Lisa. The girl Carter keeps being tagged in photos with. The one I’ve seen photos of for years now. I may or may not have done some Facebook stalking, and I may or may not know more about her than I should. I know she’s a cheerleader — a very good one. On top of that, she’s an engineering major, just like Carter. They look good together and they must have so much more in common than he and I ever did.
My heart twists painfully. Just seeing him with someone else still makes me jealous. I can’t help but wonder if she’s the one that put those kiss marks on him, and if by now she knows his body better than I do. It’s been two years since he and I were together, so why do I still feel this way? I can’t go down this road with him. I still can’t be around him without wanting him.
It doesn’t help that he seems to be everywhere. And each time I run into him, he’s got another girl on his arm. It’s painful and it’s weird. He never used to be like that in high school. But then again, he never slept with anyone before me. I guess it’s different now.
Carter spots me before I can walk past him and immediately approaches, leaving Lisa staring after him in surprise. She follows with a confused expression on her face, and I’m already done with this shit. I don’t ever want to have to compete for a guy’s attention.
“Emilia,” he says, smiling. My heart skips a beat at the way he looks at me. He looks like he’s actually happy to see me. How can my heart feel so full, yet ache at the same time? Lisa catches up to us and smiles at me — it’s one of those genuine smiles that make you want to smile back and I hate her all the more for it. I nod at the two of them politely and move to walk past, but Carter throws his arm around my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.
“You’re going to the library to study? We were just headed that way,” he murmurs. He grabs my bag and throws it over his shoulder. “Fucking hell, Emilia. What are you carrying in here? Bricks?”
The edges of my lips turn up and I shake my head. “I can carry it, Carter. You don’t need to do that. I also really need to study. I don’t have time to mess around with you.”
Lisa chuckles and holds her hand out for me. “I’m Lisa,” she says. “You have no idea how excited I am to finally meet the infamous Emilia. Carter told me about some of the pranks you two have pulled on each other and that shit is lit.”
I shake her hand awkwardly and smile. What am I supposed to say to that? Yeah, I know all about you too, but that’s because I stalked you on Facebook?
“Lisa and I need to study too. Let’s go together,” he says. Lisa nods as though she genuinely doesn’t mind, and I suddenly feel conflicted. I’m hesitant and tug on my bag, but Carter is holding it hostage. Eventually I give up and walk to the small secluded study corner that I’ve been using. Carter and Lisa follow and sit down opposite me. Much to my surprise, both of them actually grab their bags and take out their laptops and books. They’re so in sync that it’s obvious this is their usual routine, and I’m oddly jealous. I’ve never felt like an outsider in Carter’s presence. Even long before he and I were anything but friends, we were each other’s person. Now it seems like my role in his life belongs to someone else.
“What?” Carter says, smiling. “I have a partial academic scholarship, remember? I have no choice but to keep my GPA up.”
I nod and stare at him in disbelief as he pulls out his tablet and starts drawing up complicated equations. Lisa glances at him with such a sweet smile that I’m hit with an instant possessiveness that I’m not entitled to. “No choice, huh? Keeping his GPA up is effortless for him. I swear he’s the smartest guy I know.”
Her eyes are sparkling with admiration and affection, and I feel like the third wheel here. This is exactly why I’ve been trying to avoid Carter. I’ve been clinging to the memory of what we used to be to each other, and every time I see him, I’m hit with the realization that everything has changed. I’m no longer the person who knows him best. I’m not the girl he reaches out to. And I’m definitely not the girl he holds in his arms — not anymore.
Carter smiles at her and drops his arm to the back of her chair. “Says the girl that keeps beating my test scores.”
The familiarity and mutual respect between them is obvious, and it’s painful. I don’t know why I expected her to be mean or… I don’t know. I guess it would’ve been easier. It would’ve fit the image I built of her in my head so much better.
Lisa smiles at me and then puts in her earphones, tuning us out and focusing on her textbook completely. She and Carter work in tandem, the two of them exchanging notes.
I tear my eyes away from them and blink at my own textbook. I don’t understand what’s happening in my statistics assignment at all. I glare at it and drop my forehead to the table, beyond frustrated. I’m going to have to get a tutor and my scholarship won’t cover that. I feel so stupid and so out of my depth.
