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“Hell nah, once you turned the charm off, Hunter swooped in and kept her company for the night. I think they ended up going home together.”
I sigh with relief, still perplexed about my behaviour. It’s not like me to drop the hunt halfway through the chase. And I don’t remember using the washroom that night… oh.Shit.
This time, the pun was not intended.
A rush of memories hit me as I remember leaving the table because Tripstarted texting me. And after that, any interest in anyone else all but disappeared. The same thing happened with Serena, after I ran to the courtyard to comfort Trip.AND I bailed on the bombshell last night to attend an event where Tripwas present. Oh God.
Nico’s right. I have developed my first adult crush.
I’m so wrapped up in my thoughts that I miss the knock on our door. My peripheral vision catches a flash of red as Nico saunters by to swing it open. Tearing my gaze away from the stain, I straighten my head to find the missing puzzle piece staring back at me with misty grey eyes.
Shit.
Lou
There are two things I did not expect to see when I knocked on Wes’ dorm door. The first was the four inches of unnaturally smooth, tanned skin Nico is currently displaying in a shirt bright enough to be mistaken for a stop sign. The second and more concerning one is the look of panic that crossed Wes’ face when he saw me standing in his doorway.
I sneak a quick glance down to make sure I didn’t spill any fries or gravy on my shirt. Stain-free faces of the All-American Rejects stare back at me. So the look isn’t because of my sloppy eating habits.
“Trip! Just the girl I wanted to see. What do you think of the red?” The doubt swirling through my mind gets put on hold as Nico does a little shimmy in my direction. I blink as the silky material assaults my vision.
“It’s very… bold.” Nico flashes me an equally bright smile. “That isexactlywhat I’m going for. Wes, you better keep this one around.” Heat burns my cheeks as I quickly avert my gaze.
An awkward silence descends on the room as Wes and I make eye contact. Nico looks back and forth between us.
“Well, this has been a droll but I think I’m going to go find myself a tasty treat. Adios mi amor.” Blowing a goodbye kiss to Wes and giving me a quick side hug, Nico struts out of the dorm, leaving a cloud of cologne and confidence in his wake.
“So…” I trail off and look at the remaining roommate. He hasn’t said a word to me but his eyes have not left my face once. It’s unnerving.
“How far along are you on the psych paper?” We were supposed to watch a movie tonight, but given the way Wes is acting, I’m thinking it might be safer to dip after the challenge is complete.
A slow grin spreads across his face and to keep his earlier weirdness at bay, I playfully pull my eyebrows together. “You better not have finished the whole thing before I arrived.” The scowl on my face only brightens his more.
“Finishmy paper? I wouldn’t dream of it.” His immediate response helps ease some of the tension from the room and a sense of normalcy re-establishes itself as I narrow my eyes in his direction.
“Prove it.” The words feel dangerous leaving my mouth and the feeling only increases when Wes pops his dimples and beckons me closer.
There’s an unspoken challenge in the air and as I step closer to the couch it feels as though I’m entering a competition ring.
“Take a look, darlin’.” His attempt at a country drawl is beyond terrible, and I can’t help but to laugh as Wes swirls his laptop around. I lean down to peer at the screen.
“You’ve completely finished it!” I gasp loudly, pointing an accusatory finger to the man responsible, “Liar.”
Wes holds his hands up in surrender, “Whoa, easy there, partner. Take acloserlook before you make accusations. I’m a sensitive man you know.” I roll my eyes at the comment.
“I thought you were anindependentman?”
Wes wags a finger in my direction. “A man is allowed to be both sensitive andindependent; if women can do it, why not men?” Shaking my head hopelessly, I bite back a laugh and bring the conversation back to the issue at hand.
“Whatever. Do you even have anything left to write?” He whirls the laptop around and pats the seat cushion next to him. I plop myself down, refusing to acknowledge our close proximity. If Wes can be nonchalant about our legs touching, then so can I.
Deliberately typing as slow as possible, I watch Wes write one sentence and close the word document. My mouth falls open, “You cheated.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Hey, you said I had to finish my essay Sunday, so I started it this morning and you just witnessed me finishing it.” I stubbornly shake my head.
