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Too bad I’m not amused. After being ditched by my roommate and having a drink spilled on me, all I want is to be left alone.
“Perhaps you need to learn how to take a hint.” I sit straighter, positioning myself further away from him.
“Perhaps,” he chuckles again, “but I tend to go after what I want. And I’ve been dying to talk to you for weeks. There’s no way I’m walking away without giving it my all, so you might as well give me a chance.”
I can’t help but laugh at his audacity as I whip my head around, wanting to get a better look at the guy who’s so sure of himself.
Bad idea.
He’s beautiful—breath-catching, heart-fluttering, mush-mouth beautiful. From his finger-roaming shaggy hair to his deep brown eyes and full plump lips.
Without a word, I rotate away from him, wanting to hide the blush on my face as it spreads through my body.
“I’m Xander.” He leans into my line of sight.
“Xander?” I sneer, allowing myself to look at him again. “What kind of name is that?”
“Okay, you got me. It’s actually Alexander, but I’ve been going by Xander since I was like twelve,” he admits. His lips curve into a sheepish grin as he shrugs his shoulders, making him appear even more attractive—a feat I thought impossible.
“Let me guess…you were a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan.”
“Maybe.” He laughs at himself, shaking his head. “We can’t all have beautiful names like Elizabeth to go along with our beautiful face.”
“How the hell do you know my name?” Butterflies flutter in my belly as his compliment continues to bounce around in my head.
“I told you…we have class together. Three times a week,” he answers, with a lopsided grin.
Crossing my arms, I scowl at him. “So, we’ve gone from you thinking we have class together to you knowing my name?”
“Okay, you got me again.” He holds his hands up. “I may’ve done a little digging to get some information on you. And I may’ve used what I learned to ask around about you, hoping to find a way to run into you outside of class. Which may’ve been the reason I showed up to this party.”
I’m both floored and flattered by his confession. I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would go to such great lengths to meet me.
“Stalker much?” I ask, pulling my features together to feign disapproval rather than the excitement I feel.
“Perhaps.” He rubs his jaw. “What can I say? You’re an extremely beautiful girl. I know a good thing when I see it, and I was not about to leave meeting you to chance.”
Brenden
“Lizzy?” I call out.
Goose bumps form on my skin when she doesn’t respond. Her eyes go unfocused, her breathing labored. I saw one of my kids have a panic attack once, and it looked very similar to what’s happening with her now.
“Lizzy, are you okay?”
Still nothing.
My own panic begins to set in, my heart racing. When her breathing becomes more erratic, I move closer, pulling her chair away from the table and toward me. She inhales sharp breaths, her exhales short, struggling to calm herself.
“Take deep breaths, Lizzy,” I coach, keeping my voice low and soothing. “Breathe. Slow, deep breaths.”
She leans into me as I stroke her back, breathing steadier as her head lands on my shoulder. My body stiffens when her hands grasp my shirt, the despair pouring from her causing my heart to stutter.
“That’s it, Lizzy. Focus on each breath, okay? You’ve got this, beautiful.”
I continue to caress her back, my tight muscles relaxing as her breathing normalizes.
After a few moments, she lifts her head from my shoulder and peers into my eyes. Blotches stain her porcelain skin from the tears still rolling down her cheeks. Her glossy green eyes move back and forth over my face, a haziness still heavy in them. “Xander?”
