Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) (10 page)

“I live with my best friend, Jasmine. We rent a house in a neighborhood near here.”

“Do you like living with someone?” he asked.

“Yeah, she’s great. You should come over sometime,” I said. For a split-second, I questioned whether it was smart to invite someone I barely knew to my house. Then again, we had already kissed, and his abs were clouding my common sense. “I know Jasmine would love to meet you,” I told him as I thought about her reaction earlier today during lunch.

“Okay, what are you doing tonight?” he asked.

I inclined my head, pleasantly surprised. Emil wasn’t wasting any time. I took a second to shake the shock of his forwardness off my face, and almost laughed. The kiss at lunch had been brazen; asking to see me tonight was nothing compared to that.

“I don’t have any plans,” I said, pulling a piece of paper and pen from my backpack. “Let me give you my address and number.”

I wrote down directions to my house, and handed the paper to him. We got up from the concert the creek was providing and walked back to the sidewalk. As we approached the registrar building, Emil stopped.

“I have to talk to someone about my schedule,” he said.

“Okay, what time do you want to come over?” I asked.

“It’s four-thirty now, so how about six?”

“That sounds great,” I said, smiling.

“Great,” he echoed back to me as he turned to go into the building. I started to walk away when I heard him call my name. I turned, and he locked eyes with me again. “I can’t wait to see you tonight, Evie.” He opened the door and was gone.

I left to find my car in the parking lot, but not before calling Jas and telling her to be home tonight if she wanted to meet the mystery-kisser. I was lost in thought as I weaved through cars. Emil definitely had my interest. He was smoking hot
and
had already kissed me.

As I got closer to my Mustang, I realized someone was leaning against the trunk, waiting for me. My chest constricted and images of dark figures and red web scars popped into my head. I rummaged through my bag for my mace, but kept walking, determined to meet whoever was there and not be afraid.

I moved forward until from a distance, I recognized the person. Alex. I stopped short, completely unprepared to see him. I really didn’t think I’d ever see him again. I
knew
it had been Alex in the College Center earlier. What was he doing on campus watching me? I slowly started walking toward him again. His face came into focus and he was furious. I grabbed my keys from my backpack and took a deep breath as I closed in on the car. His arms were folded across his chest, his legs shoulder-width apart, and he was mad. I stood across from him on the other side of the trunk so the car separated us. We locked eyes. It felt like we were in the Wild West, getting ready to duel. I decided to shoot first.

“You are the
last
person I ever expected to see again,” I said coldly. The anger I had built up since the end of our relationship was threatening to explode.

Fury radiated back at me from the hard lines of his face. “Is it your goal to make-out with every guy on campus?”

I stared at him, livid.
He
had left
me
. He had no right to question my actions. “Don’t you dare judge me,” I said, my eyes narrow and my voice low. “It’s
none
of your business who I kiss. What are you doing here?”

He ignored my question and asked me another instead. “Do you even
know
him, Evie?”

My eyes flashed. “I do now,” I smirked. “Why are you here?” I asked again, my voice terse.

His hands were balled into fists and he was looking at me with hard eyes. “I said I would be watching.”

I laughed without humor. “I haven’t seen you until today. If you’re jealous, I’ll remind you,
you
broke up with me, then disappeared.”

“You haven’t seen me, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been around. After witnessing your little episode in the College Center, I decided it was time to remind you that I said I wasn’t leaving.”

I bit my lip and looked at the ground, then I took a deep breath. “You did leave, Alex. Regardless of what you say, I haven’t seen you for weeks. You gave me some stupid soul mate story—by far the most creative way a guy has ever broken up with me, so congrats on that—and then you left.”

I could practically see Alex’s blood pressure rising. I could tell he was fighting hard to stay calm. “It was
not
some stupid story, Evie.”

I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. “Yeah, because my
soul mate
, who’s supposed to love me more than anything in the world, would tell me I’m in danger and then leave me without any explanation or ballpark date of when he’d be back. Makes sense,” I said without hiding my sarcasm. I could tell he was planning to launch his defense, so I raised my hand and cut him off, “I don’t want your excuses. I’m over it. As for this little confrontation, let me remind you, what I do and who I do it with is none of your business anymore.”

Alex watched me with a measured stare. “What if he’s dangerous?”

I smiled wickedly. “Then I’ll die happy.”

“No. You won’t.” There was authority in his voice. “You need to stop seeing him.”

The conversation was going nowhere and I decided to put an end to it. I walked up to my car door and opened it. I wanted to get out of there and planned to back over him if he didn’t move. But, as I was about to get in the car I felt a sudden urge to let Alex know exactly what I thought, exactly what I wasn’t able to tell him those weeks after he left.

Whipping my head around, I marched back toward him, power and resolve in my stride. I got within a foot of him and slid my mouth into a sexy smile. “Oh,” I said, licking my lips, “I plan to see a lot more of him than I already have.” Alex froze, stunned. “But I don’t want to see you ever again. Don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, don’t even
think
about me. You had your chance. We are done.” Alex was motionless as I spun back around, got in the car and took off without even looking in my rearview mirror to see where he was. I hadn’t felt a bump when I backed up, so I assumed I hadn’t hit him.

I was furious with Alex the whole ride home, and kept replaying our conversation in my head. He had serious nerve talking to me like that and acting as if he knew Emil. Alex had no right to try and derail my chances with a new guy. Why is it that guys never realize how much they want a girl until she shows interest in someone else? Alex’s reaction just made me more determined. I was going to be with Emil.

Chapter 7

I got to the house and went inside to do a speed-clean before Emil came over. I knew Jas would be home soon too. I vacuumed and wiped down the dining room table and kitchen and bathroom countertops. I was picking up odds and ends in the living room when Jasmine came through the door.

Her eyes flashed around the room, expecting to see someone. “Is he here yet?”

“Not yet,” I said, straightening the magazines on the coffee table. “He had some errands to do.”

She leaned on the table, her eyes glittering. “What did you two do today?”

“I showed him around campus, then we sat in the botanical gardens for a while and talked.”

“So, do you like him?” Jasmine asked, tapping her fingers against the table in anticipation.

“Yeah,” I answered, my mouth curving slowly as I thought about our introduction in the College Center. “I like him.”

“I told Zach about the kiss. He couldn’t believe it and said the guy either had a lot of guts, or was really stupid,” she said. “What did he say to you about
the
kiss?”

I brushed some dust of the fireplace mantle. “We didn’t talk about it.”

She stopped, motionless as a statue until she yelled, “What?” her mouth gaped open. “A guy you’ve never met, kissed you,
really
kissed you, in front of most of the school, and you didn’t even bring it up when you had some time alone with him?”

I shrugged. “It didn’t feel right. I’ll ask him about it eventually.”

She made a “hmmph” sound and frowned.

I changed the subject. “Guess who was standing by my car today when I left to come home?”

Jas grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and took a bite. “Who?”

“Alex.”

Jas inhaled so rapidly, I thought she might choke. The surprise quickly turned to anger. “What was
he
doing there?” she demanded.

“He saw Emil kiss me today. He said something about me needing to be more careful and Emil being dangerous.” I rolled my eyes. “I think he was jealous or something.”

“Why was he even on campus?” she asked. “He graduated a year ago! From another college!”

“I don’t know. He was acting really weird. I told him to leave me alone because who I kiss is none of his business.”

Jas smiled. “Good, he needed to hear that. He’s lucky I wasn’t there. He wouldn’t have survived.”

I laughed. “That’s what makes you such a great friend,” I said, giving her a quick hug.

The doorbell rang and I looked at the clock. Emil was right on time. I went to the living room and opened the door. He was holding some chocolates and a bouquet of roses, the color a cross between lavender and grey. He handed the flowers to me. “These are for you,” he said. “And the chocolates are for your roommate.”

I looked down at the gifts, surprised. Most guys wouldn’t think to bring anything. “Thanks!” I said. “You didn’t have to do this.” I gestured to the flowers and chocolates.

“It’s the least I could do,” he answered.

“Come on in.” I put the chocolates on the table and grabbed a vase from the mantle. As I arranged the uniquely colored, beautiful flowers, I couldn’t help but remember Alex saying I didn’t seem like the roses type. Alex was wrong about a lot of things. I could be the roses type if the right guy was bringing them to me.

Jas came bounding around the corner. I was surprised she’d been able to restrain herself for as long as she had. “Emil, this is my best friend, Jasmine. Jasmine, this is Emil.”

Emil nodded at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine.”

“You too,” Jas said, her eyes tracking from his head to his toes. With an evil little glint in her eyes, she continued. “I saw you earlier today in the College Center.” I narrowed my eyes. What was she doing?

“Did you?” he grinned knowingly. “Once Evie walked in, I didn’t notice anyone else.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty safe to say
everyone
saw the two of you.”

He bit back a smile. “Yeah, we weren’t very inconspicuous, were we?”

“Are you kidding?” Jas said, “I’m sure the video of that kiss is already on YouTube.”

My face must not have registered the level of humiliation I felt, either that, or Emil and Jas didn’t care.

“So, not to pry,” Jas started.

I interrupted her, “Jas, give him a break, you just met him.”

She frowned. “So did you,” she said pointedly.

Emil gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s all right. She’s being a good friend.”

Jas grinned in triumph, determined to be more of a friend than I wanted her to be, and asked, “Why did you kiss a total stranger in front of everyone at Western State?”

His lips slid into a comfortable smile that seemed to put Jas at ease. “To be honest, there was no way I could have stopped myself from kissing Evie, even if I tried—which I didn’t.” His eyes penetrated mine like they had earlier today when I saw him in the College Center. I felt like I might fall over.

“Huh,” Jas said. “So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow? Are you going to propose?”

I gasped. “Jasmine!” Her best friend status was in serious peril.

Emil’s eyes sparkled. “I thought I’d save that for next week. Do you think she’ll say yes?”

What the hell was happening? “Okay, the two of you can stop planning my future.” I said. They both turned toward me like they’d forgotten I was there. I’d had enough of guys proclaiming their feelings for me too soon. I didn’t need that from Emil too. “Are you guys hungry?” I asked. “Do you want to get dinner?”

“I could eat,” Emil said.

Jas jumped up. “I’ll call Zach and see if he wants to meet us somewhere.”

We decided to eat at an Italian place in town and Emil offered to drive. I stopped short when I saw his car in the driveway, my eyes taking in the sleek lines of German engineering. It was a black 545xi BMW with black tinted windows and silver rims. I moved slowly to open the door, my fingers lingering lightly over the paint that seemed to change from pitch black to glittering onyx mixed with deep sapphire. The interior was grey and black with grey wood paneling. If Satan drove a car, I was sure this would be the one he picked. Emil’s BMW looked like pure evil. As I buckled my seat belt, I couldn’t help thinking that as we drove through Gunnison, people would either think we were famous, or drug dealers.

The restaurant was only five minutes away. When we got there, Zach was waiting outside for us, enjoying the cool mountain air. We approached him and Jas skipped ahead of us into Zach’s arms where he kissed her. I smiled, and noticed Emil was smiling too.

“Hey,” Zach nodded toward us.

“Hi, Zach,” I said. “This is Emil, a friend of mine. Emil, this is Jas’s boyfriend, Zach.”

“This is the guy from earlier?” Zach asked Jas. Jasmine nodded as she held back a giggle.

“I’ve got to tell you, man. You’ve got balls,” Zach said. I glared hard, hoping the arrows in my eyes would hit him.

Emil grinned. “Thanks. Girls like Evie don’t come along every day. I thought a grand gesture was in order,” he said as we turned to walk into the restaurant.

The hostess seated us in a corner booth and we were quiet while we decided what to eat. When the server came to the table, Zach asked for a Pepsi immediately. Jasmine teased Zach about his body being sixty percent Pepsi instead of water. Jas ordered a meatball sandwich and Zach asked for spaghetti. Emil picked fettuccine alfredo with chicken and I ordered gnocchi, my favorite dish. When the server left, we started talking again.

“How were your classes today?” Zach asked Emil and me.

“Good,” Emil and I both responded at the same time. Jas and Zach shot each other a glance and smiled.

“How about you guys?” I asked Zach and Jasmine.

“My chemistry class is gonna suck,” Zach said, “but other than that, everything’s good so far.”

“My classes should be pretty easy this semester,” Jas said, taking a drink of her soda.

Zach turned his attention back to Emil. “Is this your first year at Western State?”

Emil grabbed a breadstick from the plate the server had brought. “Yeah, I just transferred. I like how small the college is, and the weather couldn’t be better. I love having the mountains so close too.”

“Do you like hiking?” Jas asked, peeking at me.

“I love it,” Emil said.

“Evie loves to hike,” Jas informed him. “You should go with her. She finds all the best places.” I felt like my friends were dating Emil, not me. I had barely said a word.

Emil turned to me. “Really? We should go sometime.”

I smiled. “That would be fun, I usually go on weekends, but haven’t been for a while.” The thought of why I hadn’t been—the fear that had stopped me from doing things alone—caused a shiver to cascade through me. Emil noticed and put his arm around me, not understanding why I shuddered. The mountains would be great if I had someone to go with me, plus it would be nice to spend more time with Emil.

The server came out with our food and while we ate, Emil asked Jas and Zach what they were studying. Jas’s major changed almost monthly, but today, she told Emil it was nursing. Zach said he was pre-med.

“Do you know your major yet, Emil?” Zach asked.

“Political science,” Emil answered. “I’m going to law school after I graduate.”

Zach nodded in approval. “Wow, what year are you in?”

“I’m a senior,” Emil said.

I whipped my head to the side to look at him, completely baffled. He was nicer or crazier than I thought. What person in their right mind transfers to a different college for their senior year?

Jas was thinking the same thing. “You transferred your senior year?” she asked, shocked. “I would never be able to do that! Didn’t you lose a ton of credits?”

“It wasn’t bad,” Emil said. “Western State was willing to work with me and most of my credits transferred.”

So, he was graduating, and probably leaving to go to law school somewhere far away. I sighed and decided it was fun while it lasted. I sulked inwardly over his impending departure until a thought popped into my head. I had been spending far too much time marinating over the events of the summer and Alex. Why shouldn’t I take some time to enjoy myself?

I liked Emil, but I hardly knew him, plus he was leaving within a year. He was the ideal candidate for a rebound relationship. He was gorgeous, and for some reason, he already liked me. Most importantly, when I was with Emil, my mind was much less apt to wander to memories about the summer. Emil was perfect for my plan to get over Alex.

We talked more while we ate. When dinner was over, we walked to our cars.

Jas pulled me to the side. “I’m staying at Zach’s, so if it’s okay with you, I’m going to ride with him,” she whispered.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I said, turning to Emil. He and Zach were laughing about something. “Emil, Jas is staying at Zach’s tonight, could you give me a ride back to the house?”

Emil nodded, his lips curving. “No problem.”

“Thanks,” I smiled back. “Have a good night guys, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You too,” Zach said.

“It was nice to meet the man behind the kiss,” Jas winked as she opened her car door.

I waved and walked to Emil’s car. He unlocked the doors and the alarm chirped. We both climbed inside.

“Does Jasmine stay at Zach’s a lot?” he asked on the way back to my house.

“Yeah, they’ve been together for a year. They show up at the house randomly. I never know if they’ll be there when I get home.”

He nodded his head and seemed lost in thought for a moment before he said, “Thanks for inviting me over. Your friends are nice.” He sounded sincere.

“Sorry about all the questions,” I winced. “They’re a bit over-protective.”

“I get it,” he said. “They’re your friends and want to make sure the person you’re spending time with is a good guy.”

I looked at him in disbelief. Most guys wouldn’t be that understanding. “Wow, is there anything you do wrong?” I asked.

He gave a short laugh. “I’ve been known to be presumptuous.”

I knew he was talking about the kiss earlier. “Sometimes that’s not a bad thing.”

We pulled up to a stoplight and Emil shifted his head toward me. “I hope I didn’t offend you when I kissed you.”

I blinked. If that kiss was offensive, he could insult me all he wants. The light turned green. “No, not at all. I was just surprised. It’s not every day a stranger . . . kisses you. Usually girls have to work a lot harder to get that kind of public display of affection. You do realize that now
everyone
thinks we’re dating?” I said.

One of Emil’s eyebrows shot up and the corners of his mouth twitched into a sly grin. “I definitely think we should . . .
date
.”

“Oh!” I said, startled and trying to regain my composure—again.

“Are you okay with that?” Emil asked.

“Sure. I mean, it’s great!” I answered, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that ten hours ago, I had never met Emil, and now we were dating. Given my views on relationships, this was moving
really
fast. Plus, I still couldn’t figure out why we had such a strong connection to each other.