But I’m not letting anything stop me anymore.
Not even myself.
Words are easy; it’s action that’s always harder. It’s actually doing it
and
believing it.
I’m about to rifle though my closet with the intention of picking out a kickass, absolutely killer outfit, when the intercom buzzes. I run over and push the button.
“Yes?”
“Hailey? It’s Daphne. I tried calling but—”
“I had my phone off.”
“Oh.” A pause. “Wanna let me in? Unless you’re not going to Jamie’s birthday party tonight.”
“I’m going, but I’m not ready yet.”
“It’s okay. I’m not either, but let me in. I’m freezing my tits off!”
I laugh and buzz her in, then wait for her to reach my apartment. I take the time to clean up the mess and make sure all those magazines are put where they belong. Right in the trash. I don’t want Daphne to see that I’ve been obsessing over tabloids all afternoon.
The doorbell soon rings, and I hurry over to let Daphne in. She’s dressed in jeans, a graphic t-shirt in a vivid purple, and a black cardigan.
“Don’t worry.” She holds up a small duffel bag. “I’ve got different clothes in here. I just got off work study at the library and was running late. I’m starving. You got anything?”
“A ton of crap.”
“That’s great, because a ton of crap is exactly what I’m looking for.” She follows me into the kitchen. “God, this place is awesome. Totally beats living in the dorm room a million times over. I can’t wait until I don’t have to live in a dorm—or share my space with someone I really don’t like.”
I pull out a frozen pizza, and Daphne nods her head in agreement. I pre-heat the oven, then grab two water bottles, passing one over to Daphne. “Bad roommate situation?”
Daphne makes a face. “Maura isn’t bad, but we’re just two complete opposites. We . . . tolerate each other.”
“At least you don’t hate each other, and there isn’t like bad stuff happening.”
“It’s still early. It can totally go into hate category.” Daphne sits on a bar stool, unraveling her chestnut braid. “You probably won’t believe this, but I can be really, really shy. So I’m sure I don’t seem very friendly to her. But she gives me the stink eye all the time. On move in day, she looked at me, and her face was a study in disappointment. I just
knew
what she was thinking.”
The oven beeps, and I slide the pizza in and put the timer on. “And what was that?”
“That she was stuck with a loser roommate. I don’t fit the mold; I know that. I’m short. I’m stubby. And I could make a sailor blush with how much I swear.” Daphne leans forward, pushing aside her side-swept bangs, and points to her scar. “And this just makes me even more self-conscious, but at the same time, I don’t want to get rid of it. It’s my survivor’s mark.”
I join her on the adjacent bar stool. “Scars are dashing. Just look at all the romance novels with heroes who have scars. Women swoon over them.”
“Sadly, I’m a female and I’m straight. No one will be swooning over me.”
“Swooning is overrated anyway.”
“Says someone who’s always been swooned over.”
I snort. “Yeah. But when a guy who outweighs you by a hundred pounds swoons and crashes into you . . . Well, it’s definitely
not
romantic in the slightest. And having to swoon is . . .” I wrinkle my nose at the memories of film scenes in which I had to “faint” over a guy. “Not fun.”
The oven goes off at that moment, and I slide off the stool to take out the pizza.
“After this, we’ll get ready,” Daphne says. “But I’m not going for a swoony look. I’m going for fun, awesome, and feeling comfy.”
“I’m going for skintight leather pants.”
Daphne chokes on her water. “Oh my god. My brother is going to die.”
“As long as he doesn’t swoon, I think I’ll be fine.”
B
Y THE TIME WE ARRIVE
at Caleb’s house in a cab, the party has definitely started. Some college students are hanging out on the porch, talking, drinking, and smoking. The music is pretty loud, but since the house is flanked on both sides by other houses occupied by fellow students, I don’t think there’ll be any noise complaints issued. The door keeps opening and shutting as people walk in and out, and I wonder about Caleb and his roommates’ pets, and where they’re kept during these sorts of things.
We walk up to the front door, and a few of the partiers look over at us, then point and stare.
A beefy guy puts his hand across the door, barring our way, and smiles. “How ya’ doing?”
Daphne pushes his hand away from the door, and the guy, obviously buzzed, stumbles a few feet back. “Please. Like she’d even be interested in you.”
“How ’bouts you sign my dick then?”
“She would,” Daphne retorts, “but your dick isn’t big enough for her name. I’m not even sure she could fit the ‘H’ on it.”
“Bitch.”
“And don’t you forget it.” Daphne pulls me inside the house and shuts the door. “Gah. Guess the assholes were invited. C’mon, let’s find the birthday boy and give him this present.”
The present being an illegally purchased bottle of Vodka and an iTunes gift card that we put in a store-bought gift bag. Daphne and I make our way through the crowd and toward the kitchen, where the table has been converted into a makeshift shot station. Twenty-one shot glasses of various types of alcohol are line up; five of them are already emptied. Jamie is hanging out with some guys and girls I don’t know, and he’s holding up the sixth one when he spots us.
“Daphne! Hailey! You made it.” Jamie leaves the group, shot glass in hand, and heads in our direction. His good nature warms the room like sunshine after a rainy day.
“And you brought me a present, unlike
some
assholes,” he adds in a kidding way to the group behind him.
“Speaking of assholes,” Daphne says easily, “we met one outside who asked Hailey oh so nicely to sign his dick.”
I hold out the birthday gift to him, hoping to change the subject. “Happy Birthday, Jamie.”
Jamie’s easygoing smile disappears as he looks over at me. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Oh, I
already
handled it.” Daphne gives him a wide smile. “And besides, it’s your birthday. We don’t want you messing up your pretty face. Happy Birthday, Jamie.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“You don’t like what?” another voice asks from behind us.
And it’s not Caleb’s voice. I’m definitely disappointed it’s not him, and I wonder where he is.
Both Daphne and I turn around to see Nick. His dark brown hair is a little shorter tonight, as if he just had it cut, and his jaw line freshly shaven. He’s dressed casually in dark jeans and a navy blue tee. The shirt makes his already brilliant blue eyes even more striking, like deep blue sapphires, which darken when he glances at Daphne.
Daphne places her hands on her hips. “
Nothing
, Nick.”
“Doesn’t sound like nothing to me.” Nick crosses his arms, his gaze hard. “You want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
“How about the drunk way?” Daphne tosses her hair over her shoulders, grabs my hand, and points her finger at Jamie. “And, you, shut it.”
Daphne pulls me from the kitchen to the living room, where a keg has been set up.
“You do realize Jamie’s going to tell Nick, right?” I say.
“Unfortunately.” Daphne fills up a plastic cup and passes it to me, before filling one for herself. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid—”
Her sentence is cut off when Nick strides from the kitchen and out the front door.
“Guess stupid is in order tonight,” I mutter.
Daphne’s hand clutches around her glass. “Ugh! I’m going to kill him!”
“I feel bad,” I say. “You told Jamie the story, and it was nothing really. Just some drunken guy being a dick.”
“It was definitely
not nothing
, Hailey.” Daphne drinks deeply from her glass. “Guys shouldn’t be able to say shit like that and get away with it. It’s not acceptable at all.”
Nick comes back in a few minutes later, not a bruise or mark on him. He makes his way toward us, his jaw clenched. “I took care of it.”
“Oh, thank you, you big, sweet man, for protecting us wee little women,” Daphne coos in an exaggerated manner, putting her hand over her brow. “I just don’t know what we would do without you.”
But, despite her words, I notice her hand is still holding tight on her drink and that a tremble wracks her body.
“Thank you,” I say to Nick, meaning it. “It did make me uncomfortable. And I didn’t like it when he called Daphne a bitch.”
A muscle ticks in Nick’s jaw, and Daphne groans.
“He said what?” Nick asks in a deadly voice.
“Um . . .” I falter.
Nick’s intense gaze zeroes in on Daphne. “He called you a bitch?”
“Yes, but—” The rest of what Daphne would’ve said falls away when Nick abruptly leaves and storms back outside. “Jesus, Hailey, why did you say that?”
“Hey! You told Jamie about the other thing.”
“Yeah, but I purposefully left the ‘bitch’ part out. You’ve seen the guys around me. They are super protective, because of
this
.” She gestures to the jagged scar on the right side of her face. “And Nick is even worse than my brother at times.”
“What happened?”
But before Daphne can answer, Nick comes back in.
He stops before us, his body angled toward Daphne. “
Now
I took care of it. Just be lucky your brother wasn’t around. The guy would be deader than dead.”
Daphne just glares at Nick.
“Where is Caleb, by the way?” I haven’t seen him at all tonight. Maybe he’s outside in the backyard.
“He went up to his room for a bit.”
I stiffen. “Oh. I see.”
Nick grins suddenly, his face relaxing. “He’s alone.”
Relief spreads through my body; I can’t help the reaction. I’m just so glad Caleb’s not up there with another girl.
Daphne smacks Nick’s arm. “Way to give Hailey a heart attack.”
“What’s he doing up there?” I ask.
“Go up there and find out yourself,” Nick says. “I’m sure he won’t mind. His room is at the end of the hallway.”
“I’ll go up with you,” Daphne offers.
Nick gently grabs onto her wrist. “No, you’re staying with me.”
“Nick! I don’t need you to watch over me. I want to have fun, and you’ll just be Mr. Bodyguard all night who reports back to my brother.”
“I promise I won’t report back to your brother.” Nick leans down to her and whispers something in Daphne’s ear.
“Oh.” Daphne glances to me. “I’ll stay with Nick.”
“We really have to work on your subtleness, Daph,” Nick says. “Because that wasn’t obvious or anything.”
“Well, look at who’s making it
even
more obvious now.”
As those two continue to bicker, I slip away and make my way upstairs . . .
. . . and to Caleb.
Chapter 7
I
KNOCK ON HIS DOOR.
There’s a bark, and then the door opens slightly. Caleb positions his body so he’s leaning against the doorjamb, blocking my view of his room.
He looks really good.
His black t-shirt and dark jeans gives him a sexy vibe, not that he needs to add onto that, as his sexy quota is off the charts. His black hair falls over his forehead, and his dark green eyes watch me so carefully, and suddenly I know how gazelles must feel when a lion is in their midst. Caleb’s gaze is hungry, and he looks like he wants to devour me.
I wouldn’t mind that at all.
I shiver at the thought and remind myself for the umpteenth time that I’ve been trying to stay
away
from any relationships. But yet I willingly walked upstairs when I knew he was alone. I seek him out all the time; I’m drawn to him, and everything is pushing me
toward
him, not away.
“That’s some outfit,” he finally says.
Skintight black leather pants. Works every time.
My shimmery plum shirt skims over my slight curves and dips into my cleavage. Paired with a pair of heels, my makeup done soft and natural, my getup just makes me look like the rock star I used to be.
It’s one of my favorite outfits, but the pants are a complete pain in the ass to get on . . . and off.
“Thanks.” I say. “Why aren’t you downstairs? I was looking all over for you.”
He smiles. “I like that.”
“That I was looking for you?”
“Yeah. Definitely.” Caleb moves away from the door, opening it a little wider. He leans down quickly to grab Goliath’s collar. “Come in. I’ve got Goliath out from his crate.”
I enter his room and put my drink down on the TV stand/dresser across from his bed. “Oh, I was wondering where the pets were earlier.”
“We keep them in our rooms and move Jaws to Jamie’s room when we have parties. We don’t want to chance someone breaking the aquarium or dropping shit in there that doesn’t belong.” Caleb shuts the door behind me and lets Goliath go. Goliath runs around my legs, and I kneel to pet him.
“I didn’t think you were going to come,” Caleb says after a few minutes of silence.
“I wasn’t,” I admit.
“Oh.” His gaze shutters. “Because of what happened that day?”
It takes me a second. “Before my art class?”
He rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah. That.”
“No, it wasn’t because of that.”
“Steph is just a friend. She was Kai’s girlfriend, but they broke up a few days ago. Steph’s taking it hard.”
Kai was one of the guys I met in the cafeteria. “Were they dating long?”
“About a year.”
No wonder she was so upset. “Why did they break up?”
Caleb shrugs. “Who knows? Kai said Steph was being too clingy and that the relationship was more work than it should be. I just don’t think he wants to be in a serious relationship.”
“Does any guy?”
Caleb looks at me, sure and steady. “Some guys do.”
I swallow thickly. What would it be like to have a man who is so aware of himself to be able to call him mine? Would Caleb treat me as protectively as he does his younger sister, Daphne? And would he still look at me like that if he knew
everything
?
I don’t want to know the answer to that one. I’m sure I already know the answer: he would
hate
me. And I don’t want to see hate in Caleb’s gaze when it comes to me.