So in a way, I feel bad that I’m sneaking around without telling her where I’m going but...
How do you tell your Mother that you are going to a party with a guy who you barely know, who you have the hots for despite not being sure that you like him as a person?
Oh, and also his bestie is going to be at that party: the guy you can't stop thinking about after he kissed you to make his ex jealous and he hasn't even apologised about using you.
To top it all off, your date has been on best behaviour all week, if brushing against me every time he walked past me and touching my hair or my neck every time he spoke to me, undressing me with his eyes can be considered good.
Yeah, Mom would definitely not allow me to go to that party.
And Alex is full of surprises: knowing what I know about him, I would have expected a honk from his car to announce his arrival or at best a text message to tell me to hurry.
Instead he rings the doorbell and stands on my front porch looking like the proverbial million bucks.
Or in his case at least a billion.
His hair falls perfectly on his forehead, catching the sun and surrounding his flawless face like a golden halo.
The colour of his shirt makes his eyes pop like two mini oceans: dark blue and deep.
And...
Is it possible to have blue jeans tailor made?
No, because I’ve never seen a pair of jeans that hugged someone’s figure as perfectly: they aren't skinny jeans so they are not ridiculously clingy but at the same time they aren't too loose.
They hug his strong, long legs, his narrow hips and I suspect his perfect butt as if they had been designed with his body in mind.
I exit my house, shutting the door straight away behind my back: I don't want him to see the empty entrance area.
“Shit!”
He curses as soon as he sees me.
“What?”
“I should send you back inside to change.”
“Oh... Sorry, am I underdressed?”
I’m wearing a white summer dress with lace trimmings all around its sweetheart neckline and at the hem that hits two inches above my knee and dusty pink ballet flats.
I have my bikini in my handbag: I’m a little self conscious about my body, I was teased at my previous school because my boobs are too big for my small body frame and they standout too much, so if I can avoid the experience, I gladly will.
Alex's eyes skim all over my body but come back to settle on my eyes and a little smile forms on his face when he says:
“No. You aren't underdressed.”
“Why did you curse then?”
The smile widens just a little and his eyes have an amused glint in them.
“I cursed because you look so fucking hot and I promised not to make you uncomfortable. So this is the deal, Ayla: you’ve put me in a hard predicament here. Let's do this: I’ll fight the urge to lift your dress and look at those beautiful hips of yours and to do a number of other things that you might totally find unreasonable on our second date, or first date, if we don't count last week’s debacle. I’ll fight that urge and I’ll wait to get a good look when you wear your bikini. But you... You’ll work on the idea that before the end of tonight, I’ll kiss you. And I’m telling you now, so you’ll know what I’ll be thinking about all evening and you won't be uncomfortable with it. Do we have a deal?”
Damn!
He... He doesn't know how fast my heart is beating at the idea of kissing him.
Or maybe he does, because I know I’m blushing so hard that I probably can be seen from the international space station.
For once, the satisfied smirk on his face, doesn't piss me off: he’s going about the whole thing in his usual arrogant way but at least, he didn't do anything inappropriate.
I guess this is as close as Alex Richmond will ever come to asking permission.
Tuna
I HEAR THE DOOR OF the pool house shut and steps coming towards the living room and I set my PlayStation controller on the coffee table.
I mean, calling this five bedroom, three bathroom monstrosity a pool house is kind of funny but when the main mansion has twenty five bedrooms and boasts an indoor pool in the basement, I guess this place is tiny.
Alex's Dad has the main house more secure than Fort Knox: you need a fucking retinal scan, finger print scan and a password with voice recognition to get inside and there's a camera watching in case you are under duress.
Alex uses the pool house for parties and has got EM to hack into the much simpler security system here to play videos of us playing video games and eating pizza.
So if his Father was to remotely access the footage, he would be none the wiser of what we are really up to.
Alex and Ayla enter the lounge and my best friend and brother looks a little disoriented, while I can't take my eyes off of Ayla.
She's so fucking beautiful that I can barely breathe.
“Where the fuck is everyone? There's no one by the pool and you’re here by yourself...”
“Dude, Sam is in the kitchen, setting up a keg and a drink station. EM, Michelle, Jenna and the others are sitting in the backyard trying to light some kind of bonfire and I decided to take myself out of that situation, so when they burn the whole fucking property down, there’ll be no doubt that I had nothing to do with it. Also, your housekeeper called and left a message saying that none of the pools can be used for twenty four hours because the maintenance company put in some chemicals and—”
Alex isn't pleased.
“Seriously? They put in the chemicals on a Friday? I bet this is Mrs Burns’ attempt to discourage me from having parties.
I told her that if anything happens, like damage or whatever, I’ll take responsibility with my Dad but she's still worried that she’ll lose her job. Ok, dude, I’m going to call her and tell her that she’s ruined my fucking pool party and to ask her to let me know in advance next time like she's supposed to. Will you excuse me, Ayla? Fucking staff! Can't hire anyone who does their job using their fucking brains these days...”
Alex’s voice fades as he walks towards the main house to call the housekeeper, leaving Ayla standing by the side of the couch, her green eyes intent on the controller.
I try not to look at her and I tell her that if she wants to join the others, the kitchen is right outside this room to the right.
Instead of going in the direction I just indicated, she sits down by my side, far enough that we aren't touching at all but she is actually looking at me now.
“You really don't like me, Tuna?”
I’m at a loss for words.
“Huh? What makes you say that?”
She shrugs but I can tell that she's nervous talking to me.
“Because it sounds like you are trying really hard to get rid of me, so you don't have to talk to me... Since school started two weeks ago, I think I can count the words you’ve actually spoken to me directly on one hand.”
I look at her and it's a big mistake: every time I set my eyes on her, I want to get close and this is why I’ve been staying far away.
I could take her tiny hand in mine but if I touch her, I know I will find it harder not to fuck up like Sam did last Friday.
Alex has never cared about any girl and we’ve passed girls around between us before.
But with Ayla, it's different.
I can see the possessiveness in his eyes.
And Alex doesn't deal well with betrayal: real or perceived.
It doesn't matter that I saw Ayla first last week on the first day of school when she got off the bus and I thought that I wanted to find out who she was.
Alex took a liking to her straight away, before I even had the chance to tell him about the hot new girl.
So now he kind of has dibs.
And I don't want to be a complete dick but I’ve been fighting with Sam all week because he didn't control his own urges and kissed her right in front of EM and Michelle last Friday.
I had to thre
aten both of them that if they say anything to Alex before Sam does, I’ll make their life hell.
Alex and Sam are my brothers after I lost my own sister to a diving accident.
And I know that Sam and I are Alex’s only family since his parents are always gone between constant rehabs and the family business.
And I can't betray someone who was there for me when I could have lost everything.
So, until I find out how serious he is about the new girl and if he's willing to share, I have to keep my desires well bottled up inside.
And it's hard because Ayla isn't only beautiful, she’s smart and kind and feisty...
And she’s still looking at me, expecting an answer as to why I haven't really been talking to her.
Do I tell her the truth?
Maybe not the whole truth...
“I don't dislike you. I just think that you're already in enough trouble with Alex and Sam.”
She narrows her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you tell Alex about that kiss?”
“No.”
“Right. That's why.”
That seems to rub her the wrong way:
“That's a whole load of bullshit! I asked you why you don't talk to me, not why you haven't tried to shove your tongue down my throat like Alex. And with Sam... There's nothing to say! He was just using me to make Michelle jealous.”
She's such an odd combination of gorgeous, feisty, naive, sweet...
I set the record straight:
“Honestly, Ayla? I can't really say that I have a lot of friends who are girls. I think a real friendship between a man and a woman can only exist if there’s no physical attraction whatsoever and I don't know you but... I feel plenty of attraction when it comes to you but I don't want to lose my two oldest friends over it. This is why I have been staying away. And as for Sam? You are one to talk about bullshit! Sam didn't kiss you to make Michelle jealous. And he's been whining in my ear all week like a little bitch, as to why you weren't talking to him. He thought that you didn't like the kiss.”
She blushes and looks at her hands that are now twisting in her lap.
“No. I liked the kiss, I—”
“Then talk to Sam and you two decide what you want to tell Alex.
I don't dislike you Ayla, but you better not be causing trouble between Alex and Sam. Then we would have a problem.
Understood?”
Ayla
“UNDERSTOOD?”
Tuna’s hazel eyes don't leave mine for a long moment and I have to stand up and leave.
His gaze was burning me and I feel so stupid for asking him why he didn't like me.
Sam is quiet and broody while Tuna seems to be everyone’s friend: always laughing and joking with his teammates and with random people he knows at school.
And he knows everybody.
This is why I thought that he didn't like me, because he never really talked to me and I never saw his open, broad smile addressed to me.
He was the first guy I noticed when I started at BHPA last week: I saw him leaning against the school's main entrance when the bus dropped me off.
He was checking his phone and he tousled his dirty blonde hair with one of his big hands: I noticed the perfect line of his jaw, his strong forearms, exposed by the folded sleeves of our school uniform shirt.
I understand why every guy is jealous of Alex, Sam and Tuna and why every girl wants to date them: they are all breathtakingly good looking, popular and their close friendship makes them a force to be reckoned with.
I walk towards the kitchen, following Tuna’s earlier indications and looking for Sam but instead I find Alex leaning against the counter and ordering pizza.
He smiles when he sees me and asks me:
“Is pepperoni ok for you, Ayla?”
I nod and he finishes giving the address on the phone before grabbing my hand and pulling me to him.
The first thing that hits me is his spicy and woodsy scent, delicate and yet powerful.
My hand is laying flat on his chest and I can't help but marvel at how hard it feels under my palm.
Alex looks at me, his blue eyes almost half closed due to my nearness.
We stare at each other for a long moment and I feel an unfamiliar tingle all over my skin: it's almost like a mild electric shock and it isn't unpleasant.
I can hear the other’s voices outside in the backyard but it's almost as if they couldn't reach me because of the dark blue gaze that is still focused on me.
One of his hands is holding my waist and the other one comes up to tilt my chin towards his face.
I can feel his warm breath on my lips: it smells minty and fresh and his lips look soft and inviting.
We are so close that I can almost feel that contact but not quite: am I ready to kiss Alex Richmond?
I know I want to but...
I turn my head to the side, making his lips come to contact with the lower part of my cheek.
“Ayla, let me kiss you.”
He whispers and his voice is low and soft, I feel it reverberate down my chest and I feel myself blush again.
“No, please... Not yet, not now.”
If he’s frustrated, he doesn't show it, he doesn't sound angry.
“Why not?”
“The others are outside, they might come in...”
“So? I’m only going to kiss you. I promise...”
“Later... When we're alone.”
He chuckles and his hand moves from my chin to my jaw, warm and slightly rough against my face.
“We can be alone now. I’ll kick everyone out.”
I sigh.
“You're being impossible.”
His smile widens.
“No, you are impossible... Impossible to resist.”
“Hey, dude! Could you ... ? Oh, sorry...”
Sam enters the kitchen with his phone on his ear.
“I’ve got Josh on the phone. He’s at your front gate and your security system doesn't recognize his car.”
Alex sighs and lets me go but not before whispering in my ear:
“We are going to play some party games after we eat but as soon as it's polite to do so, I’m seriously kicking everyone out. Ok?”
He walks away with Sam’s phone on his ear, muttering something about cock blocking.
He leaves me with Sam and I’ve escaped one intense blue gaze to find myself right under another.
While Alex’s eyes are the darkest blue, reminding me of the depths of the ocean, Sam’s eyes have more of a turquoise hue, lighter but just as intense.
“Hey...”
He begins.
“Hi...”
“You’ve been avoiding me all week.”
There's a hint of accusation in his tone and I nod.
“Why?”
“Because—”
He interrupts me.
“Because I kissed you?”
Now it’s me leaning against the kitchen counter and Sam is about two steps away from me.
“Not because you kissed me but—”
His eyes darken.
“If you didn’t want me to, you should have said so.”
I don't argue that he took me totally by surprise with that kiss but I feel that we need to clear the air about why he kissed me to begin with.
“I just don't like to be used to make someone else jealous. Especially someone who already hates me, like your girlfriend.”
“Ex-girlfriend!”
His tone is hard, reminding me of his best friend.
“If you say so...”
Sam takes another step towards me.
“Ayla, look at me please.”
I shake my head, eyes fixed on the floor.
“I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I’ve wanted to since the first day of school, when you walked right into me.”
My tone has a bitterness I don't like and it's unwarranted too, because I have no right to comment on Sam’s love life but I do anywa
y.
“Yeah, right after you got a blow job from your ‘ex’.”
“Yeah. That was the last time, I swear. Ayla, Michelle is my ex and she was a really shitty girlfriend. I was oblivious to it for a long time but... And yeah, when she begged me to get back together and started unzipping my pants... But afterwards I told her that we were done.”
I can't believe this guy!
“Oh, right! You dumped her right after you got serviced!”
He shrugs as if his behaviour were totally normal.
“She cheated on me for two years, Ayla. It took me some time to realize that. And I’m sorry but I’m a guy and any guy who gets offered a blow job by an attractive girl, will take it if he’s single. But the minute I saw you, I couldn't care less about my cheating ex or any other girl, for that matter. And I guess Michelle knows me better than I thought, because the minute she saw the way I looked at you, she realized how attracted I was to you. Even before I did.”
I lift my eyes and hold his gaze for a long moment.
“So you didn't kiss me because you wanted to make her mad?”
He takes another step closer, invading my space with his huge frame.
“I kissed you because you are beautiful and you are smart and I love your laugh and the way you roll your eyes at Alex when he’s being a dick.”
“Which is...”
“All the time?”
He finishes and we both chuckle.
“Yeah. But about Alex—”
His smile fades and he draws nearer, the tips of our noses now touching.
“Do you like him, Ayla?”
He’s so close that my thoughts aren't as clear as I would like, but I cannot lie.
“Yes. God help me, I like him. A lot. But don't tell him or his ego will get completely out of control. I don't know, Sam. I like Alex, against my better judgement.”
Sam surprises me.
“He’s a great guy, once you get past the arrogance, the cocky behaviour and the tons of baggage that make him act the way he does. He’s my closest friend, more a brother than a friend, really.”
I’m confused.
“So, why are you—”
“I need to talk to him. Explain how I feel, that I like you too.
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 6