Drew: Book One of the Perfectly Independent Series

by Amanda Shelley

  “Are you sure you’re not a philosophy major? Besides, I’m sure I’m a long way from getting any wrinkles or gray hair.” She takes a deep breath as if to steady herself, then challenges, “Okay, Mr. Blue Eyes, when was the last time you did something fun that wasn’t playing basketball or related to school?”

  Shit. She’s got me there. My schedule’s tight as it is, and extracurricular activities aren’t on the top of my priority list. “Well, I hijacked your evening, brought you Cinnabon, and danced with you to no music.” I shrug as if that should explain everything.

  This earns another eye roll. “Before that,” she accuses, and she waits expectantly.

  Fuck. She’s right. With the season starting, I haven’t had time to do much other than to study and go to practice. I shrug and shake my head. “Honestly, I have no idea. But let’s rectify that right now. What’s one thing you love to do and haven’t had the chance since starting CRU?”

  She places a hand on her chin and looks to the sky. She must have just as much life as me, for as long as she takes to answer the question. “Um, I haven’t been bowling in a long time.”

  “Okay.” I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to make this happen. “I’m traveling out of town for a game Friday night. I don’t know when I’ll return Saturday, since we’re riding on a bus from Boise. Let’s go bowling Sunday. I’ll let you pick this time, but I’m choosing next time.”

  “And what makes you think I want to do these things with you?”

  My Angel is saucy. The fire in her eyes makes my blood race and heart soar.

  “Call it a hunch.” I smirk. “If you don’t want to go, you can always back out. But I’m going with or without you. I think you might like a break from the constant studying and worrying about med school. Besides, we’ve already applied—it’s up to the universe if we get in at this point. So that your GPA doesn’t drop—we’ll study, too.”

  Abby’s mouth hangs open as she stares at me as if I’ve just lost my ever-loving mind. Hell, maybe I have. But if I end up spending more time with my Angel—what a way to go.

  I give her a grin I’m sure she can’t resist and finally ask, “What do you say, Angel? Wanna bowl with me?”

  16

  Abby

  Bowling. He wants to go bowling with me. Drew Jacobs, star athlete at CRU, the guy that’s had his nose to the grindstone to get into the right med school is proposing to take me bowling? I only chose bowling because I thought he’d laugh, and that’d be the end of it. Sure, I like to bowl. But I wasn’t expecting him to want to go with me.

  With me. Abby Angelos—the most boring person on the planet.

  Did he hit his head and get a concussion during that game, and I didn’t notice?

  “Uhhh…” I manage to get out. Great. Real coherent, Abby. Get it together.

  Drew puts his hands together in a prayer and pleads, “Come on… Angel. Don’t make me do this alone. Since neither of us do much outside of school, or work… and in my case basketball, maybe we can do one thing a week out of the ordinary to mix things up. I promise it won’t take up too much of your time, as I don’t have a lot to spare either… And we’ll keep up with our studies.”

  When his blue eyes darken, and his perfect lips turn into a shy smile, I. Am. Done for. Seriously, I don’t know how anyone can resist the full force of Drew Jacobs. Thank God, he typically uses his power for good and not evil. Hell, if he keeps smiling at me like that, I’d streak across the center of campus in my undies if he were waiting for me at the finish line.

  “Okay,” I whisper as I stare at his beautiful face.

  “Okay?” he asks for clarification. “Okay, as in you’ll do it or okay, Drew’s lost his last marble, and I need to get away from him?”

  I can’t control the burst of laughter that flows out of me. Damn, he’s freaking adorable when he wants something. I shake my head and do my best to regain my thoughts. “Okay… as in I’ll go bowling with you. But consider yourself warned, I’m a bit competitive. So, you’d better choose the items on your list carefully.”

  Without a word, Drew closes the distance between us in two strides. He bends down and wraps me in the biggest bear hug, lifting me off the ground as he spins us around in a circle. When he sets me down, I swear I hear, “God, I knew I’d chosen the right partner the day I walked into lab.”

  What the hell is that supposed to mean?

  From the way he just hugged me, I could’ve sworn he was feeling the same as I was. Was I just imagining the hunger I saw in his eyes? Does he just want to be friends? Lab partners? Something more?

  He sets me down and reaches for my hand to walk toward my apartment.

  Maybe Drew’s just a touchy-feely type of guy?

  Wait… Does he hold hands with everyone he considers just his friend?

  I’m completely lost in my head, contemplating Drew’s comment as he guides me home. Neither of us say anything. Or if he does, I don’t hear him, and he never bothers repeating it.

  When we get to my door, Drew stops and turns to me. “I’ve had a great time tonight, Angel. Thanks for coming to my game.”

  Now that I can look him straight in the eyes, I take this moment to study his features, hoping he’ll give anything away about his thoughts or feelings.

  Nope. Not a chance.

  He genuinely looks as if it’s what you see is what you get. Which is nothing… gah, this is so frustrating. But I force myself to focus.

  “You’re welcome. I had a great time,” I admit honestly. I may be confused as fuck, but until his last comment, I’d thoroughly enjoyed myself. Maybe a little too much.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.” He bends down and embraces me in a hug. Not wanting to let this opportunity pass me by, I inhale his delicious scent and return his hug with equal force. Drew may just be my lab partner, but the man gives a great hug.

  “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

  And with that, he turns and walks away, leaving me to question… well, everything.

  The next day as I exit the library, I quickly find Drew in the parking lot nearby. His face widens into a delicious smile when he spots me approaching, sending tingles down my spine. Before I can get to his SUV, he jumps out and runs around to open my door.

  “Hey, Angel. How was work?” He reaches in and hugs me before I can respond. Damn. He smells delicious. I let myself linger by taking a deep breath to savor the moment before he releases me to grab my backpack and place it in the back seat.

  Is Drew just a serial hugger? I didn’t think he’d be the type, but who knows.

  My eyes lock onto his delicious form as he rounds the front of the vehicle. When he gets settled, instead of asking the thousands of questions spinning in my head, I force myself to answer his.

  “It was fine. I had a few freshmen who’d likely never stepped into the library before. They didn’t know how to research anything without it being digital. It was almost comical trying to explain the Dewey Decimal System to them, so they could find the physical book they need.”

  Drew pulls out of the spot as he shakes his head and chuckles. “I can’t imagine. Isn’t it pretty late in the year to be figuring this out?”

  “Um, yeah. Hopefully, the poor kid isn’t on the verge of flunking out.” I shake my head, remembering his desperation.

  “That would suck.” He shakes off the thought, then changes the subject. “I have things for sandwiches, is that okay? Or would you like to stop and pick up something?”

  “That’ll be fine. As long as there’s no peanut butter and pickles,” I clarify at the end. I’m a college student who’s learned not to be picky when it comes to food, but there are some lines my stomach won’t allow me to cross.

  Drew’s chuckle fills his SUV, and I can’t help but join in. “I’m right there with ya. Don’t worry, there’s a variety of lunch meats to choose from. Between me and my roommates, a couple of different types of bread.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine. Will they be joining us
?”

  “Uh… I have no idea. Usually DeShawn has class, and I have no idea what Grey’s up to. They won’t bug us too much though. They know I don’t like distractions when studying.”

  “Are you the taskmaster of the house?” I ask in surprise. I can’t imagine three athletes living in one house and keeping their distance from one another. On the court, their personalities look larger than life.

  “No. Believe it or not, they use our place to chill and get away from it all. They each have heavy loads and like to work hard, so they can play harder when the time comes.”

  “Not to sound stereotypical, but don’t athletes have a reputation for partying and what not?”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but we’ve learned not to bring the parties to our place. Sure, we’ll have a good time when we get together, but we’d rather keep the chaos away. It’s kind of an unspoken rule…” He opens his mouth to say something but apparently changes his mind.

  “Too many wild parties as underclassmen?” I tease, hoping he’ll relax and say what else is on his mind. He’s obviously keeping something from me.

  “Well, when we moved out of the dorms our freshman year, we were determined to keep our place private. You wouldn’t believe the lengths some would go to as jersey chasers.” Drew winces, and my curiosity’s piqued.

  I expect him to say more, but Drew remains tight-lipped. What is he not telling me? From the look on his face, clearly there’s a lot more to the story.

  I clear my throat, pondering how to satisfy my curiosity. When I finally find my voice, it comes out a bit strange and uneven. “Uh… are you speaking from firsthand experience?”

  Drew groans, and I have my answer.

  He’s quiet for a minute as he parallel parks. For as long as he’s silent, I’m almost certain he’s going to change the subject. But once we’re parked like a pro, his cheeks darken as he tells me more than I need to know.

  “Well, my freshman year, there was this girl…”

  Great. Just how all good stories start.

  My gut clenches at an onslaught of possibilities, while I wait for him to continue.

  I can tell Drew really doesn’t want to finish his thought, and by the unpleasant look on his face, I’m not so sure I want to know either. To let him off the hook, I offer, “It’s okay, Drew. You don’t have to say anything.”

  Drew lets out a huge sigh, then surprises me by continuing, “It’s actually better you know.” He shakes his head and has a look of disgust for a fleeting moment before his features clear. “You see, when I was a freshman, I was already a starter and getting a big name on campus. A couple of girls in the dorms made it their mission to be with me…” Drew looks up to the sky as if the rest of the story is written there and takes a deep breath.

  “Okay…” I draw out. And I’m suddenly positive I would rather not know what happened. My stomach lurches, and my heart accelerates to a staccato. God, please don’t let it be that bad.

  Drew’s low voice finally breaks the silence, “One night, I came back to the dorm and found one of the girls who’d been following me around, naked in my bed.”

  “Seriously?” I ask in disbelief. Holy shit. What the hell is wrong with people?

  Drew rolls his eyes. “Seriously. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for having naked girls in my bed because… well… I’m a guy.” He shrugs as if that should explain everything. “But—trust me when I say, I prefer to be there when it happens. Or at least have invited them there in the first place.”

  No shit. I think I’d freak out if someone showed up in my bed unexpected. “What did you do?”

  Ohmigod, do I even want to know?

  Duh, Abby, most guys would usually join her. I wince, hoping I don’t regret asking Drew this question.

  Drew swallows slowly as he watches me like a hawk to gauge my reaction. “I politely asked her to leave, and when that didn’t work, I went to sleep somewhere else.”

  Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.

  My jaw drops. As much as I didn’t want to hear about any sexcapades, I find it hard to believe him entirely. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Unfortunately, no. I saw more than my share of her body as she tried to make a move. She was beautiful, but there’s something about respect that holds my attention more.” He shakes his head then. His voice sounds more forceful when he continues, “Clearly, she had none for me. Hell, I didn’t even know her name. Listen… I’m not a prude, and I enjoy sex as much as the next guy… But it needs to be consensual, ya know?”

  No shit.

  He takes in a deep breath and slowly releases it, shaking his head. “After that experience, I made a point to move out of the dorm as soon as possible. There was no way I wanted that to happen again… And that’s how I ended up with this place.”

  “Wow. I can’t even imagine.”

  “Trust me, neither could I. I’d heard stories about it happening, but I never thought in a million years, I’d experience it.”

  “Drew, you’re a star athlete at a D-1 school. Don’t women flock to you?” I’m genuinely curious, but my question sounds more accusatory. I know my first reaction to him, and I didn’t even know he played basketball. But then again, seconds later, I thought he was a cocky ass… so there’s that.

  Drew makes a sound between a strangled laugh and a cough. “Umm… I wouldn’t say flock.”

  Maybe it’s best that I don’t know the answer to this question. You know the whole curiosity killed the cat and all.

  Unfortunately, I can’t help but roll my eyes in his attempt at modesty. “It’s really none of my business. Seriously, Drew. I don’t need to know.”

  “I’m neither a saint nor a virgin, but I’m not a player off the court either, Angel. Yeah, I’ve used my popularity to my advantage from time to time. But that comes with a double-edged sword. It’s a constant wonder of whether they’re with me—the athlete, or me—the real Drew Jacobs.”

  Drew’s nothing like I expected. There’s so much more to him than my first impression. But when I look at the sincerity in his eyes, my heart plummets to my stomach.

  “Ugg, I’d hate that,” I admit. I guess that’s one advantage to not being an athlete. I have enough problems of my own, thank you very much.

  “On that—we’ll both agree.” Drew grins. “Let’s get inside and get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Drew’s back to business as usual once we finish lunch. He sits on one end of the couch, and I sit on the other. I’ve taken off my shoes and made myself comfortable by curling into the corner, so I can face him. We quiz each other until we both feel ready to ace this test. I admire his tenacious work ethic, and I feel prepared. Sure, it takes me a minute to get my head in the game, but once I focus on only the chemistry in the books, everything flows together.

  By the time we finish a couple of hours later, Drew asks if I want to grab a bite before we head back to campus. When he offers to make creamy chicken pasta with broccoli, there’s no way I’m going to object. Not only do I want to know if he can cook, but I’m hungry after spending hours studying.

  I glance at the clock and ask, “Do you have time before practice?”

  Drew gives me a knowing look and stares blatantly at me until I get his point. “I’ve gotta eat, too.”

  I offer to help, but Drew dismisses me quickly. “I have this.” Since his kitchen is small, he suggests I stay in the living room and relax. But me being me, I read a book on my phone for pleasure.

  Before I know it, I’m deep into Brittney Sahin’s latest romantic suspense novel. God, I love how she creates a world. I never want to leave. It’s like I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next as I flip through the pages. I don’t even notice Drew standing over me, until he says, “Abby? You okay? I’ve called your name a few times. Whatever you’re reading must be good.”

  Embarrassment rushes through me for being so caught up in the story. I seriously didn’t hear him. But instead of giving excuses, I go with
the truth. “Sorry, got stuck in a book.” I quickly shove my phone into my pocket and follow him to the dining room where I find he’s set and filled two plates for us.

  “Oh my God, Drew. This is delicious.” I practically moan as I devour my first bite. Damn. The man can cook.

  Drew grins wide in appreciation of my suddenly ravenous appetite. “Thanks. My mom used to make it all the time growing up.”

  “I love it. Your mom taught you to cook?”

  “When Summer was sick, I tried to help out as much as I could. She taught me how to make my favorites, so Dad and I could still eat while she was at the hospital. My dad’s an amazing cook, too. But sometimes, he had to work.”

  I can’t imagine going through the loss of a sibling. I love my brother to death. Even though we fought like cats and dogs growing up, I’d be lost without him. I don’t feel sorry for Drew because I know it’s not necessary, but my heart aches for what his family went through.

  Drew must be a mind reader because he reaches out to hold my hand as he quietly says, “It’s okay, Abby. My mom would’ve taught me how to cook anyway. I was a growing boy and needed to eat. I knew how to cook long before Summer was diagnosed.”

  His touch alone sends shivers down my spine. My body heats, and I’m unsure what to say. Once again, I go with the truth. “Have I told you how amazing your family is?”

  This earns me a sheepish grin. “They are pretty great. What do you say we finish up so I can get to practice on time?”

  Later that night, just as I’m nodding off to sleep, my phone vibrates with a text notification. Expecting it to be from my mom or roommates, I’m surprised to find Drew’s name flash across the screen.

  Drew: You awake?

  Me: Yeah, everything okay?

  The three little dots appear then disappear as if he’s written something, then deleted it all—just to start over again. Finally, a new message appears.

  Drew: We still on for Sunday?