by Frankie Love
After the barista hands us our drinks, Casey gets right back to it though. “Look, I just don’t get it. You said the sex was amazing. You both wanted it. He even asked you out. So, why are you giving him the cold shoulder?” How do I explain to Casey that I have daddy issues without her rolling her eyes? But there’s a reason I don’t want to be in a relationship.
“I don’t exactly believe in happily-ever-afters, Casey,” I say as we drive toward the party supply store. “Why would I? My own father walked out on me when I was a little girl, never looking back.”
“I know.” She frowns, looking over at me. “I know, sweetie, but Andy... he’s so hot.”
She isn’t wrong there.
But it isn’t his sex appeal that has me all strung out. It’s more than that.
Sleeping with Andy was one thing -- one amazing, life-altering thing -- but when I was in his arms, looking up at him, I felt something. Something that terrified me. I could fall for that man. Hard and fast and deep and forever.
And no one falls without getting hurt. I don’t want a broken heart, and I certainly don’t want to forget my priorities. Mainly, graduating with honors, getting into a top-notch graduate program, and becoming a professor myself one day. There aren’t a ton of gigs for Russian Lit majors, and so the competition is fierce. I can’t let a manwhore like Andy come between me and my future.
“Can we just drop it, for now, Cas?”
Pulling into the parking lot she nods. “Sorry for pushing you, I just know how you get in your head sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” I snort.
“Exactly.” She smiles, turning off the ignition. “And I know you have big goals, but maybe you can also just have a little fun.”
I scoff. “I am having fun. I’m in a sorority. I had crazy hot sex two days ago. Basically, I’m living my best life.”
“You’re such a dork, Ava,” Casey says. And I think maybe she is right. Maybe I should lighten up a little. After all, isn’t Halloween supposed to be the sexiest holiday of the year?
We get out of the car, PSL’s in hand, ready to get our Halloween decoration game on. And maybe I’ll buy a flirty costume while I’m at it.
The store is packed, and I recognize a few people from around campus. There’ll be other Halloween parties going on, but none like the haunted house our sorority is putting on. I feel an ounce of pride as we fill a cart with decorations because it’s not only going to be one of the best parties of the year, but we’re also raising money for a good cause, the Oak Ridge Children’s Hospital.
“Oh, my God. Isn’t this the cutest?” Casey says, holding up a sexy angel costume.
“It is, but where’s the rest of it?” I tease.
“Haven’t you heard the saying less is more?”
I laugh. “Pretty sure that’s not what they were meaning.”
She puts it back on the rack, then pulls out another costume. “Okay, Ava, this is totally for you. I bet Andy would like this one.”
I swallow when she hands me the black and white French maid costume, which includes black thigh-high stockings, and a white-feather duster.
“Cute,” I mutter, but she’s already moved on to the next aisle.
“Oh, girl. I think you’re the hottest house cleaner I’ve ever seen.”
Andy’s words float back into my head, making my skin warm, and little flickers of flame ignite in my core.
I shouldn’t even be considering buying this costume, but I swear there’s a little, naughty devil sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear to buy it.
“Ava.” Andy’s voice floats down the aisle, and when I glance up he’s walking towards me.
I barely have time to shove the costume back on the rack before he’s standing in front of me, all big and brawny, and looking like he’s ready for an argument, or to kiss me. Either way, it’s clear he has a mission.
“Hi.” I shift from one foot to the other, wondering where Casey went, needing her to save me from him... from myself. Because just seeing him here has my resolve unraveling.
“You haven’t answered any of my texts.”
“I’ve been busy studying.”
He grunts. “You and I both know that’s an excuse.”
I shrug, hoping it comes off as nonchalant and not filled with a hint of the raging emotions that have my gut all twisted inside.
“Can’t keep running from me, Ava.”
“I’m not running, I just...” I cross my arms, needing some kind of defense between us. “We’re just not... compatible.”
He takes another step closer, and whispers roughly in my ear, “We sure as felt pretty compatible the other day. Or don’t you remember.”
Warmth spreads, straight to my pussy.
“I remember,” I say, shakily.
“Too bad, because if you didn’t I’d be happy to give you a reminder.”
I shake my head and step back. “It’s all about sex for you.”
“No, Ava. With you, it’s about everything.” He holds my gaze, and if I didn’t know it was Andy Stafford I was talking to, I’d almost think he was sincere. “Let me take you out. You do still owe me.”
“Owe you?”
“The deal was you were to clean my room, and you kind of left it messier than before.”
I give a small huff. “I thought you liked it dirty.”
He chuckles playfully. “I like it any way you’re willing to give it to me, baby.”
There’s no denying he has an easy charm. But that’s what makes him so dangerous.
“Have dinner with me, tonight.”
“I have a paper--”
“That’s probably due in two weeks, but knowing you, you want to get it in early for bonus points.”
He’s not wrong.
“Two hours of your time, Ava. Let me show you that I’m more than the dumb jock you think I am.”
“I never said--”
“You didn’t have to.” The sliver of hurt I see in his eyes pulls down a few of my walls.
I sigh. “Fine. But only dinner, and only if you’re paying.”
“It’s a deal.” His grin just about lights up the whole damn store. “Wear something nice and I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Seven is good,” I say, wondering what I just got myself into as I watch him walk away.
Take a chance, my heart cries.
Why? So he can break you? I ask back.
But I know just once I need to take a small leap of faith. Do something a little crazy. So I do. Picking up the French maid costume from the rack, I toss it in the cart.
Andy
My throat bobs on a swallow as I watch Ava walk down the stairs of her sorority.
She’s wearing a black little dress, and her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, soft tendrils falling softly around her face.
“Shit, Ava, you’re stunning.”
Her cheeks pinken and she gives me a small smile, which deflates when a few of the other girls walk into the foyer to gawk at us.
“Oh, my God,” Lola says with a big fake smile plastered on her face. “Are you two going on a date?”
“We’re just having dinner,” Ava says, playing it off, like it doesn’t mean anything.
It does.
It means everything.
Because the more I spend time with this girl, the more I know I want her to be mine. Even if I don’t deserve her.
Which I don’t.
Seeing her like this, she looks like she should be on the arm of a senator, or at least someone who does more for a living than toss an old pigskin around. But tonight I’m going to do my best to make her think that I’m worth more just a good screw.
Sure, I may not be boyfriend material, but for her, I want to be.
“Ready?” I ask, holding my arm for her.
I hear a few sighs from the women, and one little grunt which I assume is from Lola. But all I focus on is the gorgeous woman on my arm who looks up at me with a mixture of uncertainty and affection.
I see it. Even if she doesn’t want to admit it. She likes me.
It gives me a small push of confidence as I lead her out of the house toward my car. I notice the way her eyes look over my beat-up Honda Civic.
“I know it’s not much.”
“It’s fine. I don’t even have a car, actually I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
“Really?”
“I grew up in D.C. and used public transportation every day. So, I think your car is perfect, Andy.”
I open the door and she slides in. Getting in the driver’s seat, I turn on the ignition. “I’m proud of it. I paid for it in cash after working at a golf-course an entire summer. I remember getting up at the crack of dawn collecting balls from sand traps, then heading to practice for the rest of the day.”
She catches my eye as she buckles her seat belt.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. I just...” She shrugs. “You have a good work ethic, which my mom always said that was important in a man.”
“I’ll have to tell my mom. She raised me on her own, and always made a big deal about her sons doing their best,” I tell Ava as I drive off campus and toward the city center. Oak trees line the road and orange and yellow leaves litter the sidewalks.
“My mom was a single mom too. It’s was just the two of us.”
“Really? Well, I have four younger siblings. So, I’m guessing my house was a lot noisier than yours.”
She smiles warmly and rests her hands in her lap. I can’t help but look down at her, her long legs tempting me as I change gears.
When we get to Chez Francais, I hand the keys over to the valet. “Pretty fancy place, Andy,” she says as we get out of the car.
“Only the best for my dates.” I chose this place thinking someone as classy and smart as Ava wouldn’t like the typical joints on the main drag of town. I can’t picture a girl like her eating a milkshake and fries.
Ava and I enter the restaurant and I’m very aware of the fact that every guy in the place is checking her out.
She leans over to me. “Everyone in this place is staring at you,” she whispers as we are led to our table.
Sitting down, I chuckle. “Staring at me? It’s you they’re checking out.”
“Yeah, right. Andy, half the pundits in the country predict you’ll be the number one draft pick.”
I lift an eyebrow, surprised. I can’t really imagine her looking up stats on ESPN. Not wanting it to be about me, I tease her, “Damn, I love it when you talk all sporty.”
Ava blushes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Honestly though, Andy, you know it’s true. Are you excited about the possibilities? For your future? Your family must be so proud.”
Her words cause me to stiffen. No one asks me questions like this, personal ones. Ones that matter. Usually, it’s all about the money, what I’m gonna do with a signing bonus and how famous I’ll be. Nothing that I care about.
“Yeah, uh, actually, it’s kinda weird, it’s not--”
I’m cut off by a waiter who hands us a wine list and begins to rattle off the night’s specials in words I can hardly catch.
When he pauses, presumably waiting for our drink order, I catch Ava’s eyes. They are wide and it’s clear she’s a bit overwhelmed.
“I get anxious when I order at a burger joint, let alone a place like this,” she says, looking down at the wine list and scanning it. “I don’t even know what wine is good.”
“Not much of a drinker?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. I’ll have a cocktail every once in a while, but I like to keep a clear head. I don’t want to do something in life I might regret.”
Like, have sex with me. I hate that the insecure thought leaps into my head.
“I don’t drink much either. My dad was an alcoholic, so it kinda freaks me out.”
She nods as if she understands and asks me what I’d been about to say before the waiter came over--just as the waiter returns.
We laugh and I tell him water’s fine. “We’ll just have two of the specials,” I tell him, ordering for both of us.
When he walks away, Ava leans in and whispers. “Do you know what the specials were?”
I laugh. “Not a clue.”
Her shoulders shake as she covers her mouth to hide her laugh. It’s a fucking beautiful sound.
“So, I was just saying that playing football is kinda weird. I never thought I’d go pro. It was fun to play in high school, and I’m so grateful the scholarships paid for my college because I wouldn’t be here otherwise, but--”
“What? You don’t love it?” Her eyes are wide like she’s seeing me for the first time. In a way, she is because I’m giving her a glimpse of me I hide from everyone else.
I shake my head. “It’s not that.” I run my palm over my jaw. “I do love it. It’s just a lot of pressure. I don’t want to let my mom and brothers and sisters down.”
Ava reaches across the white tablecloth and takes my hand. “I guess there was a lot about you I didn’t realize, Andy Stafford.”
“I know, I know, you think I’m a dumb jock.”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. You have Tolstoy collection in your bedroom. Obviously, you are more than big muscles.”
I look up at her, so out of my comfort zone with a girl like Ava. A girl with so much depth that I’m scared I might drown in it. “So you think I have big muscles?”
She laughs loudly, and the guests at the tables around us look up, surprised.
We bite back our smiles trying to keep it together as the waiter brings out the dinner specials.
“Escargot, radish salad, squash puree.”
He walks away and Ava and I can’t keep it together anymore.
“Andy, I appreciate the thought in taking me here, but you have me pegged all wrong.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m not this girl,” she says, motioning to her plate.
“You saying you don’t eat snails on a first date?”
She laughs loudly again, this time not caring who gives dirty looks.
I pull out some bills and set them on the table, then I take Ava’s hand. “Let’s get out of here, Ava McIntyre.
Ava
Once we’re in the car, free of over-priced French food, I suggest we go to the corn maze on the outskirts of town.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Andy asks.
“Corey went there last week and said they have chili and cornbread in the gift shop. These shoes aren’t exactly made for a muddy field, but maybe we could swing by Mi Alpha Alpha first?” When he doesn’t answer right away, I wonder if I suggested something dumb. “Or is it is a lame idea?”
“No, it’s great. We’ll have fun.” He squeezes my knee and I feel like he might be holding something back, but instead of pressing him, I ask if there is a particular place he’d like to move after school.
“Well, it depends on the draft.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot.”
That makes him laugh. “God, I actually like the fact you aren’t obsessed with football. Sometimes it feels like the only thing I’m on this planet for.”
“Weird isn’t it, how we kind of get stuck in certain roles?”
“Is that how it is for you, Ava?” There’s a slight tease in his eyes, as he asks playfully, “Are you more than a bookworm?”
I chuckle, feeling more at ease with him than anyone in a long time. “Totally, I mean, I’m a maid too, remember?”
He gives a deep belly laugh as we drive back to the sorority, his face lighting up. I’m once again struck by how gorgeous he is. But not only that, he’s easy to be around. I want to know more about him. Want to know everything about him. And I have a feeling that the more time I spend with him, the harder the inevitable fall will be.
Later, after we have chili and share a slice of cornbread, we head out to the maze. I admit to loving it when he slides his hand in the back pocket of my jeans.
“You look cute in thos
e boots,” he says, looking down at my old Ariat Ramblers.
“Is that how you get so many girls in bed? Compliment their footwear?”
He tenses slightly, but says with a wink, “Every guy knows it’s the way to a woman’s heart.”
“I’m sure you’ve broken a lot of them.”
He turns to me, lifts my chin with a finger and leans down. “Don’t want to break yours, Ava. Ever.”
I suck in a shaky breath. “Then don’t.”
He swallows hard. “I promise if you ever give it to me, I’ll cherish it like it’s the most precious thing in the world.”
My heart thumps wildly with his promise, wanting to believe him.
“So, tell me about your family.” I let him take my hand, twining my fingers with his.
“My mom raised us on her own after my dad left. I’m the oldest, so--”
“A lot of responsibility was put on you,” she says as if she understands.
“Yeah. But I don’t mind. Even without my dad around, I had a good childhood. Mom always made sure we had the essentials.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“There’s five of us all together.”
“Wow. That must’ve been a busy house.”
“I always wanted siblings,” I say.
“I’m more than happy to share mine.”
A cool breeze whips around us, and when I shiver he puts an arm around me, drawing me close.
I appreciate how easy it is to be around him. I expected him to be hard to get to know, that he’d always have a joke and never veer into more serious territory, but that isn’t him at all. This entire night he has been honest with, opening up, and letting me get to know the real him.
It makes me want to open up more too.
He twists me towards him. “I’ve been wanting to do something since I picked you up earlier.”
“What’s that?”
“This.” His lips crash down on mine, and he kisses me hard. Deep. Our tongues entwining, and my belly warming with all the memories of our first time.
And I’m falling.
Hard.
“Andy Stafford,” a girl’s voice grates out behind me and I feel him tense around me. “God, I knew you were a player, but really?”