“Mother effer. I have Berneli’s class first. I look like a scrub.” I groaned and contemplated running back to my room.
“You look fine! Relax, he has already seen all of you. I’m pretty sure that showing up in a t-shirt and jeans isn’t going to change his opinion of you.” She laughed and I started breathing again.
“Okay, you’re probably right about that. But does it look like I got the guy and now I don’t care about my looks?”
“I think you are overreacting. If that connection you say you have is real, then it won’t matter what you’re wearing. And if that isn’t the case, then wear your stripper heals to class on Wednesday.”
“You make a good point.” I laughed and we went our separate ways. Normally, I was pretty early to this class, but today I was exactly on time. I walked over to my desk and quickly sat down. Berneli was leaning against his desk and I felt butterflies flutter into my stomach.
He had his glasses off so I had nothing blocking my view deep into his soul. His button-down shirt was tailored so it fit his body like a glove. A flash of him walking toward me naked, in all of his manly glory, raced across my mind. I had to keep from fanning myself as heat soon raced through my body and forced its way into my core.
He was gorgeous and very clearly avoiding my gaze. At first, I tried not to take it personally, but as the class went on, I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t walk near my desk or call on me.
By the time the class was over I felt stupid. Obviously, he didn’t feel the same way. It was just another lay for him. So I grabbed my things and began to hurry out the door before I could further embarrass myself. Just as I made it to the door, I heard my name.
“Miss Carrington, I have that extra credit report for you.” He held up a big brown envelope and waved it in my direction. As I didn’t turn in any extra credit report, I was confused. I walked over to him and took it. “Please go over my notes before your next assignment.” He then returned to the students standing in front of him asking questions.
I turned around, puzzled, and headed out the door. Once I got out of the classroom, I went straight to the bathroom and into one of the stalls to look at the envelope. I had a feeling it was some kind of secret so I probably should open it in private. However, I was way too excited to go back to my room. It was simply too far away and I didn’t have that kind of patience.
I opened the envelope and inside was a handwritten note.
Violet,
I thought of nothing but you all Sunday. All I wanted to do was find you and hold you in my arms again. I’m sorry for the way I probably treated you in class but I don’t want to look like I’m giving you special treatment. Frankly, I’m even a little afraid to look at you because then everyone may see just how strongly you affect me. I have office hours set up for today at five and I’d love to see you then. I promise to keep my intentions honorable even if my thoughts are not.
Dreaming of a time when you and I can be together,
David
Was swooning still a thing? Because that was one hundred percent what I was doing in the bathroom stall. I should have planned this better. Swooning over a handwritten love note in a public bathroom stall was probably the least romantic moment of my life. Nonetheless, there I was, clutching the proof that the other night meant something to him as well. I texted Annabelle and told her that we needed to meet for lunch so I could show her the note. However, when I showed up, Jason and Kyle were there too.
“Violet!” Kyle yelled as he saw me.
“Kyle!” I tried to hide my disappointment because there was no way I could talk to Annabelle about this in front of the guys. “We can chat after lunch,” I whispered to her.
She nodded and I sat down.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to spend more time with Janice,” Jason said to me.
“Yeah, I know. We should all get together another time,” I insisted, and kicked Annabelle lightly under the table. I knew Janice was one of the last people she wanted to hang out with. But Jason was such a great guy that Janice couldn’t be that annoying, right?
“I’ll bring it up to her. She’s crazy busy with school and some of her other clubs but as soon as she is free, I’ll let you know.”
This kind of frustrated me. How hard was it to find a couple of minutes to spend time with your boyfriend’s friends? It seemed important to him that we got to know her, so why didn’t she make the time?
“Can you believe Kenny?” Annabelle had broken my train of thought. “I mean, he flirts, dances, and kisses me, all while he has a girlfriend. Who does that?” We all looked at each other and gave a perceptive look.
“He was a jerk the whole time we knew him. I’m not surprised. I just feel bad for his girlfriend. She probably has no idea what an asshole he is.” I never liked that jerk.
“Oh, she knows!” Kyle smiled brightly and looked at Jason. “Right, buddy?
“What?” Annabelle and I said in unison.
“Jason might have let it slip to her that he was fooling around with other girls very loudly while she was in earshot.”
“Well, she needed to know, and I didn’t like that he was messing around with Annabelle,” Jason insisted, and dipped his head to try to hide the blush crawling across his face. But he couldn’t hide it from me.
I smiled. It was sweet to watch Jason standing up for Annabelle.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Annabelle gushed as she gazed at her hero.
“I know. It’s okay. I didn’t like that he hurt you like that,” Jason said, looking up at her. They kept eye contact for a second too long and then both looked away.
Kyle and I glanced at each other and looked very smug. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing about Jason and Annabelle that I was.
***
We all finished our meals while talking about the comedienne who would be coming next week. There was so much to do with EET and it was all really stressful, exciting but stressful. As the boys were getting ready to leave, Annabelle stuck around, pretending to still be eating one of the three french fries left on her plate. As soon as they were out of sight, she looked at me.
“So, what’s going on? What did he say?”
“Well, he didn’t talk to me or even look at me the whole class so I assumed he just wanted sex and was over it.” I told her about the extra credit envelope and handed it to her. I sat there quite impatiently as I waited for her to finish reading.
“Oh my god! I cannot believe he wrote that to you! This is kind of intense. Are you going to see him later?”
“Of course! I don’t know what to expect. He said that his intentions would be honorable. I mean, I don’t expect to just bang it out in the middle of the day. Other people will be around, and what if someone comes in? No, someone would hear us—I’m not the quietest when I’m experiencing the most fulfilling sex ever.”
“I’m confused. Weren’t you in his office when you two banged the last time? What makes this different?” she asked accusingly.
“Okay, valid point. But it was late at night and not during his office hours. I don’t think there were any other professors in their office but there probably will be this time. I’m definitely going, you know, I’m just nervous.”
“It will be fine. Just make sure you come over right after and tell me all about it,” she insisted as she packed up her stuff to leave.
“I will.” I grabbed my stuff and followed her out of the cafeteria. “Wasn’t it great how Jason stood up for you and made sure Kenny got what was coming to him?” I turned and watched her expression. She started to blush but quickly shook her head and it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.
“Yeah, he is a good guy.” She turned to look at something on the wall we were passing.
“But it seemed especially nice that he was looking out for you.”
“I know, Violet. You just said that.” She was still looking at the wall.
“I was just making conversation. It just seems interesting
that even though he was at the dance with Janice, he was still trying to make sure you were doing all right. You know, he called me over to make sure I knew Kenny had a girlfriend. That was how I found out. He was going out of his way for you,” I said, trying to beat a dead horse until she realized how big of a deal this was.
“Yeah, well, I cannot wait until you hang out with Janice and see what she is really like. After that, then we will see who you play footsie with under the table. I am pretty sure I have a bruise where you kicked me.” She was changing the subject. Maybe she wasn’t ready to talk about it anymore. I debated pushing her a little but decided against it. I came to her when I needed her and I was sure she’d do the same.
“Oh please, you’re fine! Besides, Janice can’t be that bad, right?” I didn’t like the idea of Jason with anyone who would not treat him right.
“Just wait!” she insisted, and we parted ways to class.
My class went on for what seemed like forever. It finally ended but it was only four o’clock. I had an hour to kill before seeing David and no patience to wait. I thought about going back to my room to change into something more appealing and maybe putting some make-up on, but he’d seen me earlier, and if I changed, then I would definitely look like I was trying too hard. So I headed to a computer lab and decided to work on my statistics homework.
This week’s lab was online so I could suffer through it without my book. After about thirty minutes and no correct answer, I decided to end the suffering and wound up on my social media page. Before I knew it, I was stalking Janice’s page. It looked like she was involved in a lot of “save the earth” type clubs. She seemed really passionate about it and I had to smile. I could picture her and Jason in a third world country trying to feed the hungry and cure the sick. Crap, it was hard to hate her.
I got lost somewhere in her prom pictures. She and Jason looked really happy. It was easy to see the spark Jason was talking about. I wanted to see her and Jason together more to see if I could see that moment again.
It was almost time to meet with David, so I headed over to his office. It was a couple of minutes past five when I stood outside his door. I wondered if he was waiting for me. I took a deep breath and knocked. Before he answered it, I noticed a sign on the door. It said that his office hours were over at five. So, no one would be coming to meet with him now. I smiled to myself as the thought of being with him again left me feeling tingly all over.
The door opened and he invited me in. His glasses were off and I melted into his eyes. There was something about them that almost always caught my attention before the rest of him. This was, of course, surprising since he was so much taller. I really had to tilt my head to get a good look.
“Glad you could make it.” He smiled and closed the door behind me.
I wasn’t sure what to expect so I stood just inside his office, staring up at him, and he leaned against his bookshelf about three feet from me. I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me. Should I go in for a hug, or maybe a kiss on the cheek? That was a British thing, right?
I looked up at him and realized he was waiting for me to speak.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it.”
I wasn’t sure where to look, but if I continued to stare into his eyes, I had a feeling I would jump his bones. Then again, I did notice that David didn’t lock the door like last time. Reluctantly, I decided to pull myself together.
“So, I wanted to talk about the other night,” he told me as he appraised me from the bookshelf.
I knew the chair in front of his desk would be a heck of a lot more comfortable and probably safer than standing with him like this. But for some reason, I couldn’t get my legs to head over there. He didn’t move either.
I waited, barely breathing, to hear what he had to say. “I don’t regret it. It was one of the best nights of my life.”
A weight lifted off my chest. I couldn’t believe it meant that much to him. “Mine too. We were like electricity.”
“I’d like to do it again. Several more times, if I’m being honest. I feel as though we need some guidelines, though, like it should probably not happen in my office or even on school property.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. My dorm room would probably create a whole lot of problems too. Although my roomie would get a great show,” I joked, trying to keep this conversation light. The truth was I was having a hard time keeping my hands off of him. He had rolled his sleeves up and his tan, muscled forearms were practically bursting out. I remembered how strong yet gentle they were when he held me. I longed to feel that again.
“That’s what I think too. I guess we will have to make other arrangements and try to keep it together while we are at school.”
“A lack of self-control has always been one of my faults,” I admitted, trying not to notice the bulge in his pants. It would seem that just looking at me turned him on. I smiled, enjoying my power. Then I licked my lips and looked up at him. He definitely noticed.
“See, your games are not going to work because I have self-control and I’m proving it right now.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and dropped his gaze from my eyes.
“I’ve seen your attempts at self-control and I’ve enjoyed shattering them,” I insisted, and looked him up and down, making sure to stare at his growing member for just a second too long.
“That sounds like a challenge to me.” He leaned in close. “I’m stronger than you think.”
“If that’s what you want to believe.” I headed over to the chair and sat down, legs crossed. “Are you coming?” I asked without turning to look back at him. “If all we are going to do is stare at the other, then I would much prefer to do it in a chair.” I placed my bag on the ground and Berneli walked to his desk and sat in the chair behind it. “What arrangements did you have in mind?” I was actually very curious. Clearly, he had taken time to think about this.
“I have a flat off campus and I’ve brought a good portion of my library from England over. I don’t think you would be bored spending some nights there. Obviously, I couldn’t drive you to campus, but I’d be happy to pay cab fare to get you back.” He said all of this like it was a business deal instead of a sexual proposition. It kind of irked me so I decided to continue teasing him.
“What makes you think there will be any time for reading if I were to come over to your bachelor pad?” I asked him, and leaned over his desk, letting my t-shirt dip a little so the girls were on display.
“Eventually, I’ll wear you out.”
“Now that sounds like a challenge.” I inched my face closer to his. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I was pretty sure he could hear it. I looked at his luscious lips and wanted to kiss him. No, I needed to kiss him. But I would wait. We were in a stalemate, and the first one to bend would surely lose. I did not lose.
“What are your plans for tonight?” he asked, and smiled the crooked smile that made me quiver and shake.
“You tell me. I do have this one professor who gave us this crazy assignment last week that is due on Friday. I should probably work on that.”
“We both know you have already finished that paper and right now you probably are just checking on a few more sources. I think you have time.”
I smiled because he was right. I actually liked the paper he had assigned and needed to finish editing it. I was thinking of adding another source but I had already gone a couple pages over the limit.
“Don’t blame me when I ask for an extension.”
“I think we will be able to work something out regarding that extension tonight. I have a feeling I know exactly how long it needs to be.” He reached out and began to draw circles on the back of my hand. It felt delicious and I decided it was time to finish the cheesy innuendos.
“Well then, what time?”
“I’ll send a cab for you around seven thirty. That should give you plenty of time to work on that paper.”
“If you insist.” I sat for a few extra seconds,
enjoying the feeling of my hand in his. Then I got up and headed toward the door.
“Oh, and, Violet, call me crazy one more time and I will give you a whole new meaning for the word.”
I didn’t turn around and just shook my head. “What makes you think I don’t like crazy?” I opened the door and headed out to the sound of him chuckling.
***
I hurried to the cafeteria and made a quick sandwich to eat as I ran to my room. Well, more accurately, to Annabelle’s room because she was going to flip when I told her this. I had made it to our floor when I noticed Officer Finn was outside my door again. I sighed and slowed my pace.
“Officer, what’s going on?” I had talked to Lola today so I knew she was not in any danger. At least she wasn’t a few hours ago.
“Nothing. I’m just doing a follow-up. We heard from Miss Zimmerman and she said there was a big misunderstanding. But girls say that a lot, so I wanted to make sure you are both doing fine.” He was trying to sound noble but had managed to sound like an asshole.
“Well, I talked to her earlier and she assured me she was fine. She is visiting her mother right now so she isn’t here.” I hoped he would just walk away, but, of course, he didn’t.
“Yes, she mentioned that. I also wanted to follow-up with you,” he informed me as he stuck his chest out a bit. I heard birds did that when they were trying to attract a mating partner. Little did he know, I wasn’t interested in his type of bird.
“I’m fine. No one is bothering me so you can go and check on someone else,” I insisted, and went to unlock my door. He stepped in front of me and blocked my access.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind hanging out here or escorting you anywhere you need to go. In fact, why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? We could even go off campus if you’d like,” he suggested with a giant grin on his face.
First Semester (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 1) Page 19