by Tessa Teevan
Sophie’s waiting out front when I get to the bar, and she greets me with a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek. Part of me wishes that her kiss would evoke something inside me that would make me forget Andi, but it does the opposite. It makes me want her more. It makes me wish that it were her lips on my skin, not someone else’s.
Don’t get me wrong. Sophie’s breathtakingly beautiful and extremely intelligent. She’s the type of woman I would’ve seen myself with years from now, after I finish medical school and am ready for a long-term relationship. However, as physically attracted as I am to her, there’s no spark between us no matter how good we are together in the bedroom.
Once we’re seated and our drinks are ordered, Sophie makes small talk as she catches me up on the new leader of their study group. She mentions more than once that he’s nowhere near as interesting as I was, and after a little bit of small talk, I know I need to do what I came here to do. Just as I’m about to start, Sophie beats me to the punch.
“Cohen,” she breathes out, her blue eyes darting back and forth between mine, “I know when we started this we said no strings. And I was fine with that. I really was. Until I wasn’t anymore.”
And here it comes. “Sophie, I—”
She holds a hand up to cut me off, and I shut my mouth, allowing her to continue. “No, Cohen, let me do this. Look, I’ve had a lot of fun with you and I really like you. A lot. Probably more than I should, and I know that. That being said, I think we both know this is going nowhere. And that’s fine. That was the whole purpose of no strings. But if I spend more time with you, even if it’s just in bed, I’m going to fall, and I’m going to fall hard.” She leans back in her chair and rubs her forehead with one hand. “I guess what I’m saying is, I realized a while ago that no strings with you isn’t going to work for me. And the panicked look on your face when I mentioned a long-distance relationship over winter break solidified that fact.”
She pauses to sip her wine, and I take the opportunity to interrupt. “What exactly are you saying, Sophie?”
“I thought I could do it, but I can’t. So you’re off the hook. I’m not going to call anymore. I’m not going to ask for anymore one-on-one sessions—even though your method of studying is so much better than reading the textbook. This thing between us? I just can’t do it anymore. I think it’s probably for the best if we just go our separate ways.”
Relief floods through me, and I can’t help but laugh that, for once, Sophie and I seem to be on the same page. “Wow. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. I appreciate your honesty.” Leaning across the table, I grab her hand. “You’re a beautiful woman and I wish I could give you what you want.”
“But you can’t. And I knew that from the beginning. Hey, it’s been fun while it lasted, right?” she says cheerfully, not looking one bit upset at the ending of this thing between us.
“It was, and again, I appreciate you being honest with me. I’d never want to continue this with us both having different expectations. That’d just lead to disaster, and at least this way we can still be friends.”
She lets out a laugh and gives me a small shake of her head. “Right. Friends. That sounds good to me. Friends who don’t avoid each other when they see each other out in public but also don’t go out of their way to hang out or have late-night existential conversations about life and love.”
“Pretty much. Thanks, Sophie. I was worried this was going to be a lot more awkward, but I really do think this is for the best. Again, I’m sorry if I led you on or led you to believe this was going to turn into anything more than what it was.”
She waves a hand at me, dismissing the idea. “You never led me on, Cohen. You were upfront with what this was from the very beginning. Now can we please stop talking about this? You’re looking at me like you just kicked my puppy and it’s going to give me hives if you keep it up.” She drains her wine glass and then looks around for the waiter. “In fact, if it’s fine with you, I’m ready to get out of here.”
When I spot the waiter, I signal for the check, grateful that she’s making this so easy. “Sure thing, Soph. Big plans tonight?” I ask.
She gives me a sheepish grin. “If curling up on the couch with a huge bottle of wine and my DVD collection is considered a big plan, then yes, big, exciting plans are in store for me tonight.”
I laugh as I hand the waiter my card. “Hey, my night’s not going to be much different. I have an early morning tutoring session, so I’m probably just going to head home do the same—minus the wine.”
She excuses herself to go to the bathroom and I proceed to fill out the tab when it’s placed in front of me. After closing the book, I impatiently tap my fingers on the table as I wait for Sophie. I look around the bar, and suddenly, my eyes stop when I spot a familiar face. Leaning forward, I realize that it’s Teddy, sitting at the bar with a beautiful woman who is certainly not Andi. What the hell?
I watch as he places his arm around her and leans in close, whispering something in her ear. She turns to face him and he plants a kiss on her lips, making it long and slow before she pulls away. Then she gets up from her chair and heads in the same direction Sophie did just a few moments before.
The past two days, I’ve been feeling like an asshole for lusting after another guy’s woman, and he’s out with someone else? Before I can stop myself, I scoot my chair back and cross the room until I’m standing directly behind me.
“Bennett,” I say coolly, and he turns to face me.
Recognition flashes in his eyes and he looks around as if trying to see who I’m with before he looks back at me. “Hey, Cohen. How’s it going?” he asks as he holds his hand out as if to shake mine.
Pushing his hand aside, I place a hand on the back of his chair and lean in close, almost until our noses are touching. His eyebrows draw together in confusion. “I’m only going to say this once, so you better fucking listen to me, Bennett. I don’t know what the hell you’re doing or who you’re doing it with, and normally, I wouldn’t give a shit. Unfortunately, you have something I want, and as much as I’d love to do nothing more than take it from you, I care more about her being happy than to throw this in her face. If you fucking hurt that girl, I will kick your ass and then be right fucking there to pick up the pieces. I don’t care how long you two have been together. I will make it my goddamn mission to make sure she moves on from you and forgets that she ever knew Teddy Bennett. So it’s your choice. Keep fucking up or stop being a cheating asshole.”
I’m breathing hard from my rant as I pull back, watching as his eyes widen at the realization that he’s been caught. Then his expression changes to one of amusement and he grins at me. The motherfucker smiles. I clench my fists at my sides, knowing that I need to get away from him before I do something stupid. I’m about to walk away when he says my name.
“Not that my personal life—or my relationship with Andi—is any of your business, but why the hell do you care so much, Wellington?”
Incredulous, I turn back to him and see that he’s watching me curiously. “Are you fucking kidding me? Do you have idea what you have?” I let out a bitter laugh. “No, apparently you don’t and it’s a goddamn shame. Because if it were me? If Andi were my girl, there’s no way in hell I’d be out with anyone else. I’d spend all my time so wrapped up in her that no other woman would compare. Cherish your fucking girlfriend, Bennett, or someone might just steal her away while you’re not looking.”
I hear a gasp behind me and see his date looking at me, her mouth open wide. She turns and rushes to the door without a single word. Good. She should know that she’s out with a cheating prick. My triumphant feeling is short-lived when Teddy shoots me a glare and shoves past me to follow her out. As he passes me, I’m pretty sure he calls me a dumb fuck under his breath and I have no idea why. He’s the idiot here.
“What the hell was that?” Sophie asks when I make my way back to the table.
“It was nothing. Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
&nb
sp; When we get outside, I see Teddy arguing with his date. She’s shaking her head, and he lifts up his hands in exasperation when she gets in her car and drives off.
“Crap. I left my phone inside.” Sophie leans up and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to run back in. See you around, Cohen.”
I watch as Sophie goes back into the bar, and then turn to leave. I’m almost to my car when I hear Teddy’s voice.
“You know, for someone you only met once, you sure care a hell of a lot about Andi’s personal life. Obviously that one night meant more to you than you’re letting on. So let me tell you one thing, Wellington. Stop fucking around. Either forget about her or do something about it.” His tone is challenging, and I’m beginning to wonder what the hell kind of relationship they have if he’s telling me to go after his girl. “You want a shot at Andi? Be my fucking guest. The only person stopping you is you. And I’ll echo your little threat you gave me inside. You hurt her, I will kick your fucking ass. Ball’s in your court, Wellington. The question is, are you going to play or are you just going to watch from the sidelines?”
With that, he strides back towards the bar and disappears inside. The ball’s in my court? What? I didn’t even know I’d been invited to the game, but now that he’s issued that challenge, there’s no way in hell I’m backing down. If he cares so little about being with Andi, then there’s no longer anything standing in my way to take what I want.
And right now? All I want is her. My hat’s being thrown in the ring, and I’ll be damned if I don’t come out on top.
I’M LOUNGING on the couch with a glass of white wine and my e-reader, currently being sucked into a world filled with vampires, shape shifters, and witches. I’m so into my book that I apparently don’t hear the front door. I don’t realize that I’m not alone until Teddy leans down from the back of the couch and blows a raspberry on my cheek, causing me to shriek, jump up, and almost spill my wine.
“Holy shit, Teddy! You scared the crap out of me!” I admonish, and then I frown when I look at the time and see that it’s barely nine p.m. “What are you doing home anyway? I thought you had a hot date.”
He comes around the couch and lifts my legs so he can sit down. “I did have a hot date,” he says simply.
“Oooookay. It didn’t go so well, I’m guessing?” I ask, sitting up and crossing my legs, hoping to hear a juicy story.
Teddy snags my wine glass and takes a long drink before giving me a wry grin. “Oh, it was going perfectly fine. We had a nice dinner and a couple of drinks at Sapphire. For a first date, it was going extremely well until she left to ‘go to the powder room,’” he says, using his fingers to make air quotations around the words.
I wrinkle my nose, wondering why people can’t just say bathroom these days. “So what happened? Did you bore her to tears by talking about Wall Street so much so that she had to escape out the back door?”
He gives me a dirty look and shakes his head. “No, Andi. I didn’t even bring up the current state of our financial market. No, my date was ruined by your little boyfriend.” My eyebrows draw together as I look at him with confusion. Fortunately, he doesn’t make me wonder what he’s talking about for long. “Oh, yeah. It just so happened that Mr. Wellington was also at Sapphire and he spotted me on my date. Apparently, he’s a little overprotective of you, and long story short, he threatened to kick my ass if I hurt you. Oh, and he also claimed that if he had you, he’d never look at another woman, and I’m basically the biggest idiot on the planet for doing so. According to him, I’m a pretty shitty boyfriend.”
My eyes widen with disbelief. “No way. You’re messing with me.”
He shakes his head, letting me know that he is most certainly not messing with me. I lean forward and grab his forearm, trying—and failing—to contain my excitement. I’m practically bouncing in my seat as my mind wonders why exactly Cohen would approach Teddy like that.
“What’d he say? Exactly. I want to know everything. Word for word. Don’t leave anything out.”
And Teddy doesn’t let me down. My mind’s racing as he tells the story, not leaving anything out. When he’s done, I just sit back against the couch, completely overwhelmed.
“You continued to let him think we were together but then told him to go for it?” I ask, incredulous and a little shocked that Teddy played right along with this ridiculous charade.
He grins at me and shrugs his shoulders. “I know, I know. It’s probably my fault for starting it at the pub the other night, but man, when he got in my face, he was intense. As much as I wanted to just come out and tell him we’re not a couple, I couldn’t help myself. I’m pretty sure when I left him standing there in the parking lot, he had no idea what was going on. Hell, he probably thinks we have an open relationship now.”
Covering my hands with my face, I groan out load. “Oh my god. You can’t just make things easy on me, can you? We have our first study session tomorrow and it’s going to be so awkward.”
Teddy leans over and takes my hands from my face. “Babe, it’ll only be awkward if you make it that way. Trust me. I don’t know what the hell happened that night or why you two never went out again, but that guy has it bad, and he has it bad for you. So much for it being complete history, huh?”
Letting out a deep breath, I finish my wine and get up to refill it. When I come back to the living room, Teddy has the television on. As much as I want to beg him to retell the story, I settle in beside him and go back to reading. Even though I was completely engrossed in the story, I’m now too distracted by Cohen’s actions from tonight. After reading the same paragraph three times, I set my e-reader aside and try to focus on the television, but it’s no use. Teddy must be able to hear the wheels turning in my head because he turns down the volume and looks at me.
“Can you stop thinking so loud? I can barely hear the TV,” he jokes. “Seriously, Andi. What is it with this guy? I’ve never seen you so worked up before, and believe me, I’ve seen you worked up.”
I ignore his smirk. “I don’t know. It’s complicated. And I’ll remind you, this is all your fault. But I am sorry your date got ruined.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” he tells me with a wink. “The night wasn’t a complete wash.
After I went back in to pay the bill, I got the number of a super-hot blonde. We got to talking and I’m taking her out tomorrow.”
“Of course you did. Well, I’m glad you’ve been able to move on so quickly from our faux relationship,” I respond wryly.
“Yeah, let’s just hope that, tomorrow, you can do the same.”
AFTER SPENDING the night tossing and turning in anticipation of seeing Cohen again, I’m running late for our tutoring session. No one else in the apartment is awake this early, and I stare longingly at the empty coffee pot for a few seconds before heading out the door. As tired as I feel, I’m also amped up for this morning, and I tell myself that it’s just because I’m excited to get a head start on conquering the last obstacle between me and graduation, but I know I’m only fooling myself. I’m burning with anticipation at seeing him again and I can’t wait to clear up this mess about Teddy and me.
I’m thankful that my car’s back from the shop so I don’t have to rely on Teddy to drop me off on campus. The last thing I need is Cohen seeing me get out of his car. He’s had a night to process his conversation with Teddy, and I’m wondering what conclusions he’s come to. If his night was anything like mine, he’s more confused now than he was after we saw each other at the pub the other night. If I didn’t want to choke Teddy for messing with Cohen, I’d actually find this situation funny. I feel like we’ve come full circle since that night freshman year, but instead of Cohen walking away, he’s walking back in, and this time, Teddy won’t be an obstacle. Now, I just have to tell myself that I can’t be one either, because ultimately, I was the one who messed everything up, not anyone else.
Fortunately, I’m only running a few minutes behind when I pull up to the tutor center.
The parking lot is relatively empty, which isn’t surprising for a Saturday morning at the beginning of the semester. In fact, I don’t even have any assignments to work on, so I’m not sure what Cohen and I are going to do this morning.
When I get out of my car and make my way towards the building, I smile when I see him waiting on the steps. Readjusting my book bag on my shoulder, I stop directly in front of him and shiver at the cold winter breeze.
“Hi,” he says simply in a deep, husky tone that makes me weak in the knees. Despite the cool temperature, I instantly warm up as his eyes rake over my body, an appreciative smile now firmly planted on his face.
“Hi,” I respond, and unlike him, it sounds lame coming from my lips. “It’s cold, Cohen. You could’ve waited for me inside.”
“Trust me. The cold air is probably my friend right now,” he replies as he takes in the tight sweater that’s not doing a good job of hiding how the cold temperature is affecting my body.
My cheeks flush under his gaze, and I gesture towards the building. “Shall we?” I ask, and he nods as he opens the door for me.
After stepping inside, I allow him to lead me to a table in the back, notably the same table where we reconnected for the first time. I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything, but if I were alone and could kiss this table, I totally would. Instead, I sit down and Cohen takes the seat across from me. I pull out my books, hand the syllabus over to him, and watch as he studies it.
“You lucked out being placed in Professor Gates’s class. He can be tough, but he’s the best professor I’ve had at this school. And since I took his class, I know his teaching methods and can try to match them. Do you have any assignments to do?”
Shaking my head, I’m a little taken aback that Cohen was so quick to get into the tutoring portion of the morning. I thought maybe we’d talk about the other night at the bar or maybe he’d mention running into Teddy the previous night, but other than the little comment about the weather—which I know he was talking about his penis and/or my hard nipples—he’s all business.