Love 101: Box Set (Love 101 #1-4)

by J. Nichole

  “Hi, I’m Monica.”

  “Nice meeting you...ladies, good seeing you.” Then he walks away.

  I release Nicole. “That Negro has some nerve. He didn’t even acknowledge me. I need a drink for real now.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. Instead of waiting on the next guy to approach us, Nicole walks up to a guy near the bar and asks him to buy her a drink. He turns to the bartender and passes us all shots.

  Monica passes on her shot. Nicole takes it for her, then talks to the guy for a few minutes.

  Jennifer wants to get back on the dance floor. Monica goes with her and I stay behind with Nicole. While Nicole talks, his friend walks up to me and introduces himself.

  “What’s up? You can keep me company while my homeboy talks your girl’s ear off.”

  I laugh at him. “I don’t mind doing that.”

  “But conversations at the club aren’t fun if you are sober. What do you want to drink?”

  I probably shouldn’t drink any more. I am feeling that last shot. What the hell, one more drink won’t hurt. “I’ll have a vodka and cranberry.”

  “A vodka and cranberry it is, Ms....”

  “Laila.”

  “Laila, nice to meet you. My name is Jon.”

  Jon and I talk, and before I can finish the drink, I really start to feel it. All of a sudden, everything he says is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. He teases me.

  “Now, isn’t the conversation much better?”

  “It sure is. These vodka cranberries are the truth.”

  Jennifer and Monica come off the dance floor for another break. Jon offers to buy us all a drink. We drink, then go back out on the dance floor.

  Monica stands in the middle of the dance floor. “Laila, I don’t want to kill the vibe, but I’m ready to get out of here.”

  Hardly able to stand straight, I tell her to call our shuttle driver. She calls, but he doesn’t answer. We squeeze through the crowd and make our way to the door. The shuttle line is already wrapped around the parking lot. I wobble to the curb and take a seat. Should’ve stopped at drink two.

  Nicole paces in front of me and says, “I think you should just call your boyfriend. I’m sure he’ll come get us.”

  That’s the best idea of the night. I miss Chris and I’m sure he won’t mind picking us up. He answers the phone after the second ring, and it’s noisy in the background. He asks me to send him a text because he can’t hear me. I text him. He responds and tells me he’ll be here shortly.

  “I told you he wouldn’t mind picking us up.” Nicole rolls her eyes. “Her knight and shining armor.”

  My phone dings, alerting me of a text message. Probably Chris telling me he’s pulling up. I stand up from the curb and look around. I don’t see his car, and looking down at my phone, I squint to try to read the message.

  U think U R cute? He may want U now, but not 4ever.

  Who the hell? These drinks must have me trippin’. I lower myself back onto the curb. Chris pulls up about fifteen minutes later, and we all climb in the car. “How are you ladies?”

  Trying not to slur my words, I slowly explain to him that we couldn’t get our ride to come back and pick us up. “The shuttle line was too long. Thanks for coming to get us.” I try to focus on his face, but my eyes start to get heavy. I lean my head back on the seat and stay quiet for the rest of the ride.

  He pulls up in front of the dorms. The ladies thank him for the ride. They get out of the car and wait for me. I lean over to give Chris a kiss and thank him. “Babe, what time is your first class in the morning?”

  I can hardly remember. “It’s not early.”

  He winks at me. “You should come home with me.”

  I nod and smile. “Give me a sec to say bye to the girls.”

  I get out of the car and wobble to the girls. “I’m going to go home with Chris. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  Monica leans in and gives me a hug. “Be careful.”

  I turn to walk back to the car and the girls go into the dorm. As I walk, I remember the text message in my phone. Pulling it out, I read it again. I’m not trippin’. Who is this? Before getting to the car, I send a text back.

  Who is this?

  How’d you get my number?

  Chapter 26

  “Did you have fun at the L.O.S party?”

  “It was straight. Had a little situation, but it was cool. How was the Que party?”

  “You ladies should have been there. You know we always throw a good party.”

  I cock my head and leer at him. “Be careful, your head is growing.”

  “You have no idea...”

  Oh hell, his mind is in the gutter. I need to sober up real quick before I do something... I guess it won’t hurt to do something.

  Smiling, I grab his hand. “You ready to go to bed?”

  “More than you know.” He leads me to his room. Before we can make it through the door, he starts kissing me and caressing my body. I can hardly control myself. I take the lead and push him back on the bed, then shut the door.

  My shirt goes over my head exposing my lace bra. I deliberately walk towards the bed, then slide off my pants and turn around for him to see my matching thong.

  “Damn. You were at the club working with all that?”

  I put my finger to my mouth to silence him. “Shhh...” He obeys and leans back on the bed. I remove his gold boots, then his pants, and finally his shirt. He tries to pull my hand and regain control. I pull away then straddle his lap.

  My mind has lost complete control and my body has taken over. I begin to grind on his lap, then I lean down and give him a passionate kiss. His hands start to grope my ass. We kiss and caress each other for a few minutes before my body completely ignores my mind. I roll over on my back and slide my panties off. I glance at Chris and motion him to get on top of me.

  As he lies on me, begins to kiss my neck, then devours my mouth. I guide his hands to my wetness and pull him closer for a deeper kiss. He plays with me for a few minutes then suddenly stops.

  “Laila, how much have you had to drink tonight?”

  I squint my eyes. I’m shocked that he is asking that right now. “I had a few drinks, why?”

  “I think you may be tipsy. As much as I want to fuck you, I want to make love to you more. Especially your first time. We can’t do this. Not now.”

  “Damn, Chris, what the hell?”

  “It’s a surprise to me too. Believe me, that ass is calling my name. But tomorrow I want you to remember what happened.”

  I roll my eyes. I’m slightly irritated and more embarrassed. I hop off the bed and gather my clothes. “Maybe you should take me back to the dorm.”

  “Laila, I apologize if I offended you in some way. You don’t have to leave.”

  “I’m sitting here butt ass naked and you just rejected me. I think I need a little time to sober up.”

  He sighs and says, “Okay.” He grabs his clothes, then walks towards the door. “When you are ready, I’ll be out in the living room waiting for you.”

  I throw my clothes on, then walk out to the living room. We don’t speak. He opens the door and we walk to his car.

  We ride in complete silence. He doesn’t even turn the music on. Before he can completely park, I’m opening the door to jump out. I walk into the dorm.

  Monica pops up from her pillow. “Laila? Are you okay?”

  “Sorry to wake you, Monica. Go back to sleep, I’m okay. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  My head is throbbing. I roll over and look at the clock. It’s already 8:30 a.m. and it feels like I’ve only been asleep for a few minutes. Thirty minutes to get dressed. If it weren’t the first week of school, I would stay in bed.

  I pull myself together and walk across campus. Before I walk in the building, I check the text messages on my phone. Messages from Jennifer, Monica, Chris, and a random number. I read and respond to the messages from the girls first; agreeing to meet them for lunch. I hesitate
before reading Chris’ message. Unfortunately, I wasn’t drunk enough to completely forget the night. I’m still embarrassed by the rejection. Although last night wouldn’t have been the most memorable night to lose my virginity, I was ready.

  My class will be starting soon. I have to read his text and get it over with.

  Babe, I hope you are feeling okay this morning. I apologize about last night.

  Definitely thought it would be worse. I cringe at how nice he is being after a completely embarrassing night.

  I had a headache this morning but I feel a little better.

  You don’t have to apologize.

  Now the text from the random number.

  Just listen & stay away from him.

  I don’t have time for games. I close my text messages and settle into class. My classes seem to drag, staying awake is difficult. Thankfully, it’s Friday and my classes are only an hour each. After my second class, I walk down to the cafe to meet the ladies for lunch.

  Monica spots me before Jennifer and Nicole do. I join her in the pizza line. “Laila, are you okay? What happened last night? I didn’t expect you back.”

  Thinking about the story makes me not want to drink anymore, or at least not for a while. “I was drunk, tried to seduce Chris, he rejected me, and I was too humiliated to stay at his house.”

  Monica shakes her head and says, “Not ever seeing you drunk before I didn’t realize you had too much to drink. If I had known better I would have tried to convince you to stay in the room.”

  “Thanks. It’ll be a while before I drink again.” I sigh. “How was your night? It looked like you were having fun.”

  “Last night was a lot of fun. This morning was a different story. Shoot, I just wanted to hug my pillow and sleep in all day.”

  “I feel the same. A long nap will be in order after my last class today.”

  “You ain’t never lied.”

  We find the ladies sitting in the back of the cafe. Nicole glares at me. “How was your night last night?”

  “Nicole, why the attitude?”

  Jennifer looks at Nicole and says, “If this is what calm is for you, maybe you need to invest in a dildo.” She rubs her forehead. “This attitude is unnecessary.”

  Nicole slams her fork on the table. “I don’t need sex. I guess Jody hitting on Monica pissed me off. I’m good.”

  Monica winces. “I’m sorry that had to happen.” Nicole stares at Monica.

  Making eye contact with Monica, I whisper to her, “Don’t worry about her, she’ll be fine.” Pulling out my phone, I pass it to Jennifer. “Check out the text message from that random number. I think I have a stalker.”

  Monica gulps. “Maybe you should tell someone. This chick has too much information about you… your phone number, your room number.” She looks around, then leans in closer. “Have you told Chris?”

  “No, at first I thought it was Jennifer and Nicole playing games and until last night I didn’t believe that they really didn’t do it.”

  Jennifer laughs. “I told you it wasn’t us. You should probably tell Chris, cause he’s either messing with her or knows she’s crazy.”

  “After last night, I don’t think I want to tell him right now.”

  Jennifer looks at me confused. “What else happened last night?”

  “To keep it short, I came on to him and he rejected me because he said I was drunk.” I look at Nicole, waiting for her smart-ass remark. She rolls her eyes and looks away.

  Monica stands up and takes her plate. “I have to run to class. I’ll see you ladies later.” We all stand and walk out with her, scattering once we are outside to each of our classes.

  While I walk to the other side of campus, I decide to call the one person who can give me my reality check without making me feel like an idiot.

  “Tanya? How are you?”

  “Hey Laila, I’m good.” Tanya sounds like she was sleeping. “Getting bigger by the day. How are you?”

  “I’m good. I have to tell you about my night.”

  “Uh oh, doesn’t sound like this is going to be a good story. I can hear it in your voice. What happened?”

  I exhale. “I got drunk. Tried to have sex with Chris. And he rejected me.”

  “Ouch. Are you even ready to have sex with him or were you just drunk and horny?” She giggles. “Laila, you don’t even drink. What happened?”

  “I know I should have kept it like that. But I think I am ready to have sex with him but now I’m embarrassed.”

  “A drunk mind does reveal a sober heart. Give it some time. If he didn’t take advantage of the situation, he’s a good guy.”

  “You’re right, but who the hell wants to be rejected?”

  “Laila, have you seen his test results?”

  “When Chris told me how many women he’d slept with when we first

  met, I knew he had to show me some papers. We both got tested a few weeks before we made our relationship official.”

  “Good. And you’re taking your pills right?”

  “I started taking them again a few months ago.”

  “You sound ready. Just be prepared for anything that doesn’t go as planned.”

  “There’s one more thing. I think I have a stalker.”

  “What? That chick did something else?”

  “She sent me a text message.”

  “How the hell does she know so much about you? Do you think she still messes with Chris and got it from him?”

  “I really don’t know, I need to figure it out though. She may be crazy.”

  “Better ask that Negro.”

  “I’m in front of my class. Thanks for listening. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Chapter 27

  Spring semester seems like it is going by faster than the fall semester did. It’s already Valentine’s Day and it feels like we just got back on campus from Christmas break.

  The girls agree to come with me to the mall to find a gift for Chris. After that night in January, I’ve only spent the night with Chris a few times. We hang out, but we both agree that my staying at his house is hard on both of us.

  “What you should be giving him for Valentine's Day is some of that good loving!” Nicole says as we pass Victoria’s Secret.

  “He won’t even be here. He’s headed home for his mom’s birthday.”

  “Does he go home each year?” Monica says with a raised brow.

  “No, but I think they are throwing her a big party this year. He actually invited me to go with him, but I need to study for exams.”

  “Being at his folk’s house would have been nowhere near exciting, but having a rumble in his childhood bed would have definitely been memorable.”

  “Nicole, you are the only person I know who would ever even consider having sex at his parent’s house... especially while they are there.”

  “Girl, whatever. I’ve never done it before. I’m just saying.”

  “Laila?” I hear someone calling my name. I turn around and I’m face to face with Courtney. Before I can respond, she starts speaking. “Are you ready to listen to me yet?”

  Before she continues, I interrupt her and say, “Are you stalking me? Why are you trying to keep me away from Chris?” Crossing my arms, I listen for her response.

  “You won’t be a freshman for much longer. Hopefully, you can keep his attention next year.”

  “I’m not worried about next year. Why are you so worried about me?”

  “Chris and I were together last year when I was a freshman, and coming back after the summer he wasn’t as interested in me. Guess he found you. But I know he still wants me and you’re in the way.”

  I don’t acknowledge her foolishness. Jennifer steps beside me and says, “Do we need to check that heffa?” as she stares at Courtney.

  “No, she’s good.”

  For the rest of our trip, I can only think about Courtney’s last statement. The ladies try to cheer me up. Not much helps. I find Chris some cologne and a card. I decide
that will have to do. We grab some food from the food court then head back to campus.

  “Laila, don’t let that bitter heffa get in your head.” Nicole rubs my back and says, “She had some nerve to even approach you.”

  When we get back to the dorm, I send Chris a text and remind him to stop by the dorm before he heads out.

  Waiting for Chris, the words keep turning in my head but I know he still wants me. I decide I won’t tell Chris about seeing Courtney at the mall. No need to upset him before his long drive. When he comes back, I’ll definitely bring it up, everything this crazy girl has been doing.

  My phone pings with a text from Chris.

  Babe, I’m outside.

  I grab his gift and head out in front of the dorms. The dorm halls are busy as always. I pass a few girls who look like they are practicing dance moves. A few others are just talking across the hall with their doors open.

  I try to hide his gift behind my back. We didn’t necessarily discuss exchanging gifts. I hope I surprise him.

  “What are you hiding?” Chris says with a sly smile when I get in the car.

  “Close your eyes.” When he closes his eyes, I place his gift between us on the center console. I lean over and give him a soft kiss on his lips and say, “Okay, open your eyes.”

  Before he realizes the gift is sitting between us he gazes into my eyes. “You could have brought your books with you to study. I would have enjoyed your company on this trip.”

  “Bring my books? Study? While everyone else is partying? That’s not my idea of fun. I wish I could ride with you, though. Promise me you’ll be safe.”

  When he reaches over to grab my hand, he grazes the gift. “I promise. And what is this?”

  “Just a little something for Valentine’s Day.”

  He opens the bag and says, “Valentine’s Day is definitely a chick holiday. Another day for a man to spoil his woman.” He leans over to give me a kiss. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime, babe.”

  “Since we can’t celebrate this weekend, will you save next weekend for me?”