by Sonya Jesus
“There is no elevator in the Rook.” Avery smiles.
“Right. I thought we were in Royal Hall already.” Natalie reaches the landing first, and we follow behind. “Can you carry me, Harper?”
“No,” she scowls. “Ask your Snapple to do it.”
We laugh all the way to the library intersection between Connor’s hall and ours. The girls wish me luck and make a few Snapple comments as I beeline it to the dorm door. I throw it open, with what little energy I have left, and step into Connor’s hall, bracing myself for our anniversary. Making a mental note to mention Haley’s obsession with him before it escalated into something weirder, I walk down the hall and stop in front of Connor’s room. Before knocking on the door, I pause to give myself a pep talk. It’s your anniversary, Lia. Be happy. Haley says he has a surprise for you. He’s probably going to sing. You are going to love it and smile even if he sucks. I’ll be nice, and I’ll try to tell him I’m a virgin at some point.
My Vixen comes into play now. What if he gives you an awesome gift? You didn’t get him anything. Why not give him a little something?
I could do that. I could let go and lose my v-card tonight. I can even play with his Snapple. Not that I would have any idea how to do that? Maybe I should watch a porn movie to pick up some tips. A more x rated version of American Pie before actually engaging? There’s nothing wrong with doing a little research, right? I’m a science major. That’s what we do.
“Hey, Amelia!” Blaze interrupts my train of thought.
Oh God, what now? I turn my body to face Blaze, not wanting to be rude but hating that I have to reveal my blushing cheeks. “Hey Blaze.” I point to the door, “Going to go hang out with Connor.” I glance at the door again and notice an envelope taped to it with my name on it. I hesitate to reach for it.
“You’re supposed to open it.”
Okay fine, first read the card, then yell about Haley. I take the envelope down and find a printed card with a picture of us on the front. When I flip it open, I read the blue letters: “Happy Anniversary, Baby. Meet us at the Breaker. I have a surprise planned for you.”
Blaze doesn’t look particularly happy about me being on his floor. He fiddles with his glasses.
I notice his red shirt with a pair of black rimmed glasses with tape in the middle. It says “Trust Me I’m a Nerd.” He catches me staring at his very buff chest. I fess up, “Nice Shirt.” He blushes at my comment. I wave the card in the air. “Who’s us?”
“I can’t tell you, it’s a secret. Connor’s orders.”
Fine, but, it better not involve Haley. “How did he know I was done with practice?”
“I texted him when I was following you out of the Rook.” I’m not even going to ask. “I’m only here to escort you to your “Monthaversary.”
“I hate that stupid word,” I mumble to myself.
“I admit, it’s an awkward tradition.” Blaze heard me. “I was under the impression girls liked getting presents and being swept away with all the romance.”
I chuff. “You’re right. He probably spent a lot of time planning this. I should be more enthusiastic.”
He looks around the hall nervously. “We should go, he’s waiting for you.”
“Escort away.”
Blaze holds out his arm so I can hook my hand through it and I follow in silence. When we step out of the dorm hall and head up the Walk of Pride, Blaze stops and looks behind me to the untrimmed bushes, off to the side of his dorm. He squints in that direction, and I quickly get that weird ‘someone-is-watching-me’ feeling again. Did he see something?
Warily, I ask, “Blaze what is it?”
He nods and then rotates my body so that I was facing the library. He points to someone approaching me with a bunch of blood orange roses in their hands.
Okay, maybe a little romantic.
The random guy holds out the flowers in front of me. I reach for the roses, plucking the card from inside. I rub my palm against my speeding heart before I open the little envelope. Blaze holds out a little flashlight, and I read the card: “If at first, you don’t succeed... get a black eye...” I laugh genuinely, releasing some of the tension.
Sweet, Comfortable Connor. I remind myself.
Blaze ushers me another few steps, and another guy, probably from Connor’s hall, comes out from the library with a little box in his hand. The guy hands me the box, and I open it to reveal a hunter green blindfold. Dangling the gift in the air, I eye Blaze curiously, wondering what it means. “Am I supposed to go blindfolded to the Breaker?”
Blaze shrugs, takes the blindfold from my hand and gives the box back to the guy who was standing around. He holds up the cloth at eye level, asking for permission.
I pull it down. “Can you tell me why first? I don’t really like surprises.” Not after the freaky phone calls and weird gifts and surprise space.
“Do you trust me, Amelia?” Blaze is more tense than I am.
“Your shirt tells me I should.” But I barely knew him. “Blaze, you sound like you’re about to kidnap me.”
He chuckles nervously. “You’d probably prefer it to all the attention you’re going to get at the Breaker.” His warning does little for my anxiety. I purse my lips together and raise a brow, hoping he will continue. “I’m only telling you because I know you don’t like attention. Well, not this kind of attention, anyway.”
“He’s going to serenade me at the Breaker.” I knew this much. “With his band.”
“He wanted to do something private, like in the common room at our hall. No one ever uses it.”
“Okay, then why didn’t he?”
He hesitates for a second, holding the blindfold up again. “If I tell you, I get to put this on you, and you will tell no one I told you this. Okay?”
That’s ominous. “Okay. Deal.”
He stands behind me, his chest brushing against my back. “Austin convinced him to do it at the Breaker for um…” He lifts the blindfold up so that it's hovering just above my eyes.
I raise my hands up and hold it in place so he can tie it. “For what?”
“One of the reasons is Marketing.” I feel him tighten the knot behind my head, then repeat the process. “Maybe that’s not the right word… He wanted it to be public so they could get some people to show up and support the band.”
He steps away from my body and moves around until, I assume, he’s standing in front of me. I see nothing now, and I don’t like it.
“Blaze?” I say nervously. “I don’t really understand what you are trying to say, but maybe I shouldn’t go blindfolded.”
“It’s just until we get to the Breaker, okay?” He holds my hand and pulls me close, guiding me down the walkway. “I got you. Just keep in mind what I said.”
“I’m a little hesitant about this,” I say, wanting to take the blindfold off. “I am going trip and fall flat on my ass.”
Focusing on taking careful steps, Blaze’s words flood my mind. What did he say, exactly? They are playing at the Breaker so other people could hear them. It’s a show. I repeat those words to myself until it clicks. “You’re telling me this isn’t about romance and our “Monthaversary? And what are the other reasons?”
“I hate to admit this,” Blaze’s voice goes low. “But I can’t lie to you. He honestly did this to be romantic. He thought he needed to declare it somehow, in a way that you and others would feel secure about how he feels for you. He wanted to do it alone, without the band. Just you and him in his room, with the music. He was going to light a couple candles and order in your favorite food. Austin convinced him that it should be a public declaration. He asked his friends, and the girls agreed they would love it. I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Not the biggest fan of drawing attention to myself,” I admit. “That’s why I’m freaking out about the blindfold.” I trip over my own feet and Blaze steadies me. “You see! I can’t. Let me take this off.”
“Relax. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
&
nbsp; I relax a little. Well, as much as someone blindfolded can relax.
“Just hold onto me. We are almost there. I’m going to put these headphones on you okay?”
I nod and before he puts them on he explains, “They are noise canceling headphones, you are only going to be able to hear what is said from a specific microphone.”
“How is that going to work? Won’t the microphone pick up on the background noise from the crowd?”
“Who said there is a crowd?” Blaze laughs. “No, this one has a special filter that only works with the voice on the microphone. Connor was testing them out this morning.” He pauses. “It’s his attempt at trying to make it more private. I told him you wouldn’t like it.” I laugh awkwardly. “I’m sorry I did that, I shouldn’t have interfered.”
“It’s okay, Blaze.” Truthfully, that’s not half as weird as following me to the Rook and waiting for me to leave. I’m extremely weirded out right now. I don’t want his hands on me, even if they are preventing me from falling flat on my face. And I don’t want these stupid headphones or this blindfold. Before I know it, I am ushered up a couple of steps, and placed on a chair in an air-conditioned room.
My nerves get the best of me. “Blaze take this shit off me right now.”
“Thanks, Blaze. Will you hold on to those flowers for her?” There’s a pause. Connor’s voice seems distant when he speaks. “Isn’t he the best RA?”
I hear nothing but Connor. What did Blaze say these headphones do? It feels like there are lights on in the room, I can see them through the blindfold, but I can’t see anything else.
“Hey, baby.” Connor’s voice soothes me a little. I jerk my head up, trying to find where the voice comes from, but the headphones make it hard to decipher the direction.
“Hey.” I wonder if he hears me.
“I can hear you because of your mic,” he informs me.
“So, I’ve been working on something for you.”
“Does it have anything to do with Eeyore, because we are going to have to-?”
I hear him laughing, and I stop talking. “Everyone can hear what you say.” Oh, right public. But I hear no one else. “Now if you are done yelling at me I kind of have a surprise for you.”
“I’ve heard,” I say softly, feeling out of my element. My hands fly up to the fabric covering my eyes. “Are you going to show me? How about taking the blindfold off? I would rather see it than guess what it is.”
“You can’t take it off, yet. Honestly, you make me kind of nervous.”
“I make you nervous? I’m the one blind and hearing impaired right now.”
He titters into the microphone, overwhelming my senses, invading my mind and relaxing me. Comfortable Connor. The two words ease a smile out of me.
“Fine.” I lean back hesitantly, in case there’s no back to the chair. Once I feel the backrest, I lean my upper body back and cross my arms over my chest. “Romance me then.”
“No pressure,” he jokes. “You see why she needs to be blindfolded.” His voice seems a little more distant, so I assume he’s speaking to the audience.
Silence follows his remark and I fill it trying to recall Blaze’s warning. This was supposed to be private. Connor let himself get carried away. I should probably be happy we aren’t alone, then. Somehow, in front of everyone, there’s less pressure than if we were alone in his room. Unfortunately, this will be all over campus tomorrow.
“This is for you Lia. Sometimes it’s hard to tell you how I feel.”
I don’t make it easy for him to tell me. Music plays, then a husky voice hums. I can’t help the wide smile that plays across my face when his voice makes me shiver. I bite my lip as he tenderly sings the words to one of my favorite songs, I’ll Be by Edwin McCain. His voice is raspy, hoarse like he just woke up. It’s by no means perfect, but damn if it didn’t give me shivers down my spine when he promises to be “better when he’s older.”
Someone takes my blindfold off, and I realize my chair is sitting on a makeshift stage. This is part of the Breaker is usually transformed by Campus Life Staff for movie night or Open Mic night. There are people out in front of me, but the lights are off, and I can only really see the first couple of rows.
Someone swivels my chair towards Connor. When I look into his eyes, I see pure joy. He sits on a stool with a guitar in his hand and a microphone in front, eyeing at me like I am the only one in the room. He smiles nervously, pauses for a second, and takes a deep breath.
I forget everyone around me, loving the both of us and this moment.
He belts out the lyrics, projecting what he felt, what he needed from me. Promising to be more than I expected and everything I ever wanted.
Well damn. He sang to my soul. I wanted him to be all those things that he was telling me he’d be. My eyes watered, and I have no idea why. Maybe I wanted to belong together, after all. He promises me so much with so little, and I keep pulling away. There’ve been guys who have made me cry, but none who made me cry because I was happy.
He finishes the song and bites down on his lower lip, in his own way asking me if this was okay.
I smile at him, blinking back the tears before they fall. He relaxes when he realizes I’m about to cry and says, “Happy anniversary, Lia.”
I stand and saunter over to him, bending down slowly and taking his lips in mine. The crowd cheers but I don’t care. Right now, in this moment… it was he and I, and that’s all that matters.
I reach up and slide the headphones off my ears, letting them rest on my head. The rush of the crowded room hits me all at once. I strain my eyes against the darkness and make out a few people along the walls, but I didn’t care who was here.
Since it was no longer needed, Connor hands his microphone to Austin. Austin reaches for it and passes it to someone behind him and gives Connor a normal one. Connor holds it in his hand, stands and pushes the stool back. He reaches for my hand, leaning into me and whispering. “I love you, Lia.”
My heart stills. I don’t say it back, and after a while, I feel like I need to say something… but what? What do you say when you aren’t ready to say it back?
“Let’s get out of here?” I say. Maybe I could do this. Maybe, I don’t love him yet because I am afraid that he’s going to leave. But he loves me, and I can fall for him.
“Really?” He sounds surprised.
“Well, after you finish serenading me.” I tease.
“I would much rather leave with you.”
That would probably be a good idea. I think giving me time to change my mind is unfavorable. My mind seems to be pretty indecisive this year.
“But I still have some songs to sing, and then we can go, okay? Why don’t you stay up here with me?”
I stay on the stage with him, watching as he sings to the crowd. He chooses another song, one that I don’t recognize. Someone calls my name. It’s really close, so I look behind me but only find Austin strumming the guitar, completely in his element. I hear it again, low and gravely, but I’m so close to Connor that I can only hear his voice. I reach up to my ear and pull the headphones back in place. My name is clearer, but I don’t recognize the voice. I search the dark room, hoping to connect the voice to a face, but it’s no use; most of the audience are cloaked in the shadows.
The light from the hallway casts a glow over some of the people standing near the side of the wall, nearer to the stage. I squint my eyes a bit and realize the Soccer Gods were here, but I couldn’t really tell which ones except for the guys closer to the illuminated door: Presley, Deacon and Coach Reid. None of them had a microphone in their hand, so I concentrate on the people in the front row, searching Connor and Austin’s friends, looking for anything out of place.
“Lia.” The voice calls again before emitting a mischievous laugh. Again, I scan the room, this time more frantically, but no one I have eyes on is laughing. For some reason, I stop searching and focus on Blaze, who is staring at me from the front of the row with disappointment plastered on
his face. I didn’t see him there a minute ago. I flash him a hesitant smile, one he reciprocates. The exchange irks me enough to send quivers down my spine, but it isn’t him who is talking into my headphones.
“Lia.” The annunciation is weird and prolonged. I can’t tell if it is a girl or a guy, just one person or multiple people, but the way they said my name was like they were emphasizing the Lee then adding the ah. Almost singing it. I turn in my chair to see Connor’s band members. There are three of them: Austin on guitar, Cedric on bass and Madden on the drums. Neither of them is singing my name. Not even Connor. When I look back to the crowd, Blaze Hawthorne had disappeared, along with Coach Reid and his team, but the voice didn’t.
“Lia… You have no idea…” The voice says on repeat. I wonder if it’s a recording like in those voicemails, just now it’s taken to rhyming. Which is ridiculous! This whole thing is incredibly stupid and I’m even more insane for actually buying into this nonsense. What am I fearing? A rhyming early bird prankster who has managed to deflect my attention from the guy who serenades me.
Who cares where the voice is coming from, or who Austin gave the microphone to? Pranksters are irrelevant, and I have better things to do than devote any more time to being scared of someone who has nothing better to do than pay attention to me. So, I say into my microphone, hoping that the sound of Connor’s band drowns out my warning, “I’m not scared of you. Just give up.”
The voice doesn’t say anything else after my counsel. I take the headphones off and place them on the floor, and let my Vixen lose herself in Connor’s voice.
Chapter 4: Interference
Hawk
I underestimated Connor.
That’s the Freshman’s last strike.
I will not lose Amelia.
Tonight, he dies.
I have no choice. If I do nothing, he will ruin her.
Connor wooed his way into Lia’s pants in a little over a month. I considered the possibility before, but I didn’t calculate for Amelia’s unexpected behavior. To be completely honest, I expected more from my Queen, and so much more from myself. I failed in protecting her somewhere over the last few months. I didn’t realize I needed to protect her from the Vixen that lives inside her. Maybe, I didn’t want to believe it, and that’s why I’ve been compensating for her rather rash and unforeseen decisions, instead of protecting her against them. Now, it’s too late. I saw that resolve in her eyes.