Alive (Mended Hearts #1)

by Beth Maria

  Coughing startles me out of my trance. I quickly shut my mouth, feeling a blush creeping onto my cheeks. To further humiliate me, Mr Beautiful then smirks, and out pops two dimples! This man cannot be real. I must have knocked myself out somehow and am now dreaming. Men this sexy do not exist. Remembering that I didn’t come here to look for guys, I pull myself together and stand up straight. “Excuse me, please,” I say, trying to sound confident.

  “Sorry, darling,” he says with a wink, then turns and walks away.

  I just stand there, flabbergasted and wondering what the hell just happened. This overly good looking guy just walked into me when he could clearly see that I was here, and then one look into his eyes was all it took for me to be completely mesmerized. I acted like a fool. I’m surprised I didn’t dribble all over the floor! And then he just walked off like nothing happened. Who does he think he is, calling me darling and then winking? I already know that I need to steer clear of this guy; he has player written all over him. None of that matters, though, because I didn’t come here to get involved with guys. I came here to get my degree in English to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher, and no guy, especially not Mr Beautiful, will get in the way of that. Snapping out of my thoughts, I take the last of my belongings up to my room, and then get ready for Chloe’s plans.

  ****

  Chloe decided that we should check out the coffee shop, Cafe Blanc, on campus. Her theory is that all of the hot guys hang out in coffee shops. Where does she get this knowledge from? Stepping inside, I am instantly awakened by the smell of fresh coffee as it hits my nostrils. As I join the line, I look around at the booths filled with students and at the computers in the corner, knowing immediately this is where I be will hanging out between lectures. With the light mocha colored walls covered with pictures of the history of the café and worn red booth seats, it has a homely feeling about the place.

  Searching around the café and looking at everyone gathered around, my eyes land on a familiar face. Mr Beautiful. He’s standing with three guys, who also don’t lack in the looks department, with a tall blonde girl hanging all over him. Seeing that he is engrossed in conversation, I take the time to study him further. How is it possible for him to look even more beautiful than he did earlier? Mr Beautiful puts his arms around Blondie, pulls her flush against his body, and then sticks his tongue down her throat. I feel disgusted. They are definitely not acting PG in public. Do they not have any respect for others? Some people are trying to eat or have a quiet drink in here!

  “Yo, Jesse, what’s up man?” Some surfer looking guy shouts at Mr beautiful. So, Jesse is his name? It suits him.

  “Hey, Brandon, I’ve been looking for you all over, man. We have to head down to practice in thirty minutes or Coach will kick our ass!” Jesse shouts back. He pulls away from Blondie and walks over toward his friend. Hey, I’m not a stalker. I’m just going by what I’ve heard.

  “Can I take your order please, miss? Or are you just going to stand there all day?” Swiveling my head around to face a pissed off barista, I realize that I have been staring for so long at Jesse that I forgot I was waiting to get a coffee. God dammit, why didn’t Chloe say anything? I turn around to see that she is talking to a guy off to my right. Well, she doesn’t hang around, does she! She could have at least told me that she was going to talk to that guy. “Well...?” the barista asks when I still haven’t told her my order.

  “Y-yes, sorry. Could I have a caramel latte, please?” Paying for my drink, the barista turns around to make my drink with a huff. I can’t blame her really; I would have been pissed off with serving me too. The barista passes me my latte, so I turn to go stand with Chloe. Next thing I know, something bumps into me, and my latte ends up all over me. OMG, this freaking burns! Could this day get any worse? This is the second time that someone has bumped into me! Feeling pissed off because my top is starting to stick to my burning skin, and because I didn’t even get to try my latte, I turn around and find Jesse with his hands held up in the air. “YOU! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU’VE BUMPED INTO ME TODAY! WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?” I practically shout. I don’t even care if anybody is looking. I’m so angry, I feel like I might explode at any second. Do I have this big sign on my back saying ’Please feel free to bump into me at any time, Jesse?’ What is this guy’s problem? Putting my hand on my hip, I tap my foot and wait for him to reply.

  “Well, aren’t you a little fire cracker, darling?” Jesse says with a big smirk on his face, showing off his beautiful dimples. If he wasn’t so good looking, it would be easier to be angry with him, but his dimples seem to have doused the fire inside of me, though only a little bit!

  “Don’t call me darling. I am not your darling! Now answer my question. Why do you keep bumping into me? You’re lucky this latte is all over me, or it would be in your face right about now,” I say, while shooting daggers at him.

  “Okay, okay… Whatever you say, darling.” He winks at me, and I feel my temper rising again.

  “But for the record, this morning you bumped into me. I was just walking on the sidewalk like normal people do, minding my own business, when you turned around and smashed a big, hard, heavy box into my chest. And this time, I apologize. My friend and I were messing around, he pushed me too hard, and I fell into you. I am so sorry. Let me buy you another drink?” he asks. Staring into his hypnotizing eyes, I can’t even remember what he just said. I’m sure they have powers, as I seem to be turning into a fourteen year old girl who’s just discovered boys for the first time.

  “O-o-kaay...” I stutter. Turning to ask the cashier for another one, my brain registers what he just said. What did he just do to me to make me forget? He isn’t getting off the hook that easily. Making sure not to look into his hypnotizing eyes, I say, “No, actually, it’s not okay. I can buy my own drink, thank you very much, though I wouldn’t have to if you were watching where you were going! And for the record, as you put it, you could clearly see I was bent over picking something up off of the sidewalk. Now, if you didn’t have your head shoved so far up your ass, you would notice this, wouldn’t you? Actually, don’t answer that. Of course you wouldn’t. Please, just go away. You’ve done enough damage today already.” Shaking my head, I decide that I can’t even be bothered to wait for another coffee. Seeing that Chloe is still talking to some guy, I walk over to her and tell her that I’m going to go back to the dorms to unpack. She doesn’t say anything, just raises her eyebrows in question, but I slowly shake my head. I know I’m off the hook for now, but later, I will have to explain everything.

  Jesse

  I love California. There is no place else in America that I would rather be, which is why I chose to go to college in my home town. At least this way, I will have all of my friends here with me, and I can go home every night without having to sleep in a crowded dorm room. Another plus is that I know all of the easy girls around campus. I’m not going to lie- I’m a bit of a man whore, but at least I let the girls know that I’m not looking for a relationship when we hook up. They know the score before they sleep with me, so I guess that makes them as bad as me. Oh well, that’s their choice.

  College starts up again on Monday, but Coach needed me today to help with the tryouts. So here I am, Friday afternoon, and it sucks ass. I could be out surfing the waves all day, but instead, I have to not only do demonstrations but watch the potential players in the scorching heat. I guess that’s what I get for being captain of the football team. I’m a sophomore here at CSUF on a full football scholarship. I’m determined to be someone and do well in life to prove to my mom that I’m nothing like my pathetic excuse of a father.

  Leaving my house, I hop on my baby, my Ducati. No one is allowed to ride her except me. Not even my friends go near her. They know better. I bought her cheap and done her up by myself while working over the last year because I’m a mechanic on the side of college. See, the logic behind it was that chicks dig motorbikes, especially a good looking guy with muscles and tattoos riding one. It was a wi
n-win situation!

  After starting the engine, I floor it and cruise down the road at 80mph. I love feeling the breeze run through my hair and the thrill of riding my baby fast down winding roads.

  Driving past the beach, I look at the ocean. Man, it’s a perfect day for surfing. I feel like turning my bike around, going home, getting my wetsuit and board, and saying fuck football tryouts! I know, though, that Coach will kick me off the team faster than I can say surfing. Coach Burns is a mean, old, no-nonsense bastard, but he is the best coach we could have. We didn’t lose a single game last season, and we don’t expect to lose this year.

  I pull into the parking lot, jump off my bike, and a release a sigh. Looking around, I don’t see Brandon’s car. I pull out my cell phone and send him a text, asking him where the hell he is. That boy is always late. However, Brandon is like a brother to me, and he has been there for me during the hard times in my life and helped pull me through them. I don’t know what I would do without him, as feminine as that sounds.

  As I walk down the sidewalk toward Café Blanc to see if Brandon is there with the guys, I see a girl bending over a pile of boxes. She must be new with all the boxes she has. Yeah, she’s definitely new; I would remember an ass like that from anywhere. She is wearing short shorts that show off her long, tanned legs that seem to go on forever and a yellow t-shirt. From her position, I can’t see if she has boobs to match that delicious ass. Hey, I’m a red hot blooded male, so don’t judge! All I know is that I have to get a look to see if she’s fit. Deciding that the best course of action is to ‘accidentally’ bump into her, I walk closer to the edge of the sidewalk. I know this is a dick move, but I’m determined now. She is fresh meat, so she knows nothing about me or my reputation.

  When I’m one step away from her, she suddenly turns and smashes straight into my chest. I’m stunned for a few seconds because whatever she has in that box is hard as shit! She looks up, and as I look into her eyes, I can tell she is going to tear into me. It will serve me right, to be honest. I am an asshole. But then something in her eyes changes, and where she was about to say something, nothing comes out and her mouth is just left hanging open. I tend to have this effect on women, and it’s amazing! I notice that she is checking me out, so I take the time to also check out her goods. She’s beautiful in the girl next door kind of way, with brown hair stopping in the middle of her back and the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen on a girl. She has a few freckles dotted across her cheeks, which make her look adorable; I could gaze at them all day. I mentally shake my head. What the fuck was that about? Carry on with your inspection. She will snap out of her daze soon, so I don’t have long left! I sneak a look down at her chest and am greeted with two perfectly sized perky boobs; they would fit into my hands nicely. I could have some fun with them. She has a slim waist which leads to those beautiful long legs that I saw from a distance. She must only be about five foot four. She is tiny!

  “Excuse me, please.” I hear her say. I snap my eyes up to meet hers and give her my signature smirk. It works on all the girls. I’ve heard many girls call it a panty melting smile because it brings out my dimples, and girls are a sucker for them. That’s one thing I can be grateful to my dad about. I got them from him.

  Now that I’ve seen what I wanted to see, and I have to say I’m very pleased, I say, “Sorry darling.” I give her a wink, then turn and walk off. The only thoughts in my head while I walk away are of getting dirty with Little Miss Girl Next Door.

  ****

  Café Blanc is the local hangout between classes, and for me, it’s also a great place to pick up girls. Girls love their coffee, so they are always hanging out in coffee shops. Checking the cafe, there’s still no sign of Brandon. Where the hell could that dipshit be? Deciding that it might be best to call him to find out where the fuck he is, I pull out my cell to dial his number.

  “Jesse, baby. Where have you been lately? I’ve missed you,” Tiffany whines in my ear. Tiffany is my go to girl. We hook up regularly if I can’t be bothered to find different pussy. She knows how I like it, which is an advantage. Sometimes, when I hook up with someone, they can be absolutely shit, and I’m left unsatisfied, so it’s easier just to go see her. She’s a good looking girl, which is a positive thing. At five foot seven, with long straight bleach blonde hair, wide green eyes, and a slim figure most girls would kill to have, is Tiffany Dawson.

  “Tiff, I’ve been busy. You know I’ll call you when I get a spare minute,” I reply.

  “Okaaaaay, I just miss you is all. Come on. Let’s go over to the group.” Pulling on my hand, she drags me over to our friends.

  “Hey, guys. How’s it hanging?” I say to no one in particular.

  “Yo, Jesse, we’re good man. Haven’t seen much of you this break. Where you been?” Tom, one of my team mates, asks.

  “Busy, my man, very busy,” is the only reply they are going to get from me. I can’t exactly say that I’ve been hooking up with a different girl nearly every night or Tiffany will get pissed off, and then who will I call? Putting my arms around Tiffany to keep her sweet, I keep up with pointless chit chat and try to act interested. I get the sensation that someone is watching me, so I look out the corner of my eye as not to make it too obvious and see the girl with the perfect ass from the sidewalk. She hasn’t noticed that I’ve caught her staring right at me. Well, I might as well make it worth her while. Spinning Tiffany in my arms so she is facing me, I drop my head to hers and kiss her. I need to make it a little more x-rated if I’m going to give Little Miss Girl Next Door a show. Deepening the kiss, I gaze out the corner of my eye and see that she looks disgusted. Oh yeah, she is wishing it was her I’m kissing, even if her face has disgust written all over it.

  “Yo, Jesse, what’s up man?” Brandon shouts while walking over to us. About fucking time he showed up.

  “Hey, Brandon, been looking for you all over man. We have to head down to practice in thirty minutes or Coach will kick our ass!” I make my way over to him and slap his back in greeting. Noticing that Little Miss Girl Next door is ordering her drink, I think of a quick plan to get her attention. “Hey, Brands, I need your help.”

  “Whatsup, brother?” he replies.

  “You see that girl over there?” I whisper and point to the girl.

  “The one with the brown hair? What about her?” he asks.

  “I need you to do me a favor and ‘accidentally’ push me into her. I’ll fill you in on the details later, but this is important. Okay?”

  I move over so that I’m practically standing behind her, and then give Brandon the signal to push me on the count of three. One, two... He shoves me full pelt into the girl just as she picks up her drink, which ends up down the front of her shirt. Result, it’s going to go see through. I just hope that wasn’t a hot drink in there. Shit, it’s a bit late to think of that. God, I’m such a douche! Putting my hands up in the air, in a surrender motion, I remain still and wait for her fury.

  “YOU! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU’VE BUMPED INTO ME TODAY! WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?” she screams at me. Jesus, this girl obviously doesn’t care that everybody has stopped what they were doing and are now staring at the scene unfolding before them.

  Liking her feistiness, I smirk. As I pull out my lady killer dimples, I say, “Well, aren’t you a little fire cracker, darling?” A bit of the anger in her eyes dissipates. I know she’s forgiving me a tiny little bit. Ladies can’t resist my charm.

  “Don’t call me darling, I am not your darling! Now answer my question. Why do you keep bumping into me? You’re lucky this latte is all over me, or it would be in your face right about now!” Okaaaay, maybe I was wrong. Wow, this girl is confusing. I never EVER have trouble when it comes to reading girls. They are like an open book to me, but this one has got me stumped!

  Trying to act indifferent to the situation, I say, “Okay okay, whatever you say, darling.” I wink at her for good measure. “But for the record, this morning you bumped into me. I was just walking o
n the sidewalk like normal people do, minding my own business, when you turned around and smashed a big, hard, heavy box into my chest. And this time, I apologize. My friend and I were messing around, he pushed me too hard, and I fell into you. I am so sorry. Let me buy you another drink?”

  Little Miss Girl Next Door as I’m going to call her, because I don’t have a clue what her name is, stutters, “O-o-kaay...” Staring into her eyes, I can tell she has calmed down. The fire has dimished from her beautiful eyes. She turns back to the barista, ready to order another drink. I’m completely blindsided when she whips around to face me with the thunderous look back on her face or when she opens her mouth to speak. “No, actually, it’s not okay. I can buy my own drink, thank you very much, though I wouldn’t have to if you were watching where you were going! And, for the record, as you put it, you could clearly see I was bent over picking something up off of the sidewalk. Now, if you didn’t have your head shoved so far up your ass, you would notice this, wouldn’t you? Actually, don’t answer that. Of course you wouldn’t. Please, just go away. You’ve done enough damage today already.” Then she’s walking away

  Staring at her retreating form, I’m left wondering what the hell just happened. My plan definitely backfired. Why is this girl immune to my charms? I’ve only seen her twice, and I already know that I need to figure her out.

  Chapter 2

  Maisie

  My first semester starts today. A new chapter of my life is starting today. A lot is starting today... This is a very important time for me, and to say that I’m a little scared would be a lie. I’ve never been so petrified in my life. I’m starting my future by myself, without the help of my friends or family. Yes, I have my best friend Chloe, but we are taking different classes, meaning I will be all on my own. That is some scary shit!