“You look happy,” he noted. He had commented on Alex’s nonchalant and dull behavior ever since he won at Manchester.
“I am,” Alex replied cheerfully.
“I’m happy to hear that,” his dad said. “Is there any particular reason or is your win at Manchester finally hitting you?”
“It’s Jules,” Alex replied simply.
“Ah,” his father said as if he was expecting this reply.
“She forgave me,” Alex continued.
His father looked tired. “Just don’t get distracted again,” his tone was resigned. “Jules is a nice girl and I can tell you care about her. Maybe I cannot keep you two apart. Maybe I shouldn’t even try.”
“You shouldn’t,” Alex said with finality in his tone. “It’s not going to work. I was a coward so I pushed her away. Scared of how much she meant to me. You gave me the validation I needed to leave her. That’s all.”
“Well, take good care of her then,” was all his dad said.
“She’s pregnant,” Alex told him.
His father was surprised at first but then he nodded. He patted Alex on the back and congratulated him.
Later, Alex dragged his younger sister with him to find the perfect ring for Jules. He rejected about fifty of them to his sister’s frustration. It was a long night but worth it when they found the perfect one.
Chapter 22 – Jules
Since her promotion, Jules became busier and busier. She had to take a leave from her Karate classes. She was in Donna’s training room, collecting her equipment when she came across Carlotta and another blonde girl who she had never seen before.
“We’re looking for Alex,” Carlotta informed her.
“He’s waiting in the car,” Jules replied.
“You must be Jules,” the blonde girl said.
“I am.”
“Jules. The girl Alex is so serious about,” Carlotta said, her tone mocking.
“Alex can’t be serious with a girl,” the blonde replied. “He’s Alex.”
Jules shook her head, walking away. The girls followed, chatting and gossiping.
“I remember back in university, he had a new girl in his bed every night,” the blonde was saying.
“Well, I fell in love with him after the first night we spent together,” Carlotta replied. “He does wonders in bed. He was so rough and ruthless. I’ve never had such amazing sex.”
The blonde nodded. “What I love is how he can be gentlemanly and rough at the same time during sex. It was such a turn on. He took me against the wall, at the back of the gym once. Luckily there was no one around. I bet you could hear my screams all over the ground though.”
“What about you, Jules?” Jules heard the blonde say from the back.
“I’m not discussing Alex with you girls,” Jules replied warily.
“Why?” Carlotta said. “Are you shy?”
Jules had to laugh at that.
“I heard you both are back together,” Carlotta continued.
“Don’t worry,” the blonde assured Carlotta. “He’ll leave her soon enough too.
Shaking her head, Jules exited the club. Outside, she met Alex. He kissed her sweetly, taking her bags from her hand and throwing them at the back of the car. Carlotta and the blonde surrounded him, chattering away. Jules sat in the passenger seat, leaving Alex to struggle with them on his own. Moments later, he opened the car door, looking exhausted.
“You’ve got quite a fan club,” Jules said as he reversed the car.
Alex shot her an annoyed look.
“I had to hear them talk about you from the third floor to here. It was torturous,” Jules was amused at his obvious discomfort.
“What did they say?” Alex said as if not wanting to hear the reply.
“They kept talking about how rough you are in bed,” Jules continued, teasing him. “How come I’ve been denied of that pleasure?”
“I thought you like it slow,” He sounded annoyed. “I didn’t want to hurt you. But if you wanted me to be rough Jules, you only had to say the word.”
She remembered his tender and gentle movements when they had sex. The way he had taken his cues from her. The way he had asked if she was okay. The way he had sweetly complimented her.
“I do want to see that side of yours,” Jules admitted.
“I’ll gladly show you,” Alex said, making her laugh.
Alex left her at her apartment, only to return near midnight. He insisted that Jules accompany him. She quickly donned appropriate clothes at his insistence and got in the car. She noticed they were going towards the ice skating rink. When they reached it, it was completely empty. The lights in the trees were glowing and soft music could be heard from the café which still had a few people lingering. They didn’t put on their skates but Alex led her to the middle of the rig.
“Why are we here, Al?” Jules asked, confused.
“It’s beautiful here at midnight.”
“I know,” Jules agreed.
“I thought it’s the perfect setting for this,” Alex said and suddenly, he was kneeling down.
Jules’ heart skipped a beat as he took her hands in his.
Jules was speechless as he asked the question. She heard herself say yes and saw him slip on a slim, diamond studded ring on her finger. He did it perfectly, she thought as he stood up and hugged up. Jules couldn’t make sense of all the emotions she was feeling so she just held him there for what seemed like hours.
The coffee shop showered them with free food and drinks after witnessing what happened at the ice rig. They stayed there for hours, exchanging kisses and holding each other.
Chapter 23 – Epilogue
Jules didn’t know what the future held for her. She didn’t know how life was going to turn out. She didn’t know where life will take her. But with Alex by her side, she thought she could tackle anything life threw at her. With Alex by her side, she was happier. With Alex by her side, she was stronger.
Thinking back, Alex was still surprised at how much Jules had changed him and his life. She had come into his life like wildfire; maybe that explained her red hair and fiery temper. She had supported him, loved him and made him stronger.
Alex and Jules were probably the most unlikely couple one would ever come across. She was short tempered and he was calm. She was diplomatic. He was impulsive. She smiled and laughed a great deal. He did, too but sometimes, she had to remind him to. She wanted to work in the corporate world, make a name and start her own company. He wanted to continue MMA, to go on to become a world champion. In terms of future plans, she wanted to travel, he wanted to settle down. She wanted to go with the flow. He wanted to plan out their life.
Wherever life would take them, they were content knowing that they had each other; a constant reminder of support and strength.
“Hey, Alex,” Jules said one night, as they were skating on the ice rink that held so many memories. “Is it true you have a thing for redheads?”
Alex looked surprised. “Who said that?”
“Carlotta. At your sister’s wedding. She said you’ve dated multiple redheads,” Jules sounded amused like she usually did while discussing his past and how uncomfortable it made him.
“You’re the only redhead in my life, love,” Alex said.
“I’m pleased with that,” Jules said, laughing. She took his hand and pulled him along as she started skating again. He had been getting better at it too, courtesy of Jules.
It was midnight and the stars were shining above them. The trees were glowing and the ice was smooth. The wind was pleasant and the rink was nearly empty. They were together. And happy.
The End
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The Campus Player
A College Love Triangle Romance
Caroline Lake
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br /> The Campus Player
Copyright 2016 by Caroline Lake
First electronic publication: January 2017
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.
The Campus Player
Prologue
Lucas Sawyer spent most of the evening not thinking about Ella Scott. In other words, Lucas Sawyer spent most of the evening trying not to think of Ella Scott. He actually did spend around thirty minutes not thinking of Ella before she came into his vision and his resolve crashed there and then.
Lucas was tall with dark black hair, which-much like himself-never seemed to cooperate. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and a long, straight nose. He had an easy smile, a crooked grin and an air of arrogance around him though deep in his heart, he was a good person. His tall demeanor was perfect for a basketball player. He had been elected captain while he was a freshman; something that had never happened before in the history of the university. He was also an eloquent writer. His articulate talent for writing combined with his passion for basketball was what made him so alluring to women. That, coupled with his good looks and distant conduct made them swoon over him.
Lucas watched as Ella walked hand in hand with Patrick, their backs retreating as they walked away from where he stood. Ella’s blonde hair swung as she walked. She seemed to be in an intense conversation with her boyfriend. This was the first time he was seeing her in two months. He had been away on a holiday with his family and had barely had any contact with her during the holidays. His gaze lingered on her for a moment. Lucas turned away as he brought the cigarette to his lips. Inhaling deeply, he allowed the smoke to engulf him. Instantly feeling better, Lucas started to head towards the ground where he knew his best friend Adam would be waiting.
Meanwhile, Ella Scott wished she was anywhere but where she currently was.
“I love you,” Patrick had said, only minutes earlier, shattering their perfect moment. They were sharing a fantastic kiss before Patrick had pulled away and decided to confess his love for her.
Love. Love was great. Love was fantastic. She certainly liked Patrick a great deal. He was gentle and unassuming. She liked the way his hands rested on her hips when he kissed her. She liked how he had been extremely respectful in front of her parents when they met him in the summer. He was absolutely gorgeous, with smooth brown hair, tender brown eyes and a charming smile that was never used with bad intentions.
She liked Patrick.
She loved someone else (though she did not know it yet).
Ella sighed. “I can’t say that back,” she told him. Patrick had guessed that much when he saw the confusion in her eyes during the thirty seconds between his confession and her reply. “I mean,” Ella pressed on. “You know how I am. I can’t say that back until I’m sure I absolutely mean it. I like you, Patrick and I care about you a lot but until I truly, completely, unconditionally meant it—”
“I understand,” her boyfriend smiled down at her though he looked dejected.
“We’ve only been together a month,” Ella tried to explain again.
“I know. I was just telling you how I feel. I wasn’t expecting a reciprocal, Ella.”
He kissed the top of her forehead and started to walk again, pulling Ella along. She noticed how quickly he had brushed off the disappointment and moved on. Adding that to his list of admirable qualities, Ella continued to walk with him.
Ella Scott didn’t care much for drama. In fact, she cared so little that she would barely know of any taking place around her had it not been for her best friend Mary Shields, who, contrary to Ella, lived for gossip and drama. Ella’s first instinct was always to roll her eyes and consider it to be childish when people talked about drama as if it was the next NASA discovery of life on Mars. And that is precisely what she did when she walked through the corridors of the Astronomy department of her college and heard of the latest scandal of some poor guy and girl who had no idea they were going to become the topic of discussion the next morning. Patrick had gone off for his classes, leaving Ella to attend to her own.
Meanwhile, Mary Shields had her arms around Stebbins’ neck as they shared a kiss. They had found themselves in a small bathroom in the early hours of the day. Stebbins had accidently turned the tap on a few times and Mary’s panties seemed to be missing but other than that, the experience was well worth a few bruises. Stebbins grinned at her as he fiddled with his belt. Mary sat on the sink, feeling light headed and blissful. It was only the first day of classes and she was already missing them in favor of having sex with her boyfriend (was he even really her boyfriend?). All promises of ditching boys in favor of studying had been forgotten this morning. But Mary still believed she could stay on track. Smiling happily, she exited the bathroom alone (Stebbins had exited a few moments earlier) and headed for her first class.
Chapter 1
“Luke!” Ella called out. Lucas, who was leaning on the pillar as he watched Adam and the rest of the team play, turned around at the sound. Ella was jogging towards him. He felt himself cheer up against his will as he watched her approach. “Luke!” she said again before throwing her arms around him. Lucas laughed at her enthusiasm as she hugged him tightly. Her soft blonde hair brushed against his cheeks and he noticed that they smelled of rosewater. His arms wrapped around her waist.
“Whoa, missed me?” he asked her.
“Was positively lost,” Ella said as she released him. As she stepped back, he finally got a good look at her.
Ella Scott had straight, blonde hair that fell to her waist. She had a pretty face with brown eyes and a golden nose ring which went nicely with her facial structure. She was almost as tall as Lucas. She had pulled back her hair with a black hairband which matched with her black outfit. Ella wore black a lot; in fact, sometimes it seemed as if her whole closet consisted of black items and nothing else.
“I haven’t seen you in two months. You need to tell me all about Italy,” Ella said.
“Eh, there isn’t much to tell.”
“Oh come on!” Ella’s eyes were twinkling. “I’m sure there are a few stories. I’ve heard Italian women are very pretty.” She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
Lucas laughed.
“I saw you earlier,” he said, changing the topic.
“You saw me and you didn’t come up to meet me? Even though we haven’t met in two months?” Ella feigned anger. “Is this what our friendship has been reduced to?”
“You were with Prince Charming,” Lucas replied. Prince Charming was the name he had come up with for Patrick out of bitterness at first, but now it had become somewhat of a private joke between the two. Patrick was the old fashioned, gentlemanly type who was literally the Prince Charming of any girl he dated.
Ella rolled her eyes. “Prince Charming dropped a bomb on me today.”
“How amusing. What was it?”
“He said he loved me.”
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat but he tried to tell himself he doesn’t care anymore. “Good for him,” he replied, without a hint of anything he felt.
“I didn’t say it back though,” Ella continued. “I couldn’t say it back.”
“What did you say, then?”
“I told him I can’t say it back.”
Lucas smiled inwardly at that. It was such an Ella thing to do. Some girls would feel pressurized to say it back and end up lying. Others would not respond. Ella would answer and tell him she can’t say it back. Lucas also felt a vicious happiness at that. Ella didn’t love him. That should mean something good for Lucas.
Lucas Sawyer and Ella Scott had been friends since high school. It didn’t start off too smoothly which was partly because of Lucas’s extreme arrogance and his belief in his undeniable charm. Lucas Sawyer was as popular as any teenage boy can hope to be. He was every girl’s dream; basketball player, poet and the son of a big business tycoon. Lucas relished in the attention and admiration he received. So naturally, Lucas felt as if he was going to get any girl he set his mind on. In his haughty teenager phase, Lucas had asked Ella out multiple times. Normally, her harsh replies always amused him since he was convinced that no girl would want to deny Lucas Sawyer and that she was only playing hard to get. It became more of a game to Lucas: How to get Ella Scott to say yes to him. He was obsessed with playing this game. It was only later that he realized somewhere along all the games, the intense but interesting arguments with her and the rare, calmer moments when they weren’t arguing, he had fallen for Ella. He didn’t tell her, though. Once he stopped asking her out at every opportunity he had and deflated his ego a little, which happened in the summer after high school, Ella and Lucas developed a close friendship. As fate would have it, they even ended up at the same college.
Adam jogged to where Ella and Lucas were continuing their playful banter.
“Ella Scott,” he greeted.
“Adam,” Ella sang giving him a one armed hug. “Why haven’t I seen you all summer?”
Romance: The College Bad Boy: A Young Adult Romance Page 34