by J. S. Cooper
“Hey, sorry about him. He’s an idiot.” Nate made a face. “I hope he didn’t offend you.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said quickly.
“Do you girls want to dance?” Nate asked and I couldn’t tell if he was more interested in dancing with me or Anabel.
“I’m going to go and check out the food,” Anabel said quickly. “You guys dance, and I’ll catch up with you both.”
“Oh.” Nate paused. “We could all check out the food and then dance if you want.”
“No, that’s okay.” Anabel said, as I just stood there awkwardly. He totally wasn’t interested in me. He wanted Anabel. I almost felt like crying. I wanted to just leave the party. I was an idiot.
“Ready, Janie?” He grabbed my hands before I could walk away. “I warn you, I’m a terrible dancer.”
“That’s okay. I suck as well,” I said, almost giddily as he pulled me across the room to the makeshift dance circle that had started.
A Drake song started playing on the speakers and I watched as Nate started moving back and forth, his head beating in time to the music. He was laughing as he rocked back and forth out of time, and I quickly sipped the rest of my drink and started moving in beat to the music, tossing my hair back and forth like I had no cares in the world. In that moment I felt like I was on top of the world. Maybe he did like me. Maybe this really was the beginning to my fairytale story.
“So, Janie, tell me,” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me towards him so that we were dancing closer together. His lips came down toward my face and in that moment I knew for sure he was going to kiss me.
“Yes?” I said as I looked up at him, my lips slightly parted. “What do you want to know?”
“What’s Anabel’s story? Is she serious with her boyfriend?” he whispered in my ear, and it took everything in me to not pull away from him.
“Yes, yes, she is,” I answered, not making eye contact with him.
“Oh, okay.” He nodded. “She’s cute.”
“Yeah,” I said, as we continued dancing. I wanted to tell him that I thought he was a jerk. What about me? Didn’t he think I was cute?
“You seeing anyone?” he asked as we continued dancing, but he didn’t sound like someone that was dying to hear the words no. I pretended not to hear him and he didn’t ask me again.
“So how long have you been playing chess?” he asked me as we stopped dancing and walked over to the side of the room.
“Not very long,” I said, not even caring to lie about it any longer. I just wanted to leave. I didn’t need his small talk.
“We should play some time,” he said, his face eager as he looked at me. My heart skipped a beat, but the pessimistic side of me realized that he was most probably asking me just so he would have an excuse to see Anabel.
“Yeah, one day.” I looked around the room to see if I could find Anabel. There was a guy staring at me and smiling and I could feel myself blushing as he gave me a small wave.
“What about this weekend?” Nate asked me, but I was too focused on the cutie in the plaid shirt to pay attention to him. “Janie?”
“Sorry, what?” I said as I looked at his frowning face.
“Do you want to play chess this weekend?” he asked me with a shy smile.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “Maybe ask Anabel. She’s most probably free.”
“Oh …” He looked confused, and I watched as he ran his hands through his golden locks. “I guess I can ask her.” He stopped talking and we just stared at each other for a few seconds. “So I was wondering if …”
“Hi there.” A deep voice interrupted our conversation and I turned to see the cute guy in the plaid shirt next to us.
“Hi,” I said with a wide smile.
“Hey, Brad.” Nate grunted. “What’s up?”
“Not much, man. You?” Brad fist bumped Nate. “Introduce me to your hot friend.”
“This is Janie. Janie, this is Brad.” Nate said reluctantly, as my face burned. Hot friend? Me? Brad thought I was hot? Yay!
“Nice to meet you, gorgeous.” Brad took my hand and kissed it.
“You, too,” I said, a little taken aback by his gesture.
“Hope you don’t mind the kiss. I’m a southern gentleman.” Brad batted his eyelashes at me. “And when I see a lady I have to treat her right.”
“Oh, no worries.” I giggled. I could see Nate’s carefree expression had changed and he looked disapprovingly at us.
“You’re so gorgeous, Janie. Where have you been all my life?”
“Brad, you’re laying it on a bit strong, dude.” Nate made a face at him. “Janie and I were just talking.”
“Dude, you were talking, but she was looking. Directly at me.” Brad winked at me. “You must have been boring her.”
“Brad.” Nate glared at him.
“Dude, the truth hurts.”
I looked over at Nate, who looked angry. I was surprised at his expression. What did he care if Brad was flirting with me? He wasn’t interested in me. He was only using me to get to talk to Anabel. I couldn’t believe he’d had the nerve to ask me about her boyfriend and say she was cute. What about me? Why hadn’t he said I was cute? Why hadn’t he asked if I had a boyfriend? Shit, he had barely even remembered my name.
“So, Janie,” Brad leaned towards me and put his arm around my shoulder. His bright blue eyes were a few inches from mine and I could smell the beer on his breath.
“Sorry, dude. We’ll catch up with you later.” Nate grabbed my hand. “We were just going to go outside to chat.” Nate pulled me with him towards the front door, and I could see Brad staring at us as we walked away.
“Hey, what was that about?” I asked him as we walked out of the back door and into the yard.
“Brad’s a douche bag,” he said as he let go of my hand. “Trust me, I just saved you from a fate worse than death.”
“He seemed nice to me.”
“He seems nice to every girl, until they wake up the next morning naked with him gone.”
“What?” I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“He just wants to get laid. Once he gets laid, he’s no Southern gentleman, trust me. He’s gone, like the wind.”
“Uhm, okay.” I said. “I wasn’t going to sleep with him.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say.” He winked at me. “He has charm.”
“Unlike you, huh?” I said, starting to feel annoyed. What was Nate’s deal? I barely knew him, but was already starting to feel like maybe he wasn’t the Prince Charming I’d assumed he was going to be.
“I’m not a one and done man,” he said and laughed.
“Wow, okay.” I made a face at him. “That’s crude.”
“I’m just being honest.”
“You’re nothing like I thought you were going to be.” I said as I stared at him.
“What did you think I was going to be like?” He looked curious. “We only met once at the chess club.”
“Yeah, I know…” My voice trailed off. I wasn’t going to tell him that I’d seen him in the library and had an insta-love moment with him. Especially now that it was already fading. Easy come, easy go, I suppose.
“I’m glad you girls came to the party, though,” he said. “I don’t meet many girls that like to play chess.”
“Well, you know.” I shrugged. “I guess that’s just how life is.”
“Huh?” He looked confused. “Ooh, look, a shooting star.” He pointed up at the sky. “Cool, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s cool.” I said as I looked up, suddenly feeling calm and at ease again. “It’s a beautiful night.” I said as we stood there.
“It sure is.” His voice was sweet and as I looked over at him, I could see that he was staring at my face.
“What are you doing?” I said nervously as he looked at me, a soft look on his face.
“What do you mean?” he said, his eyes not leaving mine.
“Is there something on my face or something?�
�� I said self-consciously as he continued staring at me. He moved over closer to me and I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“No.” He shook his head and smiled. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, okay.” I took a step back, confused as to what was going on. Was he making a move on me? And why? I’d thought he was interested in Anabel.
“You’re really pretty. You know that?” he said as he grabbed my hand.
“Thanks.” I blushed. His hand was warm against mine and I stared into his blue eyes, completely mesmerized by his gaze.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked softly. “We can climb up to the top of the hill and look down at the city. There’s a cool swing at the oak tree right over there.” He pointed to the right and I could see the hill he was talking about.
“Sure,” I said, wondering what was going on and if I should invite Anabel. My heart was racing. Was he going to try and kiss me? Maybe I’d misunderstood his earlier comments. Maybe he really did like me as well. Maybe he wasn’t really interested in Anabel.
“Shall we look for Anabel and invite her as well?” he asked just then, and my heart sank again. What the hell was up with this guy?
“Yeah, I don’t think tonight is a good night,” I snapped at him. I wasn’t in the mood for his games. “I shouldn’t leave her alone at the party and I don’t think she will want to go for a long walk. She’s wearing heels.”
“Oh, sad,” he said, and then he gave me a winning smile. “Can I do something else instead, then?”
“What’s that?” I asked, wanting to just walk away from him.
“This.” He lightly pressed his lips against mine, before stepping back. The moment was magical, and I swore I felt a little sparkle of electricity buzzing between us as our lips met. I just stared up at him, his face illuminated by the moon. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I could see he looked a little dazed.
“We should go back inside.” He blinked at me, walking away quickly as he headed towards the house again.
“Okay,” I said, once again confused. This guy was obviously bipolar or some sort of weird yo-yo human being. I couldn’t keep up with him.
“Sorry about that.” He stopped outside the door. “That was totally inappropriate of me.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “It was barely a peck.”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have just done that. I hope you don’t think I’m that sort of guy.”
“What sort of guy?” I was starting to think he was crazier than me.
“The sort of guy that tries to take advantage of pretty girls.”
“You think I’m pretty?” I blushed at his words.
“Yeah.” He looked confused as he nodded. “But you know that. Every guy here has been trying to talk to you.”
“No, they haven’t.” I shook my head, but I felt like I was floating on air. “You’re a weird guy, Nate.”
“I told you. I’m a nerd.” He laughed and then grabbed my hand. “Shall we go back in and grab another drink?”
“Yeah.” I smiled back at him. “Let’s do that.”
Chapter Three
Nate
The music was too loud and the room was packed with too many people. I was starting to feel annoyed at all the guys that were staring at Janie. And at the fact that she was constantly by my side, batting her eyelashes up at me. I handed her a drink and she took it eagerly, sipping it down as if it were Koolaid. I could tell that she was already a little bit tipsy and that frustrated me. Why was she getting drunk at a frat party full of guys she didn't know?
"What do you want to do?" she asked me, her eyes bright as she smiled at me uncertainly.
"I might get going soon," I said as I looked around the room. I was starting to feel tired and I had get up early the next day to go for a bike ride with some friends. "You going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine." She nodded, her eyes moving away from mine.
"Shall I help you look for Anabel before I leave then?"
"Don't worry about it," she snapped and I looked at her more carefully. What was her deal? She'd been acting weirdly all night. I didn't know this girl, but I did wonder if she was suffering from sort of bipolar disorder. She was super fun and bubbly one moment and then distant the next. I could barely keep up with her. I felt bad that I'd kissed her. I sure hoped that she wasn't reading anything into it. I knew that some girls got a bit carried away when guys were flirty, and I sure didn't want to give her the wrong impression.
"Do you want me to take you girls home?" I asked, wondering if it was safe to leave them here. I knew the Sigma guys would be happy to hookup with either of the girls, and I would feel personally responsible if something went down, seeing as I'd invited them to the party.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She rolled her eyes at me. "Anabel has a boyfriend, dude."
"I know that. And?" I gave her a look. What was her problem?
"Nothing." She shrugged and sighed. "It's been a long day."
"Apparently." I studied her face for a moment and wondered if I should ask her why she and Anabel had pretended to know how to play chess, but I decided against it. I didn't have any sisters but I knew enough to know that girls could be weird if they got caught out in a lie.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her cute face pinched as she stared at me. Her big brown eyes were wide and accusatory and her lips were a thin red line. I wondered what she would have done if I'd leaned forward to kiss her. She'd either slap me or reach her hands down my pants. One of two extremes, and I wasn't willing to find out which way she'd go.
“Nothing.” I gave her a smile and before I could stop myself I reached over and touched her hair. “You have really pretty hair.”
“Uhm, okay. Thanks.” She offered me a confused smile as I stared at her now wavy black tresses. They’d been straight when she arrived and I wondered if she knew that she looked better when her hair was more unruly. It suited her personality. She definitely seemed like she would be a handful. Not the sort of girl I would want to date, for sure. She seemed like she was way too much drama, but she would be a fun friend. I was about to ask her if she wanted to play chess the next week, but I could see her attention had shifted and she was smiling at some guy to the right of us. If I wasn’t wrong, it was Tad, one of the guys from the football team. I could feel myself growing tense as I saw her playing with her hair and eyeing him. I looked over her body and I could feel myself slightly aroused. She was hot, no doubt about that. I was annoyed that she had shifted her attention away from me.
“So, Janie.” I grabbed her hand and her eyes flew up to mine in surprise.
“Yeah?” she said, her face confused and her voice flustered. I held onto her hand and pulled her closer towards me. She batted her eyelashes up at me and I smiled down at her. I could feel my tension easing. I had her full attention now.
“You interested in Tad?” I asked her, my voice sounding gruff.
“Who?”
“Tad,” I nodded towards the football player, who was now already flirting with another girl.
“I don’t even know him.” She shook her head, and I put my arms around her waist. She felt warm and soft against my body. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I liked the feeling of her next to me. She started dancing slowly and I could feel her body rubbing up against me. She was starting to turn me on, and I leaned down and kissed the top of her hair. It smelled like vanilla beans and I smiled. Of course she would smell delicious as well. Everything about her was scrumptious, from the way she smiled to the way she moved. She was sexy and funny, but I knew that she wasn’t the sort of girl I was interested in getting involved with.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Janie?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking her, but I was curious.
“No.” She smiled up at me. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.” I laughed. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“Oh, okay.” I could tell she wanted to say more. Most
probably find out why I didn’t want to date, but she wasn’t asking.
“I’m applying to grad schools next year. Most probably out of state. No point trying to have a long distance relationship at that point, you know?”
“Sure.” She nodded. “So you just sleep around and have fun?”
“Would you judge me if I said yes?” I winked at her and laughed as she shook her head, her eyes showing her disapproval. She was definitely an old-fashioned type of girl.
“No, I don’t judge. I just don’t believe in sleeping around.”
“So you’re the sort of girl that wants a commitment before you get down and dirty?” I whispered against her lips so that I was almost kissing her.
“What are you doing?” Her face reddened and I pulled back slightly.
“Sorry, was just trying to figure out if you wanted a kiss.”
“I don’t understand you,” she said suddenly. “Are you playing games with me?”
“Games?” I blinked at her, surprised at her words. “What do you mean?”
“You try to kiss me, but you keep asking about Anabel? What’s up with that?”
“Uhm, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I dropped my hands from around her waist and took a step back. “I’ve just been friendly to both of you. That’s it.”
“Well, you’re confusing me.” She sighed. “I can’t read you.”
“There’s nothing to read.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Look, sorry. It’s been a long week. I’ve got to get out of here.”
“Uhm, okay.” Janie stood there staring at me like I was some sort of alien. I knew that I was being weird. I knew that she most probably didn’t understand where I was coming from or why I was acting the way that I was. I knew she didn’t understand because I didn’t really understand myself.
“You can come if you want.” I wasn’t sure why I said the words. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Come where?” she asked me and I started laughing. This girl really didn’t have a clue, did she?