Pushing Limits (Fighting Love: Book 1)

by cross, kali

  “Get your ass over here. Do I look like a waitress?” She grins taking a seat in one of our chairs.

  I scoot off the bed and take the seat opposite her. “You know he was really sweet. I had a nice time.” I take a sip and smile slyly. “And you’re right, the man can kiss.”

  “You little vixen.” Sally nudges me, and we both giggle. “Do you think you’ll go out with him again? What about Tommy?”

  “Tommy’s gone. I wish I had the opportunity to explain…but you were right. I lied. He caught me. I lost him because I couldn’t do the one thing, that I always felt was so important, be honest. I am so quick to cut people out my life who do that shit to me. How can I blame him for doing the same?” I sigh, studying my glass, twirling the yellow liquid in the glass. “Yeah, I think I will go out with Bobby again. I’ve never dated someone like him. He definitely lives up to the tall, dark, and mysterious stereotype.”

  “Who, Bobby? Mysterious?” Sally laughs. “Shish! He’s such an open book.” She waves me off with a smirk and gets up to make us two more drinks.

  Chapter 19

  “Mi amour, it was only to get your attention. I want you back in my life.” I hear Bobby’s voice deep in the library stacks, and I turn toward the sound, listening. Maybe this is why he’s given me the cold shoulder since our hot and heavy session got cut short by Sally.

  “It’s always been you, mi amour. Can’t you see that?”

  I freeze when I hear Sally’s familiar southern drawl. “But, I don’t love you, darlin’. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you, but you can’t keep holding on to what we had. Bobby, when are you going to realize, we aren’t going to work? I care about you, darlin’, but not like that. Not enough to marry you. I don’t care what my family says. I refuse to marry some guy just to make them happy.”

  “I can be what you want.” His voice is sultry and smooth as he says, “You know we were amazing together. The women don’t matter to me.”

  “As long as you get pre-approval, darlin’.” She sighs. “I don’t need you to tell me who I can sleep with. I’m not interested in marrying someone, hell seeing someone, who is so much like my father.”

  “If it’s Amber you’re worried about, don’t be. I can let her down easy. She’ll understand. You girls can still be friends. I won’t come between you….that is, unless you want me, too.”

  “Oh honey, Amber hasn’t given you a thought since she saw you last. Believe it or not, the sun does not rise and set on your beautiful face. Don’t worry about my girl. We’ve uh, been keeping busy, let’s just say.”

  “So, she managed to get you into her bed?” His voice is terse, and I really wish I could see their faces, but they’d see me.

  “Oh no, not exactly.” She giggles. “I have a new friend now. She’s a sweet little thing that works over at the Yellow Rose. You should go see her show, it’s really hot. She’s the headliner. Trisha. She loves getting down and dirty.”

  “Rolling in the trash has never been my thing.” His voice sharpens.

  “And, there you have it. That is why I will never marry you. You’re a snob, Bobby, and an arrogant one at that. Goodbye.” Sally stomps out of the stacks crossing the lobby and out the library door.

  The crash of a shelf collapsing echoes through the noisy library as all heads turn to the stacks.

  ***

  “I heard you, and Bobby in the library. I guess I know why he hasn’t bothered to call me back,” I say with a shrug.

  “Did you really care?” she asks pensively.

  I look down at the dishes in the sink as I run the sponge over the bowl. “No, I can’t say that I did. It sucks being dumped twice in six months. I think I’ll stick to women for a while. Apparently, I understand them a bit better.”

  Sally joins me at the sink, picking up a dishtowel and drying the bowl. She glances at me, a touch of fear on her beautiful face. “Uh, Amber, why don’t you text him again? It’s been weeks.”

  “I have texted him, Sally. Actually, more often than the one time I told you about. I haven’t heard word one.” The burn of the tears catches me by surprise. Grabbing another bowl, I attack this one with a touch more aggression. “I’m not going to text him anymore. He knows where to find me. I was wrong, but to not give me the opportunity to explain isn’t right. He should have trusted me.”

  “Why?” she asks, “Why should he trust you?”

  “Because we care about each other?” I sneer with a sigh. “I don’t know. I do know if he had given me a chance, I could have explained.”

  “He’s been through a lot with that fiancé.” She takes the bowl from me, pulling it away with a gentle tug, and rinsing it under the water. “He’s not the most trusting guy, and you weren’t exactly forthcoming.”

  I turn swiftly to Sally and put my hand on my hip, the water saturates my jeans. “I don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried to contact him, and he doesn’t respond. He’s done, Sally. I can’t change that. I have to move on. End of story.”

  She picks up the dishtowel again and whispers, “I’m sorry, hon.”

  “How could I have been such an idiot?” I fling my arms out, sloshing more water off my hands. I return to washing the dishes as Sally stares at me in shock. “Look can we talk about something else?”

  Sally puts her arm around me and squeezes tightly, “You know I’m not going anywhere, right?”

  I nod and hand her a washed glass, swiping away a tear.

  “Now that finals are over, where should we take your aunt while she’s in town?” Her eyes are bright as she wiggles her eyebrows up and down.

  My phone pings, and I walk over to my bed to retrieve it:

  I am flying down tomorrow. Sorry it’s such short notice.

  This was the only time I could pry the jet out of your mom’s hands.

  I should be there at ten am.

  I realize we probably won’t catch your advisor, but let’s try anyway.

  Can’t wait to see you!

  “Change of plans. Aunt Patty is arriving tomorrow at ten a.m. She’s going to call me when she’s on her way.” I text her a quick reply and look up at Sally.

  “Tell me what happened with your Aunt Patty.” She sets the last bowl in the cabinet and crosses the floor to sit on my bed. “If I’m going to meet her, I have to know what I have to gloss over and what I can talk about.”

  “When I was a senior, Aunt Patty and I were tight.” I toss my phone on the bed and sit cross legged, facing Sally. “We were always kinda close but that last year of high school, I told her everything. I think she was the one who actually convinced my mom to let me come home.” I smile sadly remembering the first time I saw Angela. I lift my eyes and continue. “Anyway, when I got home, mom was starting her run for the deputy mayor slot so she put me in her campaign office on the south side. Angela worked on my mom’s campaign out of that office so we had the opportunity to hang out a lot. One thing led to another,” I nudge Sally with a broad grin, “and we hooked up…and eventually fell in love.”

  “From everything you’ve said, she sounds pretty special, darlin’. You were lucky to find that kind of love,” she says, squeezing my hand with a smile tinged with sadness.

  “Yeah, I was.” My eyes fall, and I thank God for like the thousandth time for having had someone like Angela in my life. “Well, I told Aunt Patty, and she spilled it to my mom. My mom freaked out and said there was no way I was coming ‘out’ during her campaign, and I certainly wasn’t coming out with a Latina girlfriend from the projects. My mom watched me like a hawk after that. I had to sneak out like some thirteen-year-old punk to see Angela. It sucked. If Patty had kept her mouth shut, my mother would have never known.”

  “Has your aunt kept your confidences since you got here?” Her brown eyes lock with mine.

  “Yeah, she’s been cool.” I smile. “No phone calls from my mother and no drama.”

  “So, it sounds like it’s time to take her off the hook. Am I right?”

  “Yeah,
I guess so.” I say begrudgingly as I study my hands. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

  “What do you mean, Amber?” Her smirk is undeniable.

  I sigh. “You’re right, ok?” I smile. “I should give her another chance.”

  “I think we could have a hell of a lot more fun if we didn’t have to watch what we say around her, don’t you? Think about it. You should tell her about Tommy.”

  “She knows I’m seeing someone, but I never told her who. Remember I told you she met Tommy when he drove us in, and she came on to him.” I shiver uncontrollably at the thought.

  “Well, don’t you think it’s about time you admit that you fell in love with a mother-acceptable-heterosexual male?” She smiles, nudging my arm.

  “I guess so, but why does that matter anyway?” My eyes narrow at her. “We’re over.”

  “Talk to her. It sounds like she’s a blast, and she screwed up once. Once, Amber.” Sally smirks at me with a brow lifted. “Honey, you have to learn to let people in. Let her in on your life here.” With her hand on her chest, she says, “I, for one, do not like having to watch what I say so if you want me to meet her, I’m gonna let my freak flag fly. I don’t apologize for who I am and neither should you. Now where should we take her?” She bounces on the bed like a ten year-old girl, clapping her hands. “We have to take her to Hippy Hollow, Amber.”

  “Are you fucking nuts?” I ask, in complete and utter shock. “I am not taking my aunt to a nudist park. Ewww. I don’t want to see her junk.” I laugh.

  “It’s fun. It won’t be embarrassing, I promise. Not everyone is nude anyway, it’s clothing optional.” She chuckles, enjoying the look on my face.

  “So, there’s a bunch of old guys walking around nude?” I ask. Seeing the look on Aunt Patty’s face when some old dude walked by in all his glory would be kinda fun, but would I need an eyeball wash afterwards?

  “No, there are plenty of students, families, and yeah, old people. It’s a cool place. You have to go once just to say you’ve been. Come on. I promise it will be fun.” Sally eager smile is contagious.

  “Ok. We can go.” I sigh, rolling my eyes, standing to go grab a coke from our tiny fridge. “I heard about this place called McKinney Falls. Is that pretty cool?”

  “Yeah, I heard it was beautiful, lots of waterfalls. I’ve never been, but we could go there.” Her face lights up. “Oooh, we have to take her to Mt. Bonnell.”

  “No.” I snap, opening the refrigerator door.

  “Why not?”

  “Tommy took me there. It was our best date. I don’t want to take her there,” I say, turning my face and studying the inside of the fridge so she doesn’t see the deep sadness on my face.

  Sally walks over to me, standing in front of me. “You’re doing it again,” she says, forcing me to make eye contact. “I think…no. I know I have earned your trust. Talk to me.”

  “Tommy took me to eat, and we rode up to Mt. Bonnell to watch the sunset. It was amazing. If I go up there again, it’ll taint that for me. I want to save that memory as one of our places even if he’s gone. It’s mine, and I don’t want to share it with anyone else.” The tears glimmer in my eyes.

  “Oh, honey.” She wraps me in a big bear hug. “I’m sorry he’s being such an idiot.” She looks down at me, her eyes shining, “You’re right. We shouldn’t go anywhere y’all went together. What bars should we take her to? Does she like live music?”

  “Yeah, she’s a huge country fan, so as long as they’re playing country, she will love the place.” I grab a coke and sit at the table.

  “I know just the place.” Sally reaches in for a Monster. “My favorite band is playing tomorrow night. We can take her,” she says, her eyes shining, “Perfect.” Another huge country fan, Aunt Patty is going to love her. Seriously, who wouldn’t?

  “We need to Hamilton Pool and Barton Springs. It should be warm enough. This is going to be so much fun,” she says, bouncing up and down, giggling as her Monster spews all over the counter.

  ***

  “Honey!” Aunt Patty says. Standing in the doorway of our dorm room, she reaches to give me a big hug. Pulling away, she says, “You look different. Something’s different. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Who’s this?”

  “Aunt Patty, this is my roommate, Sally Westin.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. Wow, you’re one tall drink of water, aren’t cha?” Aunt Patty says, gazing up at Sally.

  Sally graciously smiles saying, “Hi. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. Amber talks about you all the time.” Standing back to gaze at the two of us, she says, “Wow, I can see a family resemblance. With a change of hair color, you two would be hard to tell apart.”

  Aunt Patty smiles shyly. “Really?” Her eyes shine brightly. As she walks into the room, her long blond ponytail swishes back and forth, as she walks. In a t-shirt and jeans, she looks much younger than her forty-four years. As we sit down in the kitchenette, I notice she looks a different, too. Her pale green eyes are clearer and she’s quick to smile. She’s much more relaxed than usual.

  “What’s on the agenda?” she asks, leaning forward on her elbows. “Did you want to go check in at the hotel? I booked a room for you girls after I got your text at my hotel.”

  “We can do that on our way to have dinner. If we’re going to try to catch my advisor, we better head over to his office soon. I should probably fill you in on a few things,” I say, sending an apprehensive glance Sally’s way.

  “I’ve been having some problems with an old roommate of Sally’s. I don’t know if you remember her, she showed us around campus when we arrived. Her name was Lily?”

  “Yeah, the blond, uptight, bitchy one.” She shrugs. Her face is completely blasé, and I try hard not to giggle.

  Sally laughs, and it echoes through the room, looking at me she says, “Your aunt is cool, Amber.”

  Aunt Patty smiles shyly as I continue, “Yeah, that’s her. Apparently she didn’t like that Sally moved out of her room and was assigned to this room. She got jealous, and she wouldn’t leave Sally alone. She’s under the impression that we’re sleeping together. If she gets rid of me, she can get Sally back - ”

  “- Are you guys a couple?”

  “I wish.” Sally sighs.

  “Westin…” I say, eyeing her to shut up.

  “What? Have I made it a secret?” she asks, giggling, “Because I think I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”

  Flashing my hand in front of her face, I say, “Focus.” I fling my hands up in the air and giggle, “Not happenin’, Westin. Uh, hello, you just met my aunt. Can you keep it in your pants for like five minutes?”

  I turn to Aunt Patty, unable to resist an exasperated sign, “Lily’s the one spreading the rumors about my buying my way in, she took the message down from mom and had the billboard put up so there was no doubt that mother gave money to the college. After that she sent a video of me kissing a guy to my boyfriend - ”

  “ – You have a boyfriend?”

  “Yeah, Tommy.”

  Her brows shoot up her forehead. “You’re dating Tommy? The guy who drove us here when we arrived?” She smiles, squeezing my hand, “Oh honey. Good for you. He’s really cute.”

  “Yeah, we were - ”

  “Were?” Aunt Patty asks.

  “Yeah, when Lily sent him the video of me being kissed, she cut it off before I slapped the shit out of the guy, so he thought I was cheating on him.”

  “So, the video came from Lily?”

  “We traced it to this building, but yeah, we think she sent it to him after we discovered all my grades were changed.”

  She furrows her brow. “How did she change your grades?”

  “She’s an IT major and works in the Chancellor’s office. When grades posted and I had C’s and D’s, instead of A’s and one B, I talked to my professors and had them file correction forms. I knew the grades were wrong so I thought it was some mistake. After a couple of them mentione
d that they had transmitted an A, I asked a friend of ours who’s a junior and an IT major. He said that she could have hacked in and changed the grades.”

  “Can you prove it?”

  “I can’t prove it, but Jerrod, that’s our friend, thinks with an investigation, they might find that she left a digital fingerprint. I can’t accuse her. It’s a serious charge and why would Chadwick believe me over her?”

  She leans back, smirking. “She didn’t exactly take a shine to you, did she?”

  “No. If you talk to my advisor, you could persuade, hell, insist, that he file a complaint on my behalf. He’s really cool, but if I had you there while I talked to him, it would look less like schoolgirl drama and more like a legitimate infraction worthy of a formal investigation.”

  “I thought you said he was probably leaving for the break. Shouldn’t we head over to his office, if we want to catch him before he leaves?” she asks, grabbing her purse from the floor and standing to leave.

  ***

  “Professor Stewart?” I stick my head into the open door of his office. Piles of papers are stacked everywhere on his desk but by the looks of things, more papers have come in and none of gone out.

  “Yes, Amber. What can I do for you?” he asks as his kind eyes look up wearily.

  “I’d like to introduce you to my guardian, Patty Kennedy. She’s in town this week for a visit, and she wanted to meet you.” I gesture for Aunt Patty to come in.

  Aunt Patty steps into the office and stops for a fraction of a second once she sees Professor Stewart. It’s only a slight hesitation, but long enough for me to notice her eyes drink him in. She continues toward him, smiling and extends her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Professor Stewart. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Amber’s aunt.”

  Professor Stewart stands gallantly towering above her and smiles broadly. His blue eyes twinkling as he takes her hand in both of his, saying, “It’s nice to meet you, Miss…or is it Mrs. Kennedy?”