to shut down his emotions and lock everyone out. I'd bet it had something to do with a girl, but I would wait it out, wait for him to open up to me because he wasn't the only one with secrets to tell.
He moved behind me pushing me gently so I moved toward his car, he held my hand as I sat down, and then closed the door for me. I couldn't help but smile. The inside of his car smelled amazing, probably because it smelled just like him, and instantly I was thrown back to last night and the way he felt against me. My face flushed just as he was getting in the car, and I turned to look out the window, but not before he noticed.
We kept our hands to ourselves on the drive to our complex, and didn't speak either, not until he pulled into the parking spot and shut the car off. “You're going to let him take you around campus aren't you?” His tone had shifted again, and the look on his face almost broke my friends resolve. I tried to keep my tone light and nonchalant when I responded that I was because I had already told him I would, and he was a friend of their group of friends, so I didn't see what the harm was.
Brandon nodded for a moment before telling me what I'd already assumed about Cole, that he liked to date around, though Brandon worded it as, “fuck himself through eighty percent of the women on campus”. I knew he was exaggerating, but probably not by much. I wanted to make friends and be able to all hang around in a group together without it being weird for me, and the only way I knew how to do that would be to put myself in situations forcing me out of my comfort zone and into pushing through my issues.
Since we were all one big group I didn't see why we all couldn't hang out together. With a huge smile on my face, catching Brandon a little off guard, I asked, “Why can't we all just hang out? I mean I know Emma got as little out of orientation as I did, so she needs to walk around campus too. I'm sure Jax would come along, so why don't the five of us head to campus this afternoon? You three can be our tour guides.”
“Really?” He searched my eyes looking for the joke, trying to be sure I was serious. I nodded, and turned to open the door, I was getting hot again in such a small space with those warm eyes of his pulling me in, making me feel like I was drowning in him. Opening his door quickly, he ran around the car frowning at me when he saw I opened the door myself, but still helped me out of the car. Taking my hand in his, he walked me to my apartment. “So, a few hours then?” I bit my bottom lip as I nodded, then quickly turned to go into my place as he called to my retreating form to just head over to the apartment when we were ready.
Closing the door, closing my eyes, my back sliding down the door until I sat on the floor leaning against it. “Shit, you didn't fucking pass out did you?” Emma's groggy voice came from the living room, her head looking over the back of the couch at my slumped form on the floor. I shook my head, but didn't move. “It's my brother isn't it? He find you this morning?” Eyes still closed, I nodded in silence. “Damn, girl,” she said laughing hard making me open my eyes finally. “Did you let him fu...”
“Emma!” I screamed effectively cutting off her train of thought. “No I did not let your brother do, ugh, just no okay. No. And I don't have it bad for him, I want to be his friend. Half the time I don't know why I even want to be that.”
I pointed my finger at her, narrowing my eyes, and mouthed no again at her. She giggled, and told me to go get in the shower. Glad to be off the hook I did exactly that, and it felt wonderful to let the hot water pelt into my tired muscles. Throwing on a sundress, with a small pair of workout shorts on under, and braiding my hair off to the side, I went back out to the living room.
“So Jax just called, said him, my brother, and Cole were taking us around campus this afternoon? Kahlen, in case you forgot we've been in
He moved behind me pushing me gently so I moved toward his car, he held my hand as I sat down, and then closed the door for me. I couldn't help but smile. The inside of his car smelled amazing, probably because it smelled just like him, and instantly I was thrown back to last night and the way he felt against me. My face flushed just as he was getting in the car, and I turned to look out the window, but not before he noticed.
We kept our hands to ourselves on the drive to our complex, and didn't speak either, not until he pulled into the parking spot and shut the car off. “You're going to let him take you around campus aren't you?” His tone had shifted again, and the look on his face almost broke my friends resolve. I tried to keep my tone light and nonchalant when I responded that I was because I had already told him I would, and he was a friend of their group of friends, so I didn't see what the harm was.
Brandon nodded for a moment before telling me what I'd already assumed about Cole, that he liked to date around, though Brandon worded it as, “fuck himself through eighty percent of the women on campus”. I knew he was exaggerating, but probably not by much. I wanted to make friends and be able to all hang around in a group together without it being weird for me, and the only way I knew how to do that would be to put myself in situations forcing me out of my comfort zone and into pushing through my issues.
Since we were all one big group I didn't see why we all couldn't hang out together. With a huge smile on my face, catching Brandon a little off guard, I asked, “Why can't we all just hang out? I mean I know Emma got as little out of orientation as I did, so she needs to walk around campus too. I'm sure Jax would come along, so why don't the five of us head to campus this afternoon? You three can be our tour guides.”
“Really?” He searched my eyes looking for the joke, trying to be sure I was serious. I nodded, and turned to open the door, I was getting hot again in such a small space with those warm eyes of his pulling me in, making me feel like I was drowning in him. Opening his door quickly, he ran around the car frowning at me when he saw I opened the door myself, but still helped me out of the car. Taking my hand in his, he walked me to my apartment. “So, a few hours then?” I bit my bottom lip as I nodded, then quickly turned to go into my place as he called to my retreating form to just head over to the apartment when we were ready.
Closing the door, closing my eyes, my back sliding down the door until I sat on the floor leaning against it. “Shit, you didn't fucking pass out did you?” Emma's groggy voice came from the living room, her head looking over the back of the couch at my slumped form on the floor. I shook my head, but didn't move. “It's my brother isn't it? He find you this morning?” Eyes still closed, I nodded in silence. “Damn, girl,” she said laughing hard making me open my eyes finally. “Did you let him fu...”
“Emma!” I screamed effectively cutting off her train of thought. “No I did not let your brother do, ugh, just no okay. No. And I don't have it bad for him, I want to be his friend. Half the time I don't know why I even want to be that.”
I pointed my finger at her, narrowing my eyes, and mouthed no again at her. She giggled, and told me to go get in the shower. Glad to be off the hook I did exactly that, and it felt wonderful to let the hot water pelt into my tired muscles. Throwing on a sundress, with a small pair of workout shorts on under, and braiding my hair off to the side, I went back out to the living room.
“So Jax just called, said him, my brother, and Cole were taking us around campus this afternoon? Kahlen, in case you forgot we've been in
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