Bring Down the Stars (Beautiful Hearts Duet #1)(13)

“Hey,” said a deep voice. “We meet again.”

Connor stood by the table, hands on his hips, King of the World and All He Surveyed. Autumn’s eyes widened to see him, and she swallowed. I followed the movement down her delicate throat, to the hollow just above her collar, where her pulse jumped. He smiled down at her, and she smiled up at him, recognition in both their expressions.

He met her first.

“Knew I’d find you here,” Connor said, chucking me on the shoulder, his gaze still on Autumn. “Didn’t expect this surprise.” He held out his hand. “Connor Drake.”

“Autumn Caldwell,” she said, her cheeks turning pink as her small hand was engulfed in his large one. The sadness in her eyes was long gone.

“I thought you said you already met,” I said, my voice lifeless as a drone.

“Not really,” Autumn said. “Just a hello-wave outside. How do you two know each other?”

“Roommates,” Connor said. “And friends since middle school.”

“How sweet.” She began gathering her books. “Both from around here?”

“Boston,” Connor said, watching her pack up. “Leaving already? Was Wes giving you a hard time?”

Autumn flashed me a smile. “I held my own.”

“Good for you,” Connor said. “Wes likes to pretend to be an asshole but deep down he’s… Actually, no, he’s just an asshole.”

I clenched my jaw. “Fuck off, Drake.”

“No, we were having a very interesting conversation,” Autumn said. “But I really have to go.”

“Gotcha,” Connor said. “But hey, this Saturday a bunch of us are getting together at Yancy’s Saloon. You know it?”

Autumn raised a brow. “Best pear cider in town.”

“I’m a whiskey and beer guy myself, but I’ll take your word on the pear cider.” Connor winked. “So you’ll come hang out? Shoot a little pool and chill before the semester gets crazy?”

I crossed my arms over my chest to watch this convo, vanishing from their world.

“Maybe,” she said.

“Great,” Connor said. “See you there.”

She laughed. “I said, maybe.” She shouldered her bag and started off, then stopped and turned back to look at me. “Bye, Weston. Nice talking to you.”

I nodded stiffly. “Yep.”

Because that’s what all great writers say to a beautiful girl they want to impress. Yep.

As I watched her walk away, Connor slugged me in the arm. “She’s a stunner, isn’t she?”

“Mm.”

He slid into the chair Autumn had just vacated. “Not like other girls I usually go for.”

He’s ‘going for’ her. My stomach felt heavy.

“No, not like other girls,” I said slowly. “At all.”

“Sounds like a warning,” Connor said with a short laugh.

“I’m just saying I got the impression she’s not a one-night stand type of girl. She’s…”

Special.

“Different, right?” Connor said. “Classy and sort of elegant. I like it. Wait, did I interrupt something? Are you into her?”

Yes.

“No,” I heard myself say. “I think she’s into you.”

He leaned forward, a higher pitch to his voice. “Yeah?”

I could count on one hand the number of times Connor needed reassurance. You had to know what to look for. That higher tilt to his voice. A little uncertainty in his mega-smile. It was so rare, Connor wanting or needing anything his money, charm or looks couldn’t give him. Sometimes I felt as if college essays were all I had to offer our friendship, when the reality was I’d do anything for my friend.

“I’ll totally back off if you are. Bro Code, and all,” Connor was saying with a grin. “Even if I did see her first.”

I remembered the way Autumn’s face lit up when Connor took her hand, all the sadness melting away.

“She’ll be there Saturday,” I said. “To see you.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

“Awesome.” He got to his feet. “Come on, let’s get out of here. If you want to get laid this semester, hanging out in the library is not the way to do it.”

Tell me about it.

I gathered my stuff and we headed outside.

“Maybe Autumn will bring her roommate or a hot friend,” Connor said, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “There’s hope for you, yet.”

I brushed him off. “Have I ever needed your help getting laid?”

“Here?” Connor’s other hand gestured around the quad. “No. During the Sock Boy years, you needed all the help you could get.”

“Fuck you,” I said.

But it had no bite to it. I owed him the earth for what he did during the Sock Boy years. He was my best friend and I loved him like a brother. He wasn’t much in the romance department but he didn’t need to be. He made girls feel good just by being around him. Seems like he made Autumn feel good, distracting her from her sadness, and he was into her.

That’s all that mattered.





Autumn