Wanting Winter(8)

“You don’t have to listen to me, but you have seen what men are like around here. I just don’t want you to get hurt by the first guy you crushed on in so long.”

“No, you're right. I'm going to say that I forgot we had plans.” I quickly grab my phone and there is a message waiting for me from him.

Trent: Looking forward to it.

I sigh while I type out my message.

Me: Hi, I'm so sorry but I forgot that I made plans. Rain check.

I put my phone back in my bag: I know that if I don’t put it away, I’ll keep checking to see if he’s replied. This guy has been in my life for a couple of days and already I'm turning into one of those girls—girls who only think about the guy and nothing else, who stops everything for them. I don’t want him to get bored.

“Thank you,” I tell Candice.

“You're welcome. You know I got your back.” She winks at me.

“I know.” I squeeze her hand and start paying attention for the rest of class, but that stupid boy keeps entering my thoughts.

For the rest of the day, I avoid my phone and keep myself distracted by talking to my friends and of course rumors are spread about me and the new guy.

I head outside ready to get back to my apartment. I guess I could please myself again. I feel like today dragged. I just want to grab a hot bath and watch some Vampire Diaries; I'm sure Damon can cheer me. Walking towards the parking lot, I feel my arm being pulled and I am turned to face Trent.

“Are you ignoring me?” His hands glide down my arms until his fingers entwine with mine.

“Of course not; I’ve been busy with my classes.” Even hearing that out loud sounds stupid.

“Uh huh. So what plans do you have?”

I feel my face start to blush. “Honestly?”

He nods. “Always.”

“I'm going to have a bath and watch some Vampire Diaries,” I shrug.

“You are blowing me off for a TV show?” He smiles at me, shaking his head.

“Maybe,” I say frustrated with myself. “I just don’t want all this to fizzle out.” I look up at him and he looks at me intently.

“I want to be around you, Winter. When I'm not with you, I am counting down the minutes until I am. If we start to get annoyed being around the other we will say something. Do you want to be with me right now?” He starts stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.

“I do, but…” I don’t have a chance to say anything else as his lips land on mine, making every thought in my head evaporate, stopping me from saying another word. He pulls back, his eyes darkening.

“What were we saying?” I mumble, causing him to laugh.

“You are so beautiful.” He cups my face. “Well your plans do seem very important, but are you willing to have some company to join you?”

“A bath and some Vampire Dairies? You want a bubble bath?” I chuckle.

“Do I get to join you?” I stop laughing, my mouth going dry. My eyes go up and down his body, wondering what he would look like naked. “I was joking,” he says, filling the silence.

A part of me was hoping he wasn’t. “I was actually considering it,” I smile innocently at him.

“Were you now? If you want me to join you, to scrub you clean, I wouldn’t say no.” He pulls me flush into him. “If you asked me to do anything, I would.”

I look up at him and see that he is being serious. “Let's go.” I step back, holding his hand and guiding him to my car. I stop. “What about your car?”

“I'll get it later.” He kisses my lips softly. We get inside my car, and as I pull out of the parking lot, I notice Candice and Joshua leaning against Joshua’s car, watching us. I give Candice a little wave and she gives me one back.

“They didn’t look happy,” Trent says once we are on the road.

“Candice is the one who told me to play hard to get. She knows more about this kind of thing than I do, so I guess she thinks I caved and am under the thumb or something now.”

“Candice is the one who told you to cancel with me.” It wasn’t a question. “I think Candice needs to realize that playing games doesn’t get the guy.” He faces me. “If a guy likes you and wants to be with you, you just need to be yourself. Playing games makes men think you’re insecure, hard work and full of drama.”

“Really?” Interesting. I’ll need to tell Candice that.

“Yeah. I like you because you’re interesting and you are yourself. That’s sexy to men. What’s unattractive is women being too forward and thinking that men should bow down to them. Men will just look at them as nothing else but a quick lay, not relationship material.”

“You like me?” I smile.

“That’s all you got from that?” He laughs, and I laugh with him. “Yes, I like you, more than I should, especially only knowing you for the odd time here and there. Do you like me?” he asks me.

I repeat his words back to him. “More than I should.”

I pull up to the apartment complex, parking the car, and I look to Trent who is shaking his head, chuckling to himself.

“This is funny.”

I look at him like he is crazy. “What is?”

“I live here.”