Love, Lies, and Deception(6)
I could hear the steady beat of his heart and the sound of its comforting melody made my eyes slowly begin to drift closed. Almost immediately, I started imagining I was already out and about exploring the exotic islands of Fiji, and how much fun I was going to have with my friends and being free … being me.
The week had passed and spring break was over. I let loose while we were there and even did a little topless bar dancing just to amuse my friends. They loved it, especially the guys, but the fun ended pretty quickly when I was grabbed by another man. Kristian ended up punching him and sent him head first into the wall. Needless to say, we were kicked out of the bar after that.
Now that we were back, it was time to crack open the books for exams. What fun I had in Fiji stayed in Fiji, so it was time to get serious and forget about all of the craziness from that trip. I had a little over a month to study, but I wanted to do the best I could. Kristian and I always competed to see who could make the best grades, and most of the time he won, but I was determined to beat him. We were both graduating with biology degrees, but his goal in life was to be a forensic biologist while mine was in research. I shivered just thinking about what he’d have to do every day in his job.
We arrived back from Fiji two days ago and it took me the whole two days to recover. I slept for about half of that time too. I called my sister to tell her I was okay, and like usual, she scolded me saying I needed to visit her and the kids. As soon as school ended, I planned on visiting home; it would be the first time in three years.
Looking at my calendar, I saw that it was Monday morning, April 25th, and classes would be starting bright and early. I was sure I wouldn’t be the only one trudging into classes with an extended hangover. I had never had so much fun in my life being with my closest friends on an island paradise, drinking and lying out on the beach while letting all of my worries soak away. I kind of hoped it would be like that when I made my new home at the beach when I moved to Wilmington.
Excited, I tossed the covers off my bed and bolted into the bathroom to take a quick shower. An hour later I was dressed, hair flat ironed, makeup on, and ready to tackle the day. The mornings were still cool in the mountains so I put on my favorite pair of skinny jeans with my boots and a thin hoodie over my tee. Kristian would be meeting me at our halfway point to walk me the rest of the way to our first class on campus.
Emily was still asleep, or so I assumed since her door was shut and I couldn’t hear Linkin Park blaring out of her stereo. It was our favorite band, and she made sure to wake up all the neighbors with it, too. I knew her she was probably skipping classes for the day, which in all honesty really didn’t matter since our professors never counted attendance anyway. I didn’t have to go to class, but I figured since it was my last semester I might as well invest all I had into it.
Rushing into the kitchen, I grabbed a cup of orange juice and shoved a blueberry cereal bar into my mouth while packing up my books into my messenger bag. Grabbing my phone off the kitchen counter, I quietly opened the front door and closed it gently, locking it with my key. Excited and happy to be one step closer to graduating, I bounced down the three flights of steps, smiling the whole way.
“I can’t believe it’s almost over,” I shrieked softly to myself.
“Hey there!”
As soon as I hopped off the last stair, Alec’s deep and languid voice halted me in my tracks, making me jump. Grabbing my chest, I turned around and squealed, “Geez, you scared the crap out of me.”
He was leaning up against the side of our apartment building with a smirk on his face. “Sorry about that; I didn’t mean to scare you. So what guy was lucky enough to snag you on your trip? Surely there was someone, right?”
Placing my hands on my hips, I retorted back, “Actually, there was no one if you must know. I didn’t need a guy to have fun on my spring break. I had fun just being with my friends.” However, I probably would’ve tried to snag him if he was there.
His clothes and hair were damp with sweat from his morning run, and from out of nowhere I found myself imagining what it would feel like to run my hands through his tousled, light brown hair, and feel his sweat-laced body gliding on top of mine. Dammit, Marissa, get yourself together, I scolded myself. Never in my life had I ever gotten so flustered being in the presence of a guy.
Alec lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, I’m shocked. Most girls I know would’ve banged out at least five different guys during that week of no inhibitions.”
Disgusted, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Umm … sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not like that. You must be hanging out with a bunch of sluts if that’s what they’d do, and furthermore, I know plenty of guys that would do the same thing. For all I know, you’re most likely one of them.”
He feigned shock and put his hand over his heart. “Who, me? I’m offended you would think that, Ms. Chase.”
I shrugged. “Sorry, but I call ’em like I see ’em. I’ve known plenty of guys like you.”
He pushed off the wall and strode gracefully the few steps it took until he came to a stop in front of me. “Well, I’d like to change that misconception. Why don’t you find out for real? Unless you’re too scared,” he said huskily, challenging me. His eyes were almost predatory as he gazed up and down my body in appreciation. I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest, hoping he couldn’t see the physical response my body was taking to his closeness.