She's All Mine(6)

“I was joking,” I say through laughter. “I mean, if you want to braid it, sure, have at it, but I know how to braid my own hair.” I grab my hair, braiding it in seconds. He watches closely as I tie off the end.

He reaches for the braid and pulls the tie free. My hair falls loose once again and he tucks the tie into his pocket. I go to protest that I need that hair tie, but he takes my hand in his and we start walking again. His hand doesn’t just take mine, it engulfs it. It’s warm and rough. My mind drifts to what it would feel like on other parts of my skin.

I lick my suddenly dry lips, not noticing at first where we are until we are stepping onto the elevator. I know this building. It’s where all of the kids with money live. And I know some professors have places here, too.

“You live here?” I ask. God, I really don’t know anything about Tank. Except his name. Which maybe is a huge, albeit seemingly insignificant victory when it comes to him.

He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“And you go to classes here?” I’d just assumed.

“Yeah, my last year.” How have I missed him roaming campus? I’m only eighteen, but this is my junior year since I got accepted to college early. When I was told that I would get to live on campus, that sealed the deal for me. I’d been counting down the days to get out of my parents’ house. I worked hard on my schooling to make sure I would be accepted early. My parents had been excited to brag about me to their friends. I’d been excited to get away from them. Both of us won with my early acceptance. My parents only care about three things: appearances, education, and let’s not forget social status.

I was told I would stay in the freshmen dorm until I was at least nineteen. Liv was my first normal roommate, though having two boyfriends might not make her normal, but she’s the coolest and sweetest one I’ve had to date. I hope I can hang on to her next year, but I’m guessing the Audley twins won’t let that happen. They didn’t look too happy about leaving her that first day. The second they can get her out of there, they will.

“How have I never seen you around?” My eyes roam over his big size.

“I haven't seen you either.”

“I’m tiny. I’m easy to miss.”

“Trust me.” His eyes roam over me now. “You’re not easy to miss, Treasure.” My heart races at that. Wait, did he call me “Treasure”? The elevator dings and he guides me off before I can ask. He heads straight for one of two doors on the floor.

He pulls his keys out, unlocks the door and leads me into his condo. “It’s not much. I use it to eat and sleep.”

The place is bare. The condo itself is nice, but there is nothing in it. It almost looks unlived in. I can tell he’s seeing his place through my eyes at the moment and it’s making him feel uneasy. The firm grip he has on my soft hand tightens a little.

“I thought men were messy?” I rush to say. The need to make him feel comfortable is strong. He doesn't look like someone who’s used to being uncomfortable. No, it’s more like he doesn't give a fuck what someone else thinks, but he seems different with me. I can see he wants to impress me. Maybe that’s why I have this need to make him feel at ease. Normally I’d keep quiet. It works well for me. Staying out of the way is what I do best. My hope is always that people will do the same for me. I don’t have that feeling with Tank. I want to be all up in his way, even if he could crush me in more ways than one.

“It’s only me and my cat. I clean up after myself.”

“Buys me a whole pie, owns a cat, and is clean. If I didn’t know better I’d think you’re trying to get laid.” It isn’t until the words are out of my mouth that I realize what I’m saying. I can’t believe I actually said those words. My cheeks flush immediately with embarrassment.

“Fuck,” Tank mutters. “I mean fork,” he rushes to amend. This time it’s him trying to make me feel comfortable. I’m sure my face is still cherry red. Maybe now it’s only a warm pink if I’m lucky. “I’ll get us some forks and a plate.” He rushes over to the kitchen area of the open plan room, letting my hand go in the process. “My cat found me. She was lurking around the gym all the time, looking hungry. I fed her some milk and now I have a cat. She usually hides, though, so it feels like I’m alone most of the time. Forks.” He lifts two up. Watching him try to make me more comfortable puts me at ease. I still can’t believe I said that.

“I only need one.” I walk over toward the kitchen area and pull out one of the bar stools. “I’m not sharing my pie.” I set the bag with the pie in it on the counter top.

“You’re going to eat the whole pie?” His lips quirk, giving me a half smile.

“You only get honey, remember?” I remind him why we came here. Though I’m pretty sure we both didn’t want to come here because of honey.

“I think you’re trying to get out of sharing your pie.”

“I’m not great at sharing when it comes to food,” I admit. Heck, I don’t want to share his attention either. It’s why I didn’t want to go up to my dorm room and so quickly agreed to go to his. I’m enjoying being alone with him. That’s a thought I’ve never had about a person in my whole life. It’s both scary and exciting.