Chapter 2
Chapter Two
STELLA
Ishake my head and blink, bringing myself back to the nightmare in front of me.
“Stella, I know you don’t mean this. You just need to let me explain.”
I’m still looking at my ex––what was he? Boyfriend? Not really. Definitely not my fiancé. No matter, this is certain, begging doesn’t look good on Bradley. This thought satisfies me for a second.
I lay my head back onto the hardest chest in the world. It’s got to be carved from stone.
“Buddy, it’s time to move along. You can talk to her another time.”
“Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t even know us,” Bradley shouts. I peek back at Bradley because I can tell by his voice he’s getting agitated. I can tell I’m right because he’s running his fingers through his hair and pacing frantically
“I’m here for her”—that must be me—“and she wants you to go. So you need to go.”
“Fine,” Bradley snaps angrily. “I’m going, but I’ll be back, Stella. We will talk about this!” Bradley screeches as he stomps back to the doorway to the stairwell. It means he’s going back up. To my dorm. Great.
The arms that were wrapped tightly around me start to loosen. Mine relax as well, and my eyes begin the long, long trek up from his hard chest, past his thick neck, up to the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
“Damn!” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re beautiful!” he exclaims.
“Oh, no, I’m sure I look terrible.” Fact: I’m an ugly crier. “But thanks for trying to make me feel better.” I wipe the last few tears from my face. “And thank you for helping me get rid of him.” Heat rises from my neck to my cheeks, most likely giving me a magenta-hued blush.
He reaches down with a gentle hand, wiping away one stray tear from my cheek. “Of course, I want you to feel better, but I meant what I said. You’re a beautiful girl.”
I shrug because it’s not worth arguing about right now.
I look up again at the gorgeous man. He can’t be real.
He has to be way over six feet. Not to mention, it feels like he’s entirely constructed out of muscle and steel.
He’s got a baseball cap on backward. So cute.
His brown curls peek out from the sides and on his forehead drawing my attention to the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
They remind me of a summer sky. Below those is a strong, straight nose.
Don’t get me started on his amazing smile.
It’s addictive. So much so, it makes me smile right back even though I just caught my… Bradley with Brooke.
“Havin’ a bad day, Pixie?”
Pixie? What does that mean? “You could say that,” I mutter.
I let my eyes move back down his body toward his feet.
He’s wearing a purple Northwestern Wildcat tee.
The shirt is working really hard to contain his extra wide chest and shoulders.
He’s got to be twice as broad as me, and that’s saying something.
His loose athletic shorts hang low on his trim hips.
Michelangelo could sculpt this guy, and people would flock to see it.
It’d be way better than the famous sculpture of David.
“Seriously, are you okay?” he asks.
I nod. It’s then that I notice the crowd that’s gathered around us, no doubt thanks to the scene created by Bradley and me.
My face burns, which I know means it’s three shades of red with embarrassment.
My knight must notice this because he takes my hand and pulls me into a more secluded area of the lobby.
We stop in a spot that is sort of a reading nook—like a place to study when your roommate is intolerable.
It’s a place I’m sure I will utilize my first semester here.
He leans his back against the wall while pulling me to him until I’m standing between his long legs.
Next, he places his hands on either side of my face and bends so he can look directly into my eyes.
My breath catches in my throat. He’s so tall, I’m sure he’s bent in half.
I don’t know why but I ask the dumbest question ever. “How tall are you?”
“I’m six foot four.”
“Wowza. That’s tall.”
Luckily, he ignores my inane comment. He’s close, but I don’t mind his proximity. “Are you okay, Pixie?”
I nod and blink my bloodshot eyes at him. Needing to break the intensity of this moment, I’m tempted to ask him more stupid questions like, “How much do you weigh?” Because the guy is massive—but I really don’t want him to ask me the same question.
“Your name is Stella?”
“Yes.” I peer up at him and blink. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Alex,” he says with another brilliant smile.
I’m about to reach my hand out to shake his, but I decide now’s not the time. So, I just say, “It’s nice to meet you, Alex.”
“It’s very nice to meet you too, Stella. I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances. But I’m glad I ran into you no matter the reason.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “I think I ran into you. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“Not possible, Pixie.”
There it is again. What does this guy mean by ‘Pixie’?
“What was the deal with you and that guy?” His smile is gone as he continues, “Did he hurt you?”
“Not physically. He’s my boyfriend.” I correct myself. “I mean, he was my boyfriend.” Now he’s my ex-boyfriend. “I just caught him cheating on me with my new roommate.”
“Oh shit, that sucks. I’m really sorry to hear that.”
He sounds so sincere, it makes my eyes water, but I will the tears back. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” And I will be… eventually. “Thank you so much for helping. I just hope it was enough to keep Bradley away from me. I don’t want to talk to him right now.” Or ever.
“Well, he’s pretty determined to talk to you. Maybe you need to let him. Once. Then you can let him loose.”
“I don’t know. We’ve known each other our entire lives.
Our moms are best friends. I’m sure this thing isn’t over until everyone has given me a piece of his or her mind.
” Why am I rambling to Alex about my history with Bradley?
I’m sure he couldn’t care less. “I’m sorry.
I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to all of this drama.
” I start to pull away. “Thank you again, Alex.”
“Where does that guy live? Does he live in this building? Do you think he’s going to harass you?”
“No.” I shake my head. Bradley’s too busy with his fraternity and friends to spend his precious time “harassing” me. “And he lives at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house.”
“Figures,” grunts Alex as he begins to pull his big body back upward.
I practically have to crane my neck all the way back to see his face when he’s at his full height.
With his large hand, he reaches for mine, and I give it to him.
My much smaller hand, literally, fits into his palm.
I like how it feels. I can’t seem to help doing what this guy wants.
I’m drawn to him. He’s so big, but not in a scary way. No, it’s reassuring and safe.
“I’ll walk you back to your room. Let’s be sure Brad’s gone.”
I’m grateful he wants to go with me. I’m not ready for another confrontation with Bradley.
As we walk over to the elevators, he rubs his thumb over my inner wrist, and it makes my entire body tingle.
People are still milling about, watching us with curious stares, interested in the current drama, I guess.
When we enter the elevator, a surprising number of people attempt to get on with us.
Alex shakes his head slowly, and they stop and back away from the doors, leaving us alone in the elevator. Weird.
“What floor do you live on?” he asks.
“Four.”
Alex pushes the button, the doors close, and the elevator begins the upward climb. “So, are you a junior or a senior?”
“Neither, I’m a freshman, actually.”
“A freshman? How did you get a room in Shepard Hall?”
This dorm is ordinarily for upperclassman, but due to the flooding, they made exception. “I was supposed to room with my best friend, Lily, but our dorm flooded the day we were to move in. They reassigned all of us until they get the water issues worked out.”
“It’s probably good that it’s only temporary. I doubt you’ll want to continue to live with what’s her name,” he replies.
“Brooke. Her name is Brooke Clark, and no, I can’t wait to move out of that room.”
The elevator dings and the doors open to my floor.
Alex places his hand on my lower back, and it causes a shiver to run up my spine.
Why does his touch feel so good? Bradley’s touch never felt like this.
I snort to myself, because the truth is, Bradley rarely touched me.
In the short time I’ve known Alex, he hasn’t stopped touching me.
First it was the hand holding, then the wrist rubbing, and now the hand on my back.
This guy makes me feel all kinds of sensations I’m not used to.
We reach my room, and I realize I don’t have my key.
Luckily, the doorknob turns easily. I take a deep breath for courage and slowly open the door, dreading what awaits me.
I ease the door open and, thank goodness, the only person I see is Brooke.
She’s sitting on the sofa in the little lounge area.
“Stella? I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” Brooke seems sincere, but I’m not basing that on anything concrete. I don’t really know her.
“That’s okay, Brooke.” Obviously, it’s not okay, but what else can I say? I’m not in the mood to talk about it. I’ll never be able to unsee them together. “Everything is fine,” I say with as much bravado as I can muster.
Brooke looks up and sees the man holding my hand. Yep, he’s holding my hand again, doing that wrist-rubbing thing. I’m putty when he does that.
“Oh, hi,” She giggles. “Aren’t you Alex Emerson?” she asks, twirling a short strand of hair around her fingers.
“Yep,” Alex says curtly.
“What are you doing here?” She turns to me, then back to him. “I can’t believe Alex Emerson is standing at my door.” She giggles again.
Ugh. I think I hate this girl.
“I’m seeing Stella home and making sure dick-face is gone,” Alex mutters.
She puts her hands on her hips and nods. “Oh, he’s gone all right.”
“Good, glad to hear it.” He turns to me. “Stella?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I talk to you in the hall for a second?”
“Sure.” I walk back out into the hallway with him.
“Give me your phone.” He’s not asking.
“Why?”
“Well, I want you to have my number in case you need anything. Plus, I’m concerned about that guy coming back and bothering you. He seemed a little unstable, and sometimes guys get desperate. I just live two floors down, so I can be here in minutes if you need me. Okay?”
“Um, okay, thanks. But I’m sure I won’t need anything. Bradley isn’t the type to go overboard. I’m sure he thinks he can just talk his way out of this whole thing.” And that’s a true story. Bradley could schmooze his way out of anything.
“In any case, keep my number. I feel more comfortable knowing you can call me if you need help. Actually, call me if you need anything. Call me if you just feel like talking to someone who was there today. I’m a good listener.”
During this entire conversation, Alex has his hand on my arm, making small movements up and down. It feels reassuring, but it also makes the little hairs on my arm stand on end. In a good way. Dang, he has magic hands.
I reach into my back pocket and retrieve my phone.
Handing it to him, I say, “Thanks, Alex, I really appreciate it.” I pause, watching him type on my phone.
I feel like I need to say one more thing, so he knows I’m not going to bother him about any of this.
It’s over. Done. “I’m sure things will be fine. ”
“Good. Okay. Well, you have my number, call me if you need me. Have a good night. Sleep tight, Pixie.”
There’s no way I’m calling that guy. He's just being nice. And what the hell does he mean by ‘Pixie’? I need to know. “Um, Alex?”
He turns. “Yeah?”
“Why do you keep calling me Pixie?”
“Because you’re tiny, like a beautiful little fairy pixie,” he says sweetly.
“I’m not tiny!” This guy is delusional.
“Yes, you are. And you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” He winks as he says that last part and then strides off toward the stairwell.
When he’s gone, I walk back into the suite where Brooke is waiting.
“How in the hell did you meet Alex Emerson?” she snaps as soon as I cross the threshold.
“I ran into him downstairs. He helped me get rid of Bradley.”
“Well, aren’t you a lucky girl?” she spits.
“Lucky? Seriously? I just caught my boyfriend, whom I’m supposed to be promised to, cheating with my new roommate. That’s not lucky. That’s terrible.” I jam my hands on my hips for emphasis.
“Oh, come on. You know you’ll take him back. Who else is going to date you?”
That’s it. I can’t stand here for one more second.
I knew this girl was a mean girl the second I moved my boxes into my room, and I was right.
I turn on my heel and storm into my room, shutting my door behind me and locking it.
I need to keep the rest of the world out.
I launch myself onto my bed as I try to prevent the memories of today from invading my thoughts, but it’s impossible.
Brooke is right, who else, besides Bradley, is ever going to date me?
The truth is, I’m sad about Bradley, and I’m sad for myself.
My one and only boyfriend is now history.
My phone dings to alert me to a text message.
It’s Lily. Oh, crap! I was supposed to meet her back in her new dorm room to hang out, but there’s no way I’m going anywhere right now.
I write her back to apologize, telling her that something came up and I’m going to have to take a rain check.
She doesn’t seem to mind and, thankfully, doesn’t press me for any details.
After I finish the text, I lie down on my bed and think about tall, beautiful men.
I fall asleep in minutes and dream of knights in purple T-shirts. Alex Emerson….