Chapter 21
21
The Past
College
E ssie is coming today.
I wipe a sweaty hand over my pants.
Why am I so nervous?
We’ve secretly hung out for months. But this time, we’ll be with her friends and River.
I already hear voices drifting from the dorm room when I reach it. I tuck a bag of Skittles into my pocket and walk inside.
Everyone stops and turns in my direction. My gaze immediately anchors on Essie. A rush of air escapes me as we stare at each other. Her eyes sparkle, and a smile twitches on her lips.
“Dude,” River says, interrupting our moment, “quit creepily staring at my sister.”
“Relax,” Essie tells River. “I was the one doing the staring.”
“She’s right.” I wink at Essie. “She was doing all the creepy staring.”
“So, this is the roommate?” a dark-haired girl asks, eyeing me. She extends her arm toward me. “I’m Amelia. ”
An introduction isn’t necessary.
I recognize Amelia from Essie’s Instagram and photos she’s shown me.
To not make that obvious, I still shake Amelia’s hand. “Adrian.”
Ava introduces herself next.
“You’re right,” the strawberry blonde beside Essie says, elbowing her. “He is cute.” She lifts her fingers in a wave. “I’m Callie.”
I return the wave and smile at Essie, whose cheeks are now red. “Oh, you said I was cute, huh?”
“It was my way of convincing them to visit River,” she explains. “Ava was adamant she didn’t want to hang out in his smelly dorm.”
River rolls his eyes. “Ava’s behavior has proven otherwise.”
Ava flips him off.
“Help me convince Essie we should all go to a frat party tonight,” Amelia says.
“I’d suggest not going to a frat party tonight,” I say.
River nods in agreement. “Frat parties are lame.”
“Too bad.” Amelia crosses her arms. “We can’t go alone, so you two are chaperones.” She claps her hands. “We’ll be here at nine. Be ready.”
River scoffs. “Doubt Adrian will go.”
“Why’s that?” Callie asks.
River smirks at me. “He prefers to stay in every night, talking to his secret girlfriend.”
“The cute ones always have a girlfriend,” Ava mutters.
River mimics her in the background, and she springs across the room to push him back onto the bed. He drags her onto it as he falls.
“Nah, I’ll go.” I tuck my hand into my pocket and play with the Skittles. “Nine o’clock. Got it.”
A frat party sounds like a nightmare, but I’ll do it to spend time with Essie .
It might give us time to sneak away too.
It’s confirmed. I’m not a frat party kind of guy.
I don’t think one person in our group is a frat party type of person.
This is the first frat party I’ve attended since starting college, and unless Essie is there, it’ll be the last.
The place is shoulder to shoulder with people.
I’ve never felt so claustrophobic.
Standing against the wall, I cross my arms, watching Essie dance with her friends. Every few moments, she glances in my direction.
When a buzz-cut guy holding a drink attempts to grind on her, she pushes him away. I can’t stop myself from laughing.
She fans her hand in front of her face, like she’s hot, and yells, “Be right back,” to her friends.
I push myself off the wall and beeline toward her. “Water?”
She nods and sticks out her tongue. “Yes, please.”
Fun fact: water is the hardest drink to find at a frat party.
Jungle juice. Beer. Cheap vodka shots. But no H 2 O.
“Jesus, don’t these guys hydrate?” I mutter while searching the cabinets.
“They hide all the water,” a guy finally tells me. “So random people don’t steal them.”
“It’s funny, isn’t it?” the short girl beside him says. “They’ll shove alcohol at us all day, but Lord forbid anyone touches their water.”
“Come on,” I tell Essie. “I have some in my car.”
They rode with River to the party, and I drove separately.
Capturing Essie’s hand, I lead her outside to the road lined with cars .
“You look beautiful,” I finally say what I’ve wanted to all night.
We’re normally dressed casually when we hang out. Tonight, she’s wearing a loose floral dress and pink cowgirl boots.
Essie shyly pulls at the hem of her dress. “Thank you.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve told Essie she’s beautiful, but we’re out of our element here.
I unlock my car and grab a water from the storage basket in my back seat. I always keep extra drinks and snacks for when I visit Essie and we hang out in here.
She takes the water from me and drinks half the bottle in one gulp.
“Thank you,” she says around a sigh.
She grins when I tug the bag of Skittles from my pocket. I waited for the perfect time to give them to her. When I hand them to her, she rips the corner of the bag open, spills a few into her hand, and pops them into her mouth.
I cross my arms and lean against my car.
She stands in front of me, shaking the bag in the air. “I ask a question. If you answer it correctly, I’ll toss it into your mouth.”
I throw my arms out. “Go for it, babe.”
“Did you want to come to the party tonight?”
“Hell no.” I catch the Skittle in my mouth when she throws it.
“But you came for me?”
“Yes.”
I miss the Skittle she throws, and it bounces off my car window and drops onto the ground.
“Am I the girl River referred to as your secret girlfriend?”
“Yes.” Another Skittle caught.
“Was I the only girl you watched on the dance floor?”
“You’re the only girl I watch, period .”
“Stalker style, or I’m just so beautiful that you can’t look away?” Her voice is playful .
“I was staring because you’re gorgeous, but some could say it was too much on the stalker side.”
“Correct. But FYI, you’re the only man I’ll allow to stalk me without kneeing you in the nuts.”
I slap my hand to my chest. “I’m so honored.” I steal the bag from her. “My turn.”
She performs a have at it gesture.
“How excited were you to see me?”
“A little full of ourselves, are we?” She laughs.
“Answer the question.” I shake the bag in the air. “Or no Skittles for you.”
“Fine.” She drawls that word out. “I was super excited but nervous.”
I cast a Skittle toward her, but she misses.
“Why nervous?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs and circles on her toes, motioning toward the party. “Being out of our bubble.”
“Being out of our bubble blows,” I grumble.
“It absolutely does. Give me milkshakes at the diner and the smell of mothballs in the library over this.”
“I’ve never heard a more correct answer.” I toss the Skittle and yell, “Bam!” when she catches it. I rip the bag open farther to discover only one Skittle left. “Final question, Esmeralda.”
She throws her arms out. “Go for it, Castillo.”
I pause. “Final two questions.”
“That’s cheating.”
“What if I tear the Skittle in half?”
“Oh my gosh, just ask them.”
I hold up the Skittle as if it were an expensive diamond. “Question number one: will you sneak out with me tonight?”
She goes quiet for a minute.
I play with the Skittle in my hand, noticing red dye bleeding into my skin.
“I’ll sneak out with you tonight,” she says around a long breath before smiling wide .
I almost tell her to pinky promise on it, but she keeps talking.
“Now, tell me question two and give me my Skittle before it melts in your hand and gets all gross,” she teases.
“Question two”—a slow smile builds on my face—“can I kiss you?”