35. Wren
Ilost.
But not by much; it was close enough that I was damn proud, and by the smile on Julian’s face, I’d dare say he was too. We end up spending the rest of the time playing around, making out, and laughing so much that my cheeks hurt when he drops me off at Dimitri’s office door.
“Have fun, love,” Julian tells me before pressing a kiss to my head and promptly leaving.
It’s still strange to me the way the two of them seem so okay with sharing me. I’d expected some kind of jealousy or even for one of them to demand I pick them, and while I hadn’t wanted that, this just seems too good to be true.
Speaking of too good to be true, I turn to find Dimitri standing in the doorway, a slight smile pulling at his lips that I’ve come to learn is just for me and makes my stomach feel like it’s home to a million butterflies.
He’s very serious when he’s in ‘professor mode,’ as I’ve come to call it, but with each meeting, I feel like I get more of the real him, the man beneath the responsibility.
“You look happy.” Still, there’s no jealousy in his words, as if he’s just genuinely happy that I’m happy.
“I am.”
The next day flies by, and instead of Julian picking me up from class, Nolan is there, and if I thought I got a lot of looks with Julian, well, everyone notices now.
“Why is everyone looking at us?” I ask as we turn the last corner out of the main building, headed toward the dorms. Despite almost everyone being at our backs, I still feel their eyes and the way they follow us.
“I’m not really sure.” He reaches up and scrubs his hand over the back of his neck in an almost nervous gesture that doesn’t fit the Nolan I’ve come to know. I’m trapped ogling him like a weirdo as his muscles bunch and bulge, and oh man, look away, Wren!
I force my gaze down to the ground and focus back on the more important things, like if maybe Nolan isn’t feeling well, instead of my seemingly ravenous libido.
I don’t think it’s that, though. No, his sentence almost felt incomplete, like he had more to say but simply didn’t.
I don’t push; if he is uncomfortable, all that will do is make it worse. Besides, nobody said anything, and we’re outside now; everything is fine.
Neither of us says another word until we reach our hall, and it’s as if Nolan can finally breathe.
He sucks in a deep breath, and I give him a minute to get himself together. “I don’t usually do the whole walk with a girl, or like anything with a girl.” He spits the words out so quickly I struggle to make sense of them at first.
I pause as his words register. “I’m so sorry.
You didn’t have to walk with me if you didn’t want to.
I would have made it back on my own just fine.
Next time, just tell Julian you’re busy or something…
” I press a hand to my mouth to stop my rambling and feel the warmth of my cheeks as embarrassment threatens to choke me.
He hadn’t wanted to walk with me, and Julian made him.
“No, wait!” Nolan all but shouts as I head toward the door, sure he’s had enough of me. If only I had a room to hide away in…
I don’t stop, though. How can I? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look him in the eyes again.
“Wren.” His fingers wrap around my arm, stopping me in place, firm enough that I can’t keep walking, but easy enough that it doesn’t cause any pain.
It’s a strange sense of gentleness that I wouldn’t expect from someone of Nolan’s size.
“I…” I hear him swallow hard before he takes a deep breath and tries again, this time more successfully. “I volunteered to come and grab you when Julez said he was busy.”
Now it’s my turn for my breath to catch as I whirl around to look him in the eyes and see he’s telling the truth.
“Why?” I can’t stop the question from spilling out even if I wanted to, not with the way he’d just reacted.
“I didn’t want you to be alone.” He holds my gaze as he says it, and I swear he’s closer than he was a moment ago.
I can’t help but breathe him in; the scent of him is so relaxing.
You would think he would only ever smell of chlorine, with how often he’s in the pool, but he reminds me of warm days at the beach, saltwater, and sand.
It makes me think of rare times when Jordan and I were able to sneak away and bury our feet and our worries in the sand, even if just for a few hours.
“Thank you.” It’s all that comes to mind, and I’m sure it sounds lame, but I swear I see the slightest hint of color rise to his cheeks before he pulls back and gives me a jerky nod.
“We should probably…” He holds an arm out toward the door, and I smile at him and his adorable, awkward behavior.
Who knew the big guy could be so soft?
I walk past him, close enough that my fingers touch the back of his hand where it hangs at his side, and he doesn’t pull away, so I’m going to count that as a win.
So much for staying away from the boys.
I walk through the door with what I’m sure is a dopey grin, only to find the very man I’d just envisioned smacking upside the head not five minutes ago. Funny how I kind of want to kiss him now.
The smile on his face is dazzling as usual, but that’s not what catches my attention, or at least that’s not what holds it.
No, it’s the bottle on the table in front of him, the bright purple bottle.
Apparently, his wager wasn’t empty, and as I stand, staring at the beautiful shade of purple, I’m kind of glad for that.
I’d been terrified at first, but now, well, I might even say I’m excited.
I’ve never done anything like this, and it’s time I stepped outside ?my comfort zone.
I mean, it seems to be working out pretty well with the guys.
Lord knows talking to them and letting them in has been a challenge, but one that was so very worth it.
I move around the couch, plopping down beside him and scooping the bottle up to get a better look.
“It’s beautiful,” I gush as I turn it this way and that, admiring the way it shines when it catches the light.
“Your favorite color.”
It’s not a question but a statement of fact. He’s right, though I’m not sure I’ve ever told him that.
Is that why he picked purple, or was that just a coincidence?
“Ready to join the colorful world?” Julian cocks a brow at me as if daring me to back out.
Instead, I smile at him, and he blinks hard as if caught off guard. “So, do I get a new nickname?”
Nolan barks a laugh from the kitchen, and I look around Julian to see him sitting at the table with his books. Usually, when he isn’t studying with us or swimming, he’s up in his room.
“You think I’d miss this,” he says, pointing between Julian and me with a chuckle, clearly having read the question on my face.
I can’t help but smile because, yeah, this is probably going to be something.
“Let’s get this purple in your hair so you can upgrade to my little purple Pookie,” Julian says, grabbing my wrist and hauling me off into the bathroom.
“No, wait. Just Purple, no more Pookie,” I protest even as I laugh because leave it to Julian to find a way to make his nickname even more ridiculous.
“Nah, you're Pookie for life,” Nolan shouts after us, and I glare at him over my shoulder as we turn into the bathroom.
“Traitor!” His laughter is rich and infectious as it echoes after us, and I see why Julian couldn’t pick me up from class; he’s been busy.
In what’s usually a pretty standard bathroom, there now sits a chair like one might find at a salon, a cape, bowls, and brushes.
“Oh my.”
Julian’s smile turns unsure as he rubs ?the back of his neck, clearly nervous. “I just wanted you to be comfortable while we did it. I knew you were nervous, and if you’re still unsure, it’s totally cool if you don’t, but—”
I press my hand to his mouth to stop his rambling and smile up at him when his eyes go wide and his brows shoot up.
“I would have just kissed you, but I’d need a step stool or something.”
Even with his mouth covered, I see his smile. His eyes shine with it, and his cheeks dimple. I pull my hand away, and he swoops in to press a kiss to my lips, making me laugh, and he doesn’t hesitate to sneak his tongue in, making me curl my toes.
When he pulls back, we're both breathing hard and smiling wide.
“Remind me to get you a stool.” I bark a laugh, and he reaches out, lacing his fingers with mine to lead me over to the chair. “Your throne, my love.”
I get the displeasure of watching the way my face turns red from his words in the mirror before I glance away.
“You and these nicknames are going to kill me,” I grumble.
“You love them,” he breathes in my ear, quickly nibbling it before he pulls back to put the cape over me. When I glance up, I find his gaze glued to mine.
I do.
“Make me purple, Blue.”
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
“Why is girls' hair so much more complicated?” Julian whines, lifting a section of my hair in the air and looking at it as if he’s never seen hair before.
“Probably because she easily has triple the hair you do.”
Julian turns, and I look in the mirror at Titus, who stands leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, his usual annoyed look on his face, but that’s not surprising since I’m in the room.
“If you're not going to help, then you can leave. This is hard enough without your bad attitude, Snookums.”
I expect Titus to be put off by the nickname, but instead, I swear I see his eyes soften even if only for a moment. The second his gaze flicks to me, that softness is replaced with ice.
For a moment, he doesn’t move, and then with a huff, he’s stalking forward, his lips pulled so far down in a frown that he looks like one of those blobfish.
The thought makes me smile, and his frown deepens.
Yup, definitely a blobfish.
“Let me see.” Titus shoos Julian away, and to my utter horror, he moves.
“Wha—”
“I’ve got six sisters. I’ve done this more than I care to admit, so either sit down and let me help, or you can let Julez do it and risk looking like a purple-spotted leopard.”