34. Vanessa
CHAPTER 34
VANESSA
Teddy won’t stop kissing me when he drops me off at my dorm.
“I have to go,” I laugh, trying to dodge him before we get caught up and I decide to drag him up to my room. Not that I think he’d complain, but Danika is probably back, and I really do need to get settled and ready for class in the morning.
“Are you sure you don’t need help getting these bags back up to your room?” He gives me my favorite smile of his, the naughty boy one that says he knows he can get away with whatever he wants.
I look down at the ground where all of my stuff sits. Yes, I need his help. Am I going to accept it? No. Why? Because if it’s this difficult to resist his advances out here, it’ll be damn near impossible with my bed only a few feet away.
“I can handle it. Besides,” I place my hands on his lower stomach, giving him a light shove away from me, “you need to go check on Jude and make sure he didn’t get an STD while he was away.”
Teddy gives a groan, but he knows I’m right. “I’ll see you later?”
“You aren’t sick of me yet?”
“Never,” he growls, swooping in for a kiss. “All right, all right. I’m going,” he laughs, backing toward his car when I give him another shove.
Somehow, I manage to gather up all of my stuff, and thanks to the help of a girl that lives in my dorm, I get inside and onto the elevator without dropping anything.
Entering my room, I find Danika must’ve only recently arrived too since some of her things are strewn around the shared living space.
She walks out of her room, and I’m surprised by the big smile she gives me. “Hey, how was Greece?”
“Spectacular.”
I’m aware I’m beaming from ear to ear, and while the trip has a little to do with it, it’s mostly due to my traveling companion.
“You’re definitely glowing,” she affirms, looking me over.
“So are you.” She got one hell of a tan at whatever beach she went to. “I wish it lasted longer, but at least graduation is soon.”
Speaking of, I didn’t do one lick of studying while I was gone. I need to crack open a textbook and get some reading in tonight so I’m not completely lost tomorrow.
Dragging my stuff into my bedroom, I get to work unpacking. Once everything is put away, I breathe a sigh of relief that the room is back in order.
Danika pokes her head into my open room. “You wanna go out tonight?”
I blink at her, taken off guard by the question. We’re not friends, so she’s never asked me to hang out before. “Where?”
She shrugs. “Harvey’s.” I must be giving her a weird look, because she steps into my room and lowers her arms from her chest. “Look, I know we haven’t been friends, and that’s on me. I had a shitty roommate the first two years who I thought was my friend, but it turns out she was nothing but a liar and manipulator, so I knew whoever I got paired with for junior and senior year I was going to keep at a distance. I realize now that wasn’t fair to you, and I’m sorry. I know we’re about to graduate, but I’d like to try to make amends.” I give her a blank, bug-eyed stare that has her moving awkwardly from foot to foot. “Look, you don’t have to it’s just that?—”
“No, no. I’m in,” I rush to say. “It’s just that this isn’t all on you. I haven’t made much, well any, effort to be your friend either. I mean, if I’m being honest, I don’t have any friends here … until now.”
Because Teddy and Jude, they are my friends now. Sure, it’s not a lot, but it counts. It’s kind of sad how I’ve kept myself at a distance from everyone the whole time I’ve been here. Time’s been an issue since I work a lot on top of school, but the past few months are proof that I could’ve made room for people in my life. I just didn’t want to.
“I guess we’re both making progress then. Should we leave at seven?”
“Sounds good.”
“Don’t be surprised when Teddy pops out from somewhere,” I warn Danika, smoothing my skirt down. “I told him we were having a girls night and not to crash, but he never listens.”
Touching up her red lipstick she eyes me over her compact. “He has hot friends he always travels with, so I’ll forgive him.” Snapping it closed, she puts her lipstick away and gives her hair one final fluff. “I need a free margarita.”
“They’re free tonight?” I ask way too enthusiastically because I can’t say no to my favorite drink.
“They are when someone else is buying them.” She winks and I give her a slow clap for that one.
Inside a country song is blasting across the speakers, my head automatically bobbing along.
We’ve barely walked a few feet through the door when an arm sweeps around, and I’m tugged into a familiar chest. “I missed you.”
“You just saw me this afternoon.” My arms wrap around Teddy’s neck, from the corner of my eye Danika smiles at us.
“Still long enough for me to miss you.” He ducks down, kissing me quickly before we get carried away. Clearing his throat, he turns to my roommate. “Nice to see you, Danika.”
“Likewise.” She tries not to laugh. “Are you trying to steal my date?”
“No, you were. This one’s always mine.” He smiles at me and my stupid heart flips over. “Come on,” he jerks his head in the opposite direction, “we already have a table.”
“Who is we?” Danika asks cautiously, gripping her wristlet to her chest like she needs to protect it from someone.
“Everyone.” Teddy guides me along and Danika is forced to follow or give up on the idea of us hanging out.
When we approach the table Jude hoots and stands up, throwing off the girl who was all over him. He doesn’t seem to notice the loss of her presence as he steals me from Teddy, hugging me tightly. “There’s my girl.”
“Your girl? Your girl? That’s mine, get your own.” Teddy fake pouts at his best friend.
“Ah, not yet. I’m not ready to settle down. Maybe next year, but not likely.” He releases me and tosses a wink at someone I can’t see.
“Someone will come your way and change your whole world,” I promise him.
He chuckles, but a dark look passes over his face. “I doubt it.”
He turns away before I can say more or question him about it.
“Babe, sit down.” Teddy tugs me to the booth where everyone else waits. Danika hesitates but follows, sitting beside me on the end.
“Hey, guys,” I greet everyone, not feeling nearly as awkward as I used to. I don’t know if it’s because what Teddy and I have has grown into more or if time has made me feel more a part of the group versus an outsider.
“You look amazing,” Rory gushes, reaching up to adjust her glasses on her nose. “Mascen said you guys were going to Greece. I’d be jealous, but this one took me to London.” She pokes his cheek and while he glowers like he’s mad, his eyes tell a completely different story—one that makes it clear he plans on devouring her later.
“Thanks. Greece was amazing.” I smile up at Teddy, and when he returns mine with one of his, I feel the lurch, the dip, the shift —whatever you want to call it. The one where you know deep down that something monumental has changed. It’s like my cells have been shaken up and realigned and they all say the same thing.
I’m in love with Teddy McCallister.
How … what … when the fuck did this happen?
I never intended for this to happen. Feelings lead to heartbreak, and falling for Teddy is the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. Even though he’s proved over and over that his feelings are genuine, it doesn’t mean this whole thing won’t blow up in my face.
“What’s wrong?” Teddy smooths his thumb over my cheek like he’s trying to get rid of whatever expression has overtaken my face.
“Nothing,” I rush to say, perhaps too quickly based on the way his brows scrunch together. “Just happy to be here.” I press a kiss to his jaw, and he relaxes, seeming appeased by this.
Drinks and appetizers are delivered to the table, ordered before Danika and I arrived, but I’m not surprised Teddy went ahead and got a margarita for the two of us.
Danika picks up her glass with a look that says, “I told you so.” We clink our glasses together.
Flushed from a few drinks, I drag Teddy onto the dance floor by his shirt. Cheers ring up around at the display. A remix of Taylor Swift’s Love Story plays at a deafening level, made worse by the drunk college kids—myself included—singing at the top of our lungs.
I shout lyrics at Teddy about Romeo throwing pebbles and kneeling on the ground.
He goes along with it, singing along. I have to admit I’m impressed he knows every single lyric. Then again, this is Teddy, so I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s a man of many talents.
“Did you mean it?”
“Huh?” He turns his ear toward me.
“Did you mean it?” I yell again. “In Greece. When you said you want me in all the ways that a man wants a woman, did you mean you want me for keeps?”
He hears me this time. Heated green eyes make my core clench. He cups my cheek, thumb rubbing over my bottom lip. “I’ve wanted you for real for … God . Months now. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up.” His mouth is a hard press to mine. Demanding. Insistent. I open for him, his tongue sweeping inside my mouth and staking claim.
Behind those boyish smiles, and twinkling eyes, and sexual comments, there’s a man who just wants to love a woman, and that woman is me .
I’ve never seen myself as particularly lucky, but I can’t help but think that Lady Luck’s guiding hand put us in each other’s paths.
I saw the shift in Teddy, how his feelings grew real, and I ignored them. Pushed him away. Insisted on keeping this arrangement as it should be. But my heart didn’t get that memo.
As Taylor Swift croons, I smile up at him, our own love story being written around us.