Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
LIKE THE MOVIES BY LAUFEY
The next day rolls around slowly. Sienna left before me, she wasn’t drunk, but I did see Lawson waiting by the door when she had mentioned leaving.
I have no idea what happened if anything at all, but I know my best friend.
She doesn’t like to be asked, she likes to tell me when she feels ready, so despite how badly I want to know I leave my questions up in my brain for the time being.
I haven’t talked to Bellamy since he drove me home from the party.
He’s never been a big drinker at parties, at least during the time I’ve known him.
He said he wouldn’t be late after I hopped out of his Jeep last night.
Now that I’m up and awake I prepare myself for the few finals I have this week despite my hangover, and clean my apartment up.
I’m not the neatest person, but since Bellamy is coming over for tutoring the last thing I need is for him to think I’m a total slob.
I wait.
And then I wait more and feel a sticky, hot annoyance boiling inside of me.
Bellamy is late. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.
Considering I’m doing this as a favor to him, and not a normal tutoring session I would think he would at least try to be on time.
He’s never late for anything. Especially tutoring.
I sit on my couch, watching a Nicholas Sparks movie that happens to be playing on the TV, that I also happened to not be able to turn off.
My heart thumps as the two characters kiss in the rain, my mind reeling at just the sight of it.
They haven’t even confessed their love for each other yet, but it’s already so blatantly obvious as I watch them.
They know it too, they’ve just never said it.
The way the entire movie is set up makes me feel warmth in far too many areas of my chest. I reach forward, writing another thing on my list.
Kiss in the rain
I doodle a cute rain cloud next to the words I scribbled on the page as the film plays behind me.
This list isn’t my proudest moment. I’ve been drawing on it for a few weeks now, adding things here and there.
When I have free time I enjoy spending it watching movies.
Rom coms, of course. I always get too invested, and this was my way of stopping that.
This is my way of proving this stuff doesn’t exist in real life.
My mind snaps when I hear a knock on my door.
I turn the volume down and make my way to the door.
I squint to look through the peephole, only to see Bellamy.
Never has just a glimpse of someone flipped my stomach over but Bellamy is truly a different breed.
I swear the man isn’t human. He’s got to be some type of alien from planet scorching, burn your skin off, smoking, kill you with their looks, hot. That’s the only explanation for this.
“You’re late,” I open the door to him. He looks me up, and down, his lips turning up into a smile.
“You’re pretty when you’re annoyed.”
I roll my eyes at his senseless flirting. He steps through the entryway wearing black straight leg jeans that are loose on him. Clean white Nike’s on his feet, and a Seattle Pike University athletics shirt on. Predictable Bellamy attire. His hair is damp, and curling up at the ends.
“Don’t be mad at me. I figured you’d appreciate me coming to your apartment clean instead of gross from practice,” He tries to make excuses, but my ears are already buzzing.
“Wow, thank you for being so disturbingly kind. I do have a question for you though,” I walk backward toward my living room, making sure my eyes are locked on him. He’s looking around my apartment until I ask him the question. Now his eyes are on me.
“Yeah?” He tosses his bag on the ground near the couch.
“Do you do anything besides tackle other sweaty men so you can throw balls?”
He chuckles at the question which only makes me smile.
“Actually, sweaty men tackle me… And yes I do other things as well… Either way, I’m not the only one who enjoys being around sweaty men all the time… And women too. You’re on the field just as much as I am,” He throws himself on my couch and smirks at the TV. “Nicholas Sparks, my favorite.”
He picks up the remote, and I snatch it from him.
“No, we are not here to watch romance movies and hang out. You need to study,” I click off the television, throwing myself next to him.
“You’re hot when you boss me around.”
I shake my head, “Stop flirting with me, get your notes from class out.”
He doesn’t move, “We could use your notes...”
“You didn’t take any notes, did you?”
He shakes his head.
“Do you even care to pass?” I ask.
He groans, throwing his head back, “I do, but I figured you would take better notes so I kind of… Well, I just banked on you… Don’t be mad, Hart, I just know how smart you are,” He hides his failure with compliments, little does he know they won't affect me like he thinks they might.
“Don’t call me Hart, and don’t try to flatter me. You’re an idiot,” I pull out my notes, pushing things on my coffee table back.
“Good, we both agree that I’m an idiot.”
“Get out a pen and paper. I have practice worksheets we’re going to go over… I’m going to read off every pinpoint I have and you’re going to tell me what you need to work on, alright?”
He nods, “You got it, teacher.”
I smile to myself, thankful I can control the heat that comes to my cheeks. I’m not sure why the nickname is cute, but it is.
I start to go over the final and try to stay focused despite the different settings.
Normally he’s sitting across from me in the student center.
I’m on the clock being paid by the school, and he’s there of his own free will.
We have plenty of space between us and plenty of room for me to think, and him to study.
Right now we’re on my couch, and he’s leaning over, right next to me, watching as I go over an equation. His body heat is scorching, and it’s making me far more nervous than I’d ever admit.
My eyes peer over at him, and he’s staring at the paper, his messy hair hanging over his forehead.
It’s not like all the girls that go after him are wrong for doing so.
He’s easy to look at, and he’s surprisingly charming too.
I noticed it far before now, but this is the first time I’m admitting it to myself.
I would jump Bellamy Archer’s bones if I ever had the chance because holy hell he’s beautiful.
After a couple of hours, our dynamic has changed.
We’re no longer stiff and rigid as we sit next to each other.
He’s slouched into the corner of the couch, and I’m sitting upright, my feet kicked up on my coffee table.
I continue going over the study guide I’ve made for the two of us, and I point to the next spot, my eyes flipping to him.
He’s not looking at his notes, but straight at me.
I launch forward and steal his notes, noticing nothing written down from the past ten minutes of me talking. I flip my eyes to him, and then I narrow them.
“Are you paying attention?”
“Sorry, I got distracted,” He looks me up and down, and he doesn’t even need to try to flirt, it must just come naturally. When you look like he does I guess it has to.
“Are you serious right now? Bellamy, this is your last chance, there’s no more studying after this,” I try to raise the stakes, wondering if it will set in.
“Yeah I know, but I think I’ve got this covered... Now I mean, I’ve got it covered now.”
“Good, you can go then.”
His jaw drops, “Kicking me out so soon?”
I throw my notes to the side and stretch my arms and back, feeling tight after sitting for so long, “You wear me out.”
I fake a yawn and he laughs.
“I try my best.”
I look over to the side at him, his eyes looking at me again.
“You said you couldn’t tutor me yesterday because you were working, but the student center is closed on the weekends so…” He questions, and I nod.
“I work here at my apartment. Free housing that way.”
He raises his eyebrows at me, a soft nod following.
“You really are smart,” He compliments, and I smirk.
“I try my best,” I repeat his words, and he smirks, copying the look on my face.
My eyes scan him, and I peer at his tattoo, not able to see the entire thing, but seeing wisps, and pretty markings, “What does your tattoo mean?”
“It means I look great naked,” He tells me, and I laugh instantly, him following suit. “That was cheesy, I’m sorry… Um, I got it for my parents.”
I nod my head. It feels so normal for the two of us to just sit here. It feels like we hang out every day, like this is a casual thing we do. I’ve tutored him for the entire semester so I guess that must make sense.
“What’s this?” He asks.
I focus on what he’s talking about. I see his hand start reaching forward to grab something on the coffee table, and everything moves fast. I reach quickly, trying to beat him, but I fail miserably.
“Nothing,” I snap, but he’s already got the paper in his hand, and he’s standing up now, using his other arm to hold me back. I try pushing him, but he turns his head.
“Behave.”
I keep reaching despite the warning. He’s got almost an entire foot of height on me.
“What is it? The List of things I’ve seen but never done?” His eyes are scanning the long list. I made the list as a joke, more for personal entertainment than anything. “This is all cheesy romantic shit.”
I stop trying to grab the paper now, my hands thrown down at my sides as I give up. He looks directly at me, his eyes looking for an explanation.
“It’s stupid, and it’s none of your business either, and I would like it back. Please.”
His evil smile tells me he’s not giving me that list back.
“Cheesy carnival dates, and kissing in the rain. Slow dancing in the street. Food fight in the kitchen, cloud watching…” He reads pieces of the list.
I cross my arms over my chest, anger bubbling inside, “You can stop at any point.”
“I could but I like seeing you all worked up. I’ll give it back if you tell me what it is,” He raises his eyebrows.
“Do I have to?”
He waves the paper in his hand as a response. “Do you want this back?”
“This is blackmail,” I argue.
“Not really.”
“Yes, really.”
“Just tell me what it is, Kamryn,” He’s amused and I’m annoyed.
A common dynamic between the two of us.
“I like romance movies, okay?” I confess, but he still doesn’t hand it back to me.
“Okay? So do I, that doesn’t explain this,” He points to the list.
“So when I watch them they’re all cheesy, and romantic, and I’m not. So I wrote down the things I’ve seen that I’ve never done in them. That’s it, that’s all it is, now give me the damn list so I can throw it away,” I tell him.
“Aww come on Ryn, don’t throw it away. This is gold. You’re secretly a hopeless romantic.”
My limit has been reached.
“Okay fine, you can make fun of me all you want, just give it back,” I hold my hand out.
“No can do. First of all, I’m not making fun of you at all, it’s adorable. Second, I’m keeping it, and completing it,” His cockiness is prominent but not wanted at all right now.
I don’t get embarrassed easily, but this? This is fucking embarrassing.
“Okay, take whoever you want on the dates I don’t care, but give the list back.”
He laughs, “Completing it with you. Obviously.”
The attitude bounces around my living room. I’m the one laughing now.
“You should drop football and go into comedy. Now give it back.”
“You do realize you’re about 5 '4, and more cute than you are scary… Meaning I’m not going to listen to you.”
I think my glare might be able to burn holes through him if I keep at it long enough. I guess we’ll see, “Well, I’m not going to do the list with you. It was a dumb list.”
“It’s not dumb. Do the list with me,” He pleads, and though I like the sound of him begging, I’d like the sound of the door closing behind him better.
“No! Did you get a concussion at practice? Are you losing it?” I press my body to him trying to reach the list. The warmth he radiates isn’t alarming, but incredibly, and dangerously welcoming. “I’m not going out with you. Not now. Not ever.”
My words contradict everything I feel inside of me right now.
“I’m not giving it back,” His voice is matter of fact, as are the stern features on his already structured face.
“Fine, keep the list, but if you tell anyone it’s mine I’ll deny it. I’ll see you tomorrow, now go away,” I help gather his things, and shove them in his hands.
“And this weekend for our first date.”
“I don’t do dates. Especially not with you.”
“That’s offensive,” He puts his hand on his chest like I’ve hurt him.
“Your ego will survive, I promise… If not I know a few cheerleaders who would love to stroke it back to health, which is a perfect job for them, not me, now go away so I can sleep,” I point to the door.
“Fine, but this isn’t over Hart,” He grabs his backpack from my hand, the list still in grasp.
“My name is Kamryn, and it is over. Don’t bring up the dumb list again,” I raise my eyebrows at him, knowing good and well that Bellamy Archer isn’t going to be intimidated.
“Sure,” He loosely agrees and opens my door. “Thanks again Ryn,” He winks. I close the door behind him, and press my back to it, slowly sliding down until my butt hits the cold tile flooring. This is what I get. I did it to myself.